I have the great pleasure to be a customer of, mentored by, hunt with, and most importantly be friends with the highly regarded American Semi-Longbow bowyer and Hill style aficionado Mr. Nate Steen of Twin Falls, Idaho.
I have now known Mr. Steen for about seven years. Nate saw some questions I had posted on an online forum when I was making the transition from recurve back to longbow. He generously volunteered his advice and guidance which I happily accepted. The rest is history.
Nate is a torch bearer of the Howard Hill legacy, and his passion and "attention to detail" bring some clarity to the muddied waters between fact and fiction regarding this great American legend. Misguided misinformation, and sometimes straight-out untruths, are commonly spread. There are those who seek to ride Hill's coattails of fame, those that just "heard a story from a person" that Hill did such-and-such, and those who just assume Hill did things a certain way because that is their perspective. I am also a "researcher" and historian at heart, so Nate's passion and information fueled my personal interests and we hit it off as kindred spirits.
There is not a plethora of accurate information available out there for those who wish to shoot and hunt in Mr. Hill's style. The mentality of archery coaching/teaching techniques prevalent today is based in target style archery. Mr. Hill, while an expert in target archery, went out of his way to explain that hunting requires a different approach to be most proficient. You can hammer in a screw, but that does not mean it's the best method. Consider your ultimate goal and the advice Mr. Hill himself given to John Schulz and his brother, "Boys,
make up your minds what you want to do, hunt or shoot target, because the two just don't go together". Static target style will not get you hits on an aerial moving target very easily. Hill style takes work, dedication, and an almost Zen-like approach to practice. This is hard for the instant gratification crowd to embrace. Nate has been my guide, and generously advised several other individuals as well. He has steered me in the right direction and assisted with conquering the pit-falls, technical aspects, and most importantly mental state imperative to the Hill style of hunting and shooting.
Nate attacks his passion with the care and devotion of a research historian. He has reached out to the Schulz family, and continues to correspond from time to time with some of the brothers, carefully receiving and recording first hand knowledge. Nate was a true student of John Schulz, even before John started offering lessons to the public once more.
Nate's bows are highly regarded and almost never available in the used bow market. Nate is a part-time bowyer, and full time business owner of a glass shop. His day job responsibilities keep him from producing very many bows. Currently, his backlogged build list is populated by his friends, past customers, and only those who he thinks will truely appreciate his bow and "do not change bows like they change socks". I am fortunate to have two of these custom creations, and recently I saw one of Nate's used bows up for sale at the cost of $800.
Two of Nate's personal bows:
"He has successfully combined the best characteristics, feel, and
forgiveness of a stringfollow all bamboo laminated "Natural", with the
efficiency and durability of a glassed bow."
Even within the last several years, Nate's bows have evolved slightly as he continues to take private lessons from John Schulz and uncovers more detailed design knowledge that continue to made Schulz's Hill style bows so sought after. In my opinion, Nate builds the closest feel to a Schulz bow. Nate's glassed bows have somewhat of an improvement over the "Naturals" that John ended his bow making career with.
His earlier models were offered with a leather rest, then a leather disk inlay, and now he is producing a really unique antler inlay on the arrow pass. Shooting "off the wood" so to speak as Hill and Swinehart preferred.
Earlier leather button:
The current inlay offering has evolved to elk antler:
This is my custom Sunset Hill "White Feather" that has more "Schulz" looking lines that Nate's earlier bows.
Nate's design is unique in the longbow world. He has successfully combined the best characteristics, feel, and forgiveness of a stringfollow all bamboo laminated "Natural", with the efficiency and durability of a glassed bow. His goal was to create a speedy glassed hunting longbow with the feel and forgiveness of a well crafted non-glassed bow.
Nate prefers a low brace height on his designs, which he feels adds to the forgiveness of the system. He states, "A low brace height makes the arrow perform more stiffly, throwing it into the sideplate further which makes a stiffer arrow point to the left more, and when it leaves the string, it's headed more left before it starts bending around the bow. As long as the arrow isn't so stiff that it clanks against the riser. Because of a stiffer spined arrow I use, the arrow ends up flying up and left of my bow (in my vision) which means that the arrow flight is never hidden behind my bow as I'm following the arrow in flight in peripheral vision. If I was using a softer spine, the arrow would bend around the bow, and the use of an ASL with minimal sight window causes the arrow to be hidden from peripheral vision because it's bending around the bow. A stiffer arrow flying left, bends less, straightens quicker, and trains me to hold the bow out of the line of sight to the target. I'm aiming the arrow, not the bow." Also he believes that a low brace height takes advantage of longer string travel to get as much power out of the bow as possible.
Nate advises against a too-long bow of his design and says, "I've built bows from 62" to 68". However, for a string follow design, too long a length ratio compared to draw length will get you a poorly behaving bow. Not enough limb recoil speed to counteract the longer and heavier limb. It's all about the sum total of lots of little things."
The following is a technical print-out he supplies with his new bows:
Nate's attention to tiller, and highly refined and designed limb tips, lose nothing in the speed and cast department to backset models by other bowyers. Without going into technical details, Nate does not simply flip a backset form to make a stringfollow bow. There is much heavy consideration to the tiniest of tiller changes during construction to get the finished product. His bows take countless hours to construct, but to the true Hill aficionado it is worth every minute.
"Nate's attention to tiller, and highly refined and designed limb tips,
lose nothing in the speed and cast department to backset models by other
bowyers."
Nate puts the same level of craftsmanship and detail into his leather offerings. His Hill style back quivers, arm guards, and the occasional glove are also very accurate reproductions of Hill and Schulz tackle. Nate took time while visiting with John Schulz to study John's back quiver and re-create it.
Unlike Nate's bows, his leather goods are more available to the average person. Nate continues to receive orders, and crank out quivers, as they take considerably less time and effort to construct than a longbow.
Nate's back quivers are also regarded as the best of the best. They are typically a little more money than others available on the market, but Nate's quivers have refinements that make this durable piece of gear, "the last back quiver you will ever need to buy". One should last the average bowhunter a lifetime.
"Don't buy a quiver from someone who does not use one while hunting".
Nate is a longtime longbow and back quiver hunter:
Nate constructs his leather goods with English Bridle leather instead of the more common Latigo leather. The rationale is that bridle leather will not bleed, is stiff enough yet breaks in well, and is more durable. His quivers have modifications to aid the way the quiver will hang for best results in the woods. The straps are set an an angle that differs from other quivers. This helps to provide a more horizontal hang much like the longbow legends used. The seam along the length of the quiver is positioned so the gap is facing down. This keeps dirt, water, and debris from getting into the seam. His legend model has the seam stitched with longitudinal lacing, instead of the more common "X" pattern. This lowers the potential for broadheads to snag the lacing when being withdrawn. Small leather hexagons reinforce the area of the strap stitching for durability. Nate will ask questions on the archers draw length and size in order to custom fit the gear. All of these small refinements add up to a high quality and well designed quiver with no equal in the field for hunting. Nate's advice, "Don't buy a quiver from someone who does not use one while hunting".
John Schulz's personal Quiver:
Nate's quivers are functional and designed to be hunted:
To learn more about the practical function of these design aspects as it relates to hunting with the this tackle, see my post on
"Hunting with the Back Quiver".
I have made it a point to go out and hunt public land elk in Idaho near Nate's stomping grounds the last several years. Nate is always willing to stop by, visit, and share a campfire and hot cup of coffee at the least. He is a good man and I am proud to call him my friend.
Nate and my brother on a 2016 Idaho Elk Hunt:
Talking Bowhunting with Nate in his custom hunting camper:
Send Nate a email inquiry for custom leather goods or to just talk longbows and Hill style to natesteen@hotmail.com (or
through private message on
Traditional Archery Society's forum.) He is usually willing to spend some time and share some sage advice.
Unfortunately, because of his busy schedule, he is not taking orders for custom longbows at this time. However, if you have a question or know of a used Sunset Hill on the market, Nate can refinish and help get that bow to someone he knows is pining for one. You can rest assured that bow will end up in the hands of someone who will cherish it forever. That is exactly how I got my hands on my first Sunset Hill.
