Our History

Draw-Loc LogoHickory Creek Logo

 

 

From the Beginning

Hickory Creek Inc./Draw-Loc Hickory Creek Inc is located in Saucier Mississippi 20 miles north of Gulfport. Family owned and operated since 1996 by Jerry Goff, Sherwood Goff, Annette Goff and Lisa Goff.

The idea for the Draw-loc came about in mid July, 1995, while shooting my compound bow in preparation for the September elk hunt in Colorado. Because of ongoing shoulder problems and two shoulder surgeries it was getting more difficult to draw and hold the PSE Carol Intruder Bow that I was shooting. I found it necessary to try and improvise or devise something to help overcome this problem or my hunt was a “no go”.

After about an hour of scratching my head, Original DrawlocsI came up with an idea of holding the string at full draw by using the calipers release head of my wrist release as the trigger. After some cutting, filing and a little welding my make shift bow string lock was born. It was a bit scary at first, not knowing if the limbs would “blow up”, as I have heard so many say. I soon discovered that compound bow limbs were the SAME as a crossbow limbs.

The more I shot this holding device the better I felt about it, and began to see the benefits of having the bow drawn and locked in the full drawn Position for someone with an injury like myself.

My trip to Colorado was successful by taking a cow elk on the last day. After returning home, deer season was close at hand and the word was getting out about what I had come up with. So it was time to put a name to it and the most appropriate, that came to mind, was Draw-Loc! We applied and received a Patent(s) and began to market it at gun shows, hunting expose, magazines, and several years later TV.

ADL31t the timeDL25 the shortest bow (that we knew about) was about 40 inches. The Draw-Loc worked well, but was cumbersome on long axle-axle bows, so we saw the need to create a short axle-axle bow that would be easier to maneuver. First we came out with our 31” in 1998, then the 28” in 1999, then the DL25 (the first Parallel limb bow on the Market) in 2000, then the DL24 and the most recent is the 23 Magnum that can be shot as a hand drawn bow or as a Draw-Loc bow (crossbow alternative).

At first it proved to be a real challenge convincing hunters that a compound bow with a Draw-Loc was the answer for the need of a crossbow and sometimes still is. For many this has proven to be a WELCOMED crossbow alternative. Our persistency eventually paid off, and we have made tremendous strides in the archery industry.

Many dealers throughout the US, Canada, Africa and others are recommending the Draw-Loc for their compound bow to their physically challenged customers. While there are other types of locking devices on the market (Pullin Archery and Lock-a-Draw), the Draw-Loc is the only one that is sold by major word wide distributors (Pape’s, Kinsey’s and other smaller distributors) demonstrating the validity of this product as the true crossbow alternative.

We have worked hard with state commissioners and law enforcement with much success in getting the Draw-Loc introduced into their regulations. At one time the Draw-Loc was not legal in many states, but now most states allow the use of the Draw-Loc for impaired hunters. Some states do not allow crossbows, but do allow Draw-Locs for the handicapped archer. Other states do allow the Draw-Loc for disabled hunters as well as for the general use in the archery only season.

After 4 years of R&D, the New In-Line Draw-Loc was introduced in 2010. This unit was a completely new Draw-Loc design under a completely new Patent Applications. This new In-Line Draw-Loc has a built in foot stirrup, mounting plate, arrow rest plate, a very rigid removable ¾ in” square tubing and a high tech trigger system that contains a hinge style trigger, safety, and anti dry-fire lever. Shortly after the birth of new In-Line Draw-Loc the In-Line Vertical Crossbow was developed, utilizing the In-Line Draw-Loc Trigger System. This little bow was light weight and packed with a punch at very low draw poundage. A trigger extention was added along with a shoulder stock for added stability and support while aming and shooting.

There are so many reasons to use a compound bow with a Draw-Loc instead of a conventional crossbow (take a look at the crossbow vs. compound bow page). Keep watching for new products and see how Draw-Loc will become the preferred crossbow of the future. We appreciate your business.

2015 has been a great year for bow sells with the introduction of the Mini In-Line Vertical Crossbow. This little bow packs a real punch and great speeds and is very lightweight and small size. The bow has great accuracy with very little maintenance issues. It is proving to be a HUGE WINNER for our company.

Our In-Line Vertical Crossbow, In-Line Draw-Loc and In-Line Bullpup Trigger are now protected under Patent Laws.
Patent NO. 8,671,923 B2
Patent NO. 8,622,050 B2
Thank you.