Guys, what do I have here with this Damon Howatt Hunter? It has the serial number in the upper sight window, HM94787 of which I am familiar with the 1960/61's have the serial number written there like this one. But what constitutes my questions is the glass color.

It has the red Howatt Hunter decal on lower limb, belly side. The glass appears to be wood grain color, has no tip overlays or wedges, but does have underlays of maple and rosewood.

When I look closely at the glass where it fades out on the handle it appears the brown wood color disappears and then becomes sort of creamy color like the wood color was sanded off?

Any help would be appreciated.

Don't remember the name of that glass, but the color was a very thin paper that easily sanded off. The bow was probably made in 1954-57 by bowyer #9. Does it have a skived leather grip?

Thanks Larry. It does not have a leather grip nor did it ever. It is a high wrist recurve type grip. Everything with its construction is the same as 1960/61 Howatt Hunters, except for the glass and the red decal.

Pictures aren't loading today.

It is a glass with a smokey coloured paper coating that was used from 1957-to early 1960.

Kelly, I had one just like that with the paper-faced glass. It was a wonderful shooter; I gave it to a friend for his 70th birthday. It's the bottom bow in the photo; it was made by bowyer #6.

Mine had the almost-invisible red decal as well!

Yup, that is it except mine is in rougher condition, very dull finish. At 37# it sure does spit out an arrow.

Probably 58 -59? The trick when feathering the caps on those bows was to have as little ivory color as possible when done.

That HM in the serial number helps us remember that it was the "Mamba Hunter" when this classic model was first introduced...sixty whole years ago. Hard to think of a better 62" recurve.

I guess after a closer look at your picture stix the handle wood might be different on mine-it looks like walnut.

I thought they were all walnut until the rosewoods in '61...

Damon had the real Brazilian rosewood before 61. It was actually nationalized about then and was only available as veneer or small pieces, knife scale sized after that. We had Bubinga and another African wood before 61. The other red wood had a pigskin look to it from open grain stippling. Can't remember the name of it right now. The caps on the pictured bow are Rosewood, Dalbergia Nigra.

I just sold my 50# lefty, a 1960, I think. Photos aren't uploading now, but it had the mottled tissue paper finish on the belly side , brown on the back, the weight was stamped in the sight window but not the serial number, the serial number and specs written on the belly of the lower limb above a black Howatt Hunter decal, and it had nice Brazilian rosewood caps on the belly side of the riser above and below the sight window. I always assumed those with caps and red decals were 1959. I will try to remember to post photos when that is working again.

Kelly...I just checked my serial number database and your bow was made in 1959, confirming what Larry said above.

The bowyer was # 9. That number has nothing to do with the dating of 1959.

The last all walnut Hunter with the leather grip that I have a number for was 4158, which is the four numbers after the bowyer number.

So your 4787 is not long after.

It is one of the earliest Hunters with the walnut and rosewood grips that I have seen. Only one older is 4664 made by bowyer 6.

Quite a few of the Hunter's made that year were 66".

Was padauk the other African wood?

mangonboat...your bow was an early 1961 and one of the last ones made. It was very unique as they used that glass. Would love to see a picture of it and get the numbers...I think you did post a picture at one time.

Yes, Kerry, it was Padouk!

What year for a HM 64890 wrote in top of sight window with 47 stamped in the wood?

The Hunter above also has red sticker on bottom limb.

lost run...1959 like the OP Kelly's bow. His was 4787 and yours is 4890. So yours was made 103 bows after his.

The first 6 is the bowyer number.

The 47 indicates the draw weight

Thanks Pdiddly, it was made the same year I was. Still a good shooter,

Draw weight on mine is 37#!

Peter, if pictures are working...

sight window

rosewood overlays on belly side of riser

profile of rise

I have seen that bow before.

It is a real oddball as the serial number says it is a late 1959 yet it has the writing on the lower limb which was never done until early 1961,

And the weight is stamped on the sight window, where it should be for a 1959. And the paper glass was never used in 1960.

I wonder if the bow may have been refinished by Howatt a few years after the purchase and had the specs written on the lower limb at that time, as it is Howatt writing?

But given the paper glass and the weight stamp and the serial number sequence there's no doubt it is a 1959.

That's not a completely far-fetched theory. After I'd shot the bow for six months, I was outside on a sunny day and noticed a tiny line through the shelf. The back 25% of the shelf had broken off clean and been glued back into place . Maybe a factory repair and they gave it a new black decal.

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