Welcome top bedlam, Ross.
Quick drying and hickory are not necessarily in the same universe. Hickory is a very hydrophilic wood and it hates to part with it! That being said, never let caution or good sense get in your way. It sounds as if that tree you are looking at should be shaking in his roots.
Skin the bark off the tree as quick as it is cut, even though in the winter months it will be a little harder than it would in the spring when the sap rises. Then, just as quicklike, seal the back with something like a spray can of shellac or polyurethane, even cheap latex paint left over from some long lost project. It will be easier to get the bark off BEFORE you dry the wood, even though you are just going to re-seal the back. You want to keep moisture from escaping the bark side of the stave, which is what causes drying checks or cracks.
Then feel free to use a bandsaw, tomahawk, hammer and wood chisel, or angry beaver to reduce the bow to close dimensions to what you want. Clamp it down to a 2x4 and put it in a closet in the house. 30 days like this and it should be ready for a little tillering. By then it should have lost most of it's tendency to warp or twist. But you will want to take a few more weeks to finish tillering. Even then, you will probably see the bow gain draw weight over the next 6 months.
Does that answer part of your questions?
