hickory is ok, but you will be looking to build a "overbuilt bow" as it is called due to the fact that even though the white woods such as hickory and ash were very popular primitive bow woods they require a bow design that does not put too much compression or flexion stress on them or they take a set that gets worse with use and himidity and eventually shoot like a limp noodle type bows we made as kids with a branch and a string.
A site that looks very interesting for ya
http://www.xsorbit4.com/users/builda...&start=640
There is a book by a fellow named Paul Comstock called the Bent Stick. Very informative and he is a nice fellow, used to sell his books in my shop and spoke with him many times when building mine. Do a google on him and try to go into his info on the "overbuilt bow"
If you are using the white wood bows they are what you need to build, they are great performers and very durable. Otherwise you will need to sinew back a shorter bow to compensate for the white woods fibers structure.
As far as what to look for, in picking staves you want at least a five to six foot four to ten inch diameter log, straight and with no limbs or knots, at least for now anyhow, once you get experienced you can use these knotty type of woods as long as they are solid and make what we call character bows.
You are going to make the back of the bow ( the part that faces away from you when you hold it) all one growth ring layer, the tighter the growth rings the trikier this is to do.
It MUST be one continuos growth ring on the back of the bow and you cannot cut through it anywhwere.
The average hickory or white ash stave will be fine , pick up Pauls book or one of the other self bowyers books and you will be fine. Its fun .
A friend of mine built one of the over built bows in red elm and has taken several deer and one black bear with it. Probably more now but I have not seen nor heard from him for several years.