The most annoying thing in attacking hideouts is "follow" command, i.e. F1-F2, which is required to keep your troops all together to be more effective in close combat. Every time some of the troops or companions stays right in front of your (like1 foot distance in real life), and if you use a bow, it is really inconvenient, cause the guy gets a first shot. Sometime you are waiting and aiming the target, and that companion jumps in front of you unexpectedly at random time. "Follow" command has to be definitely "Follow", they shall stay around you but not in front of you.
I have found a solution to attack the hideouts, it seems - use rare "blunt" arrows with +2 damage, forest bandits get killed in two shots instead of 4 (using 150+ archery skill and the best bow in game steppe war bow -$62k+). With piercing +4 arrows they require 4 shots usually to be killed (taking in consideration their lack of armor) while my heavy armored troops get killed in two shots, and those bandits use regular arrows and simple low cost bows. I can imagine what archery skill those bandits shall have to be as effective as they are ...