Got a crossbow

[JFK52]

I used to carry a small Styrofoam target just for the decocking shot. I believe the bolts I bought are made of some type of cellulose material. They require no tip and are just shot into the ground and left to decompose. I can decock my crossbow from the stand. Before, I had to take it back to my mobile home in a hard case and then fire a field bolt into the styrofoam target. That bolt was junk from then on. I forgot their price. Not dirt cheap and a one time use bolt. But in the context of how much I spend on hunting, a mere drop in the bucket. The convenience factor for me outweighs the cost. If I xbow hunted 30+ times a year I would find a different method of decocking the crossbow. I hunt 6-8 times with the crossbow and all of that is based around the rut.
So bottom line, use what works for you and fits into your budget.

 

[Natty Bumppo]

I don't shoot cross-bows. But I am not anti-crossbow either. To each his own. The one thing that always bugged me though were the guys who hunted with crossbows and then also claimed that crossbows offered no more advantages or were no easier to shoot than traditional bows or compounds bows...that one needed the same archery skills to hunt with and shoot a crossbow as those needed to shoot other types of bows. It's refreshing to see at least 3 members offer that hunting with these things is almost a little too easy.

They are illegal here in Mass. unless you have a medical note. If they weren't, I still wouldn't use one. When I'm an old guy, I can see myself looking into it.

 

[yoderjac]

or just use an old bolt with a field tip like I do

If your soil is rocky or lots of roots, just carry a block target in your truck.

 

[buckdeer1]

If it makes you happy then do it but to say that the fastest crossbows are still 50% of what you need,well what do they say about the crossbow with a AR lower something about make it your "new" rifle.It's easier and thats what people want now days so as long as it's legal

 

[yoderjac]

If it makes you happy then do it but to say that the fastest crossbows are still 50% of what you need,well what do they say about the crossbow with a AR lower something about make it your "new" rifle.It's easier and thats what people want now days so as long as it's legal

Not sure I completely follow your post but when I said the fastest crossbow is less than half the speed necessary to compensate for string jumping, I was trying to indicate that a crossbow has the same ballistics as a compound and none of them compensates for string jumping like a firearm. For both compounds and crossbows, quiet is more important than speed.

Crossbows are not about making it easy. They are significantly more challenging than a shotgun, rifle, or muzzleloader. They are less challenging than a compound but have similar ballistic characteristics. Stick bows and recurves are even more challenging. Crossbows are about recruitment. There are great on either end of the experience curve. Youngsters can develop many important bowhunting skills before while their shooting skills are insufficient to take an ethical shot with a compound. It can bring kids into bowhunting sooner and they can graduate to more challenging equipment. On the other end of the experience curve, they can keep man of us older hunters in the woods much longer as sports injuries catch up with our rotator cuffs and arthritis and other age related limitations begin to prevail.

Like any other hunting device, folks can pick the level of challenge that fits them.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Someday isle]

I don't shoot cross-bows. But I am not anti-crossbow either. To each his own. The one thing that always bugged me though were the guys who hunted with crossbows and then also claimed that crossbows offered no more advantages or were no easier to shoot than traditional bows or compounds bows...that one needed the same archery skills to hunt with and shoot a crossbow as those needed to shoot other types of bows. It's refreshing to see at least 3 members offer that hunting with these things is almost a little too easy.

They are illegal here in Mass. unless you have a medical note. If they weren't, I still wouldn't use one. When I'm an old guy, I can see myself looking into it.

I agree. I’m approaching old guy status and can see crossbows as an alternative way to stay in the woods. Bow hunting is still my favorite way of hunting and I’ll shoot my bow as long as I can. These “debates” can get out of hand sometimes because our opinions are so strong and personal. My neighbor is a new deer hunter, actually a new hunter period. He’s 6’9 and pricing a bow for a guy his size was ridiculous when he didn’t even know if he’d enjoy hunting. So he borrowed a cross bow and off he went. he was hitting bulls eyes at 40 yards immediately. He hunts in a high density area and he’s harvested several deer in two years. He’s learned so much and is hooked on hunting. This year he’s booked an elk hunt. He’s a younger guy with a young family. Crossbow hunting got him into a love of the hunt. Good for him and good for our sport. But again, I pretty much agree with Natty.
He wouldn’t be shooting as well or as far with a regular bow - and certainly not as quickly. The crossbow made the learning curve and the shooting so much easier. I’m happy for him and now have a neighbor who wants to talk deer all the time. It’s a good thing.
Congratulations on your purchase and keep us posted on your successes - and don’t take our debates personal. We’re all lovers of the hunt and we’re just passionate about it.

 

[Red Picqua]

i just wish more states would legalize the airbows or air guns with an arrow on the barrel. love the idea of them. I could careless what people use to hunt.. If they had a grenade season, I would own grenades. who cares.. I love to hunt.

 

[Bill]

Hands down its “EASIER”and more accurate. I mounted the scope on my Ravin yesterday. 4 shots and I was on at 20. Moved the target to 50 and dropped every shot in the bull.

I started bow hunting at 14 with a bear whitetail compound. At 20 yards you could watch the arrow arc to the target. I’ve shot all kinds of stuff since. I’m digging a 430 FPS X-gun.

I’m out to kill a deer. Don’t care how. But I do prefer broadheads to lead.

Easy!
First shot 50 yards. Only the 5th time I fired it.

 

[Telemark]

I use a crossbow occasionally, but I much prefer a gun. I don't have enough free time to learn and practice vertical bows, so for bow season it's crossbow or nothing for me.

 

[Catscratch]

I have a lifetime of compound hunting under my belt (31yrs), but have shot 2 deer with a crossbow recently just to see what it was like. To be honest I didn't feel like the crossbow afforded me any advantage but like I said... I've shot a compound enough that I'm not having to learn anything new to use it. For someone new to the sport the difference between the two and learning curve difference would be huge! Now compared to a recurve or longbow I feel that both are equally cheating. Killing one with a stick n string is major impressive to me!

Some of the guys over at Archery Talk just go nuts over people who use crossbows. Think it's the decline of the human race sort of thing and it's going to completely ruin hunting. Evil machines they are! I've considered crafting a "selfbow" crossbow and posting a kill over there titled "Killed one with my Selfbow!". It would be true that it's a selfbow, but seeing the crossbow would cause heart attacks for some of them. Lol, I wouldn't do that but I am considering making a self crossbow just because I do think it would be a neat project and a cool way to harvest a deer. I had intended to practice with my longbows a bunch this summer with intent to hunt with one but never made the time. I would like to eventually kill a deer with every type of weapon I own. Currently I have shot a bunch with a compound, a couple with crossbow, and a couple with rifle. I need to add; pistol, shotgun (I shot one with a slug once but it was to finish off a deer my buddy had wounded so I don't really count it), longbow, and selfbow to my list.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I started archery hunting back in 1976 with a Bear Kodiak Magnum recurve. I killed my first 2 archery deer with it. Like Bill above, you could see the arc of flight at 20 yds. While target shooting with a friend who had a compound, it seemed like my arrows were walking to the target compared to his arrows. I went to a Pro-Line compound and had good success with it and took several more deer with that bow. Then I bought a Golden Eagle "Super Hawk Turbo", ( I love those tech-y names ) which I've used up to now. I've taken a number of deer with that one too. Most of my shots have been 10 to 25 yds. so it's been plenty of bow for the task.

But last year, while drawing on a buck, my back screamed at me that this couldn't continue. So I'll have to join the x-bow crowd or be relegated to gun season only. I don't want to give up the fall season with it's colors, smells, and heady crispness of the air. The sounds of running, chasing hooves, grunting, and the occasional whiff of tarsal scent on the wind is too much to lose.

 

[JFK52]

When I first started using a crossbow in WI I had to go to a Doctor and take some test to prove I was unable to use a stand up bow. It cost $300 for the doctor's tests and the permit was good for 5 years. I have arthritis in both hands that made using my Mathews impossible.
Several years ago WI passed a law that anyone over 65 could use a crossbow with no special permit. Then a few years later another law was passed that any hunter could use a crossbow during the archery season. All that was needed was a crossbow endorsement for your archery license. I view the latest law as great for the deer hunting community.
I have a friend who has two teenage daughters who have both taken up deer hunting. They borrowed their father's crossbow and learned how to shoot it. Both of the girls have taken deer with the crossbow. They did not have to spend a lot of money on a stand up bow that they would most likely outgrow. So as others have stated, it is all about getting hunters in the woods. Young or old, healthy or physically challenged, it is great that these persons can enjoy the sport all the members of this forum love.

 

[Peeps]

A couple years ago I started noticing that I was having a harder time looking thru my peep, seeing my pin, and combined picking a spot on my target. I then took what I thought was a 20 yard chip shot at a nice buck. It looked like my arrow bounced off him. I was dumbfounded as to what happened. When I climbed down to the spot I saw that I hit a tree that was rt in front of the buck. I never picked up the tree while aiming. I was glad I didn’t wound that buck. The next season I gave in to my eyes getting older and got a crossbow. I didn’t want to wound a deer because of my eyes.

 

[Bill]

A couple years ago I started noticing that I was having a harder time looking thru my peep, seeing my pin, and combined picking a spot on my target. I then took what I thought was a 20 yard chip shot at a nice buck. It looked like my arrow bounced off him. I was dumbfounded as to what happened. When I climbed down to the spot I saw that I hit a tree that was rt in front of the buck. I never picked up the tree while aiming. I was glad I didn’t wound that buck. The next season I gave in to my eyes getting older and got a crossbow. I didn’t want to wound a deer because of my eyes.

That's one of the big advantages for me these days. With progressive lens glasses finding a focus on a sight pin and the target is impossible. The last few years I've had choose which was blurry because both wouldn't focus. A scope fixes that problem nicely.

 

[Telemark]

Some of the guys over at Archery Talk just go nuts over people who use crossbows.

That's one of the reasons I avoid that place. I don't understand their mentality at all. Maybe they're just self-centered.

If bows are legal, then crossbows should be legal. Crossbows are more accurate than vertical bows, which makes them inherently more ethical.

 

[Mortenson]

To the original poster, I just went your route and ordered the same Stealth crossbow this morning. I didn't plan on this at all, but the past few days I did a lot of thinking. I'm still using my Matthews Q2, that I bought right out of college in 2000. It's time for another new string and I just didn't want to sink more money into a bow that old. I like the thought trying to cut down on many of the treestands in my life. Can't wait to get this thing delivered!