The tradition of crossbow hunting

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Crossbows have a long tradition in big game hunting. It was the hunters' weapon of choice in the middle ages, and the tradition remained strong well after the invention of firearms.

As evidence of this, the statue of Matthias Corvinus, a well respected king of Hungary and other regions in Europe during the mid to late 15th century, is depicted in a statue holding a crossbow while standing over a red stag.

The statue is part of the Matthias Fountain, which is featured prominently at Buda Castle in Budapest. It was Sculpted in 1899 by Alajas Strobl, who was himself a hunter.

King Matthias the Just, as he was known, was fond of hunting with his crossbow in the Hungarian wilderness. The crossbow itself still exists according to researchers, and is displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Detail of the statue:

 

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Sources:

Matthias Fountain - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Crossbow of Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary (reigned 1458–1490) - Central or Eastern European, possibly Vienna - The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world for everyone to experience and enjoy.

www.metmuseum.org

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

Lol
I’m just having fun with you.

 

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As the grandson of a Hungarian, I feel honored and duty-bound to carry on this proud and noble tradition of my forbears.

 

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Lol
I’m just having fun with you.

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

Nah it’s just comparing an ancient crossbow with the modern crossgun is apples to oranges. My grandfather flew a recon plane in ww2. An L2 grasshopper. It cruised at 83 mph and was vulnerable to German small arms fire. Modern recon aircraft fly on the edge of space and posses stealth tech. That’s the chasm between crossbows of the past and today’s weaponry.

 

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Nah it’s just comparing an ancient crossbow with the modern crossgun is apples to oranges. My grandfather flew a recon plane in ww2. An L2 grasshopper. It cruised at 83 mph and was vulnerable to German small arms fire. Modern recon aircraft fly on the edge of space and posses stealth tech. That’s the chasm between crossbows of the past and today’s weaponry.

Yebbut, don't you shoot a modern compound bow?

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

Yebbut, don't you shoot a modern compound bow?

100% but I’m also not saying it was because of a tradition my grandparents had. Not saying you don’t have every right to feel something nostalgic it’s just that modern tech has transformed them into only but a vague semblance of what they had to deal with trying to harvest game.

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

And for the record I think crossbows would make super cool weapons…for gun season

 

[Telemark]

100% but I’m also not saying it was because of a tradition my grandparents had. Not saying you don’t have every right to feel something nostalgic it’s just that modern tech has transformed them into only but a vague semblance of what they had to deal with trying to harvest game.

I don't have any noble lineage. All my European ancestors were poor before they moved to the US, and some of them stayed poor after they arrived.

I don't have any nostalgia about "the old country" or their traditions. I was just pointing out some historical facts while having a bit of fun.

Archery hunting is illegal in most of Europe, and crossbows are illegal to own in Norway. I hunt with a crossbow in North America because I'm not allowed to hunt the rut with a rifle. My interest in archery of any type is mostly pragmatic these days. I would like to shoot my old longbow with my niece and nephew, but it doesn't shoot modern arrows well, and quality wooden arrows are hard to find at a good price.

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

That’s wild so all archery is mostly illegal there? Do you have any idea why?

 

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And for the record I think crossbows would make super cool weapons…for gun season

By the way, I shoot a recurve crossbow. It has a scope and a safety, but no cams or fancy features. This is also a matter of practicality. I don't want to need special equipment to change a string, and I don't have the luxury of local archery shops where I hunt. It's a neat piece of kit, but it's much closer to a medieval crossbow than to a gun or even a compound bow. Sure it's made of modern materials, but it doesn't have the mechanical advantages of cams.

There's a guy on YouTube who shoots heavy longbows, and the posture headed to draw and hold those things would be nearly impossible for deer hunting. His back and shoulders are enormous. If bow hunters weren't allowed to use compound bows, it would be a sport reserved for only the strongest men who went to the gym regularly and practiced with heavy bows almost every day. There's a reason archer was a profession and not just a hobby.

I'd guess there wouldn't be much of an archery hunting tradition today if crossbows were never made. Only nobles could afford hunting of any kind, and they were probably too weak to draw a bow that could kill big game. This is also one of the reasons crossbows have a reputation as a poacher's weapon. Poachers have been using crossbows for centuries. As soon as commoners got access to crossbows, they could kill large wild animals. In fact, if you read the Wikipedia article, it says the deer in the statue mentioned above was modeled after a red stag killed by poachers that the sculptor encountered while hunting.

The most "traditional" way of hunting big game is probably with a pack of dogs and a robust spear. It's how cave men hunted, and it has persisted to this day. In fact the same fountain mentioned above features a man with a boar spear and a pack of hunting dogs. In Europe it's still common to hunt moose with a baying dog. You've probably heard of Norwegian elk hounds. "Moose" comes from Native American languages, and in Europe moose are called elk. Moose dogs are extremely popular in Scandinavia for hunting big game, and we use them when I hunt in Sweden.

Not making a point here, just providing information because I find it interesting.

 

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That’s wild so all archery is mostly illegal there? Do you have any idea why?

It's for animal welfare. Archery is not allowed, and there are strict limits on which calibers can be used for which animals. We also have to shoot minimum 30 practice shots and pass a 5-shot shooting test every year, with each hunting rifle, in order to qualify for hunting big game. We also have to have an agreement with someone who has certified search dogs in case we wound an animal. And we are permitted to go onto private property to retrieve wounded or dead animals.

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

It's for animal welfare. Archery is not allowed, and there are strict limits on which calibers can be used for which animals. We also have to shoot minimum 30 practice shots and pass a 5-shot shooting test every year, with each hunting rifle, in order to qualify for hunting big game. We also have to have an agreement with someone who has certified search dogs in case we wound an animal. And we are permitted to go onto private property to retrieve wounded or dead animals.

Animal welfare…says the continent that has largely irradiated wild waterfowl and replaced them with released farm birds.

 

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Animal welfare…says the continent that has largely irradiated wild waterfowl and replaced them with released farm birds.

What? From Chernobyl?

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

 

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Europe doesn't have a single set of hunting laws across the continent. Each country has it's own laws on weapons and hunting. I was speaking specifically about Norwegian hunting laws. I also hunt in Sweden, and they have their own hunting laws, but there are reciprocal weapons agreements and similar regulations, so I drive across the border with my guns and silencer without even stopping.

Much of continental Europe is overpopulated, and wildlife management in those areas is tragic. There are some wilderness areas in Eastern Europe that are still huntable, but it's expensive because it's overrun with hunters from places like Germany, France, and the UK.

Luckily, I don't live in France, Germany, or the UK. I live in coastal Norway, and we have tons of waterfowl all up and down the coast. There are even flocks of eiders in the fjords outside the city, and every year we get migrating swans resting on the lakes in my neighborhood.

Waterfowl hunting is strictly regulated here. The university and museum down in Stavanger have a bird banding program, and they provide statistics to the government for the sake of waterdfowl management. As far as I understand the law in Norway, releasing waterfowl for the sake of hunting is illegal.