ORIGINAL: Arthur P
How many times must we go over these same points, Silver??
The draw or cocking: (movement) you all say its not an issue, but anyone that has spent more than a season in the woods, knows it is.
99% let-off. You can draw as soon as the deer is spotted, well before it can see any movement. And then....
You have 60 seconds or less, and thats a stretch!
The holding it back: No physical or muscular activity involved in a xbow, and is cocked, locked and held there till the snow melts in the spring.
99% let-off. When you're only holding 7/10ths of a pound back, the physcal activity is minimal. Especially when you rest the bottom cam of the bow on something so you don't have to hold the bow up.
Again you have less than 60 seconds to get off a good shot, with an Xbow braced on the knee, you can hold in the shooting position till the moon comes up! And I hope your kidding about resting the cam on something.
I well rememberthe P&Y 65% let-off ruledebates on this very forum. The overriding sentiment was that let-off had absolutely NO bearing on hunting challenge. If let-off is a non issue then that point of view must apply equally tothe crossbow. In fact, I made this very argument in favor of the 65% rule but we all know how well THAT went.
Not only is the let-off, which is 0 an issue, it is held at 0 indefanetly.
The multiple shooting positions: standing, sitting, kneeling, sitting on the ground, and prone, all braced! Hell if you want to get fancy you caneven shoot it over your head, from the hip, behind the back, and yes up side down standing on your head!
It's been a long darn time since I saw anyone shoot any weapon at any game animalfrom the prone position or behind the back, or sitting on the ground, or standing on his head WHILE PERCHED IN A TREE STAND!
Come on now Arthur, the prone is the most stable position of all shoulder fired weapons, and if I was ground hunting it would be my position of choice, sitting on the ground with the Xbow braced on my knee would be second, as for the fancy shooting positions thay were minchioned in jest to show how easy a Xbow is to shoot, surely you dont think I ment for anyone to shoot at deer, from a tree stand while standing on their head.
I haven't found any reliable estimates about what percentage of all hunters use treestands nowadays but, according to the Treestand Manufacturers Association, their members crank out 1.5-2 million treestands per year. That's a bunch of treestands! I know I'm the onlyperson in our archery club that does NOT own a treestand. I assume it would be safe to say the overwhelming majority of deer hunters use treestands, so any argument about shooting position is, for all practical purposes,a non issue.
I own 8 tree stands, and use them 2/3 of the time, and my wife and youngest son (28) hunt from the ground.
Treestands do not change the fact of the advantages a crossbow has, or how a crossbow is shot!
Edit: Just for the record, trying to shoot a crossbow from behind the back or while standing on one's head is dangerous to the point of being idiotic. So I hope you were just being facetious when you came up with those two 'shooting positions.'
Well I never tried it standing on my head, but back when I was on the skeet and trap team I use to shoot plates, from the hip, between the legs, over my shoulder, and yes from behind my back. You can call it idiotic if you like, others called it impressive! I dont suggest anyone doing it, but yes it can be done. But just so I'm not posting false information, a friend of mine is handicapped and has one, I will pick it up next week and try it ( I helped him get his permit ). I willlet you know if I hurt myself!
Then there is the shot: First off its fired from the shoulder the same as a rifle, second: once the bolt is layed in the track, that is imbeded in the stock where it has no way to be torqued or no where to go except stright down the track once fired, combined with therelease or trigger also imbeded in the stock eliminating the same anchoring point, You have taken the archer out of the picture!
I also remember a good many discussions about technology where most argued that any bit of technology that aided in an accurate shot was not only okay but ethically DEMANDED.So, how canthose same peopleuse that argument to condemn the crossbow?
If that is the case we would have a General hunting season were you would be allowed to use all weapons, including High Powerd Rifles.
No sir. Considering the current state of the art in compound technology and hunting methods, unless you apply those same arguments to the compound, they become hypocritical. But even if you, personally, do apply those arguments against the compound, you'll find yourself butting heads with the majority. You'll be brandedby our bretheren here as an anti-compound terrorist. Believe me, I've ridden in that boat many a time.
