i think you'll be pleasantly surprised that hunting with a xbow is little different than with a vertical bow. the one thing that is hard to get used to is the noise. no way to silence an xbow. speeds and arrow flight are comparable to conventional bows. most importantly the joy of watching an arrow in flight is still there. i'm sold on excaliber but, there are several good manufacturers out there. many of us also made the switch due to injuries. sorry about your's but, welcome to the club. i was so happy to be able to shoot again that little else mattered. hehe. good luck.