Last Tuesday evening I took my first deer (a large doe) with the crossbow that I bought, a Tenpoint Pro-Slider. I was shooting Tenpoint Pro-Elite bolts with 100 grain Grim Reaper mechanicals. I took a shot that was a definite no-no from what I've read. Still, I was sure I could take it successfully, and I was right. I was 25 feet up and she was 25 yards away, facing me... quartering just a little to the rightwith her head down. I shot, and the bolt penetrated between the left shoulder and the spine, exited back and low on the right side, then passed through the right hind quarter. Complete passthrough lengthwise. She waddled about 50 yards before she dropped. Anyway, I'm putting myself on report to ask the question.... was it luck on the passthrough, or is that just a benefit of using a crossbow... extra power? On the Grim Reaper mechs, I'm hooked even more than I already was. That's the third deer I've taken with them. All passthroughs and all mechanically sound after the shot. The blades are nicked up, but they're cheap and easy to replace.

On another note, to anyone who says that a crossbow gives a hunter an unfair advantage over a compound shooter, I nowhave to disagree. I've found that I'm much more accurate with my compound than I am with the X-bow (I'm amediocre shot at best with a rifle w/scope and the crossbow is even harder because of the extra weight), I'm more confident on a 40 yard shot with my compound than with the crossbow, and I can turn and draw undetected with a compoundjust as easily as I can turn and take aim undetected with that big crossbow frame sticking out of my silhouette. In my opinion, it's harder for me to hunt with a crossbow than with a compound.