I'm clueless when it comes to crossbows - I've never owned one or shot one. I know you cock it, pull the trigger, and it shoots a little short arrow. The obvious advantage is you don't have to draw the bow. This benefits older people and those with disabilities. I get that part.

But you still have to raise the bow to shoot, which the deer could easily see. And you still have to hold the thing steady to aim, right?

And from what I understand, they really aren't any more accurate than a modern compound. And the range isn't much different than a compound, right? And aren't they louder than compound bows, too? And it seems to me like they could be awkward to maneuver in a ground blind or treestand given how bulky they are. And I can't imagine getting a second shot at a deer with a crossbow in the event you miss.

So I don't see really howusing acrossbow would provide an unfair advantage to the hunter who chooses to hunt with one. So, am I missing something? Is there some huge advantage that I didn't think of to using a crossbow?

I'm trying to understand why there's so much negativity toward crossbows out there. It seems like people are threatened by them, but I can't see why?