ORIGINAL: Dnk
Hello John and welcome to the forum. I use compounds, trad bows and crossbows. The compound is far more accurate than the crossbow and the crossbow is more accurate than the Trad bow. The compound has a slight edge over the crossbow for range and both have a huge range over the Trad bow. The Trad bow is extremely difficult to master and the compound is moderately more difficult to master. This is all in terms of whitetail hunting. So the question is complicated. Compared to a compound I would say it is just as satisfying. Compared to Trad bows not as satisfying. Compared to hunting with a firearm? I guess in general terms I would say all archery is way more satisfying than using a firearm. Crossbow hunting is very unique. You do not get caught up in being an equipment freak like with compounds and do not become reliant on equipment as well. But all archery is about the same when hunting, you have to get within thirty yards or less and make a good decision when and where to shoot. The Trad bow is a bit different in that most guys have to be inside of twenty yards to make a good shot. Bottom line yes the same but maybe more with a crossbow compared to a compound.
Edit:My mistake, I should rather have said that the compound has a slight edge over the crossbow for range.
Thanks for the info, and no, I am NOT out to get guns or anything - I'm only interested in comparison to bows, just mentioned rifles to give you the context of why I'm asking the question. I hunt traditional because I like the closeness of the hunt, so I appreciate your comparison to both trad and composite bows.
Do you know if places tend to rent out crossbows like they rent out composites? At the very least it sounds like it would be interesting to try.