Here is a post from another forum that spells out what i have been trying to say.
Thanks to ruffitt from Sparta.

Well it appears that many here have taken the hook, line and sinker that the people who oppose crossbows as a hunting weapon so fervently throw out. I am not going to belittle crossbow opponents and call them " anti(s)" , I will just say they are crossbow opponents.

Granted, a crossbow can shoot 40 - 60 - even 100 yards. In fact they can shoot farther than that. BUT, in all reality, they are a much shorter range weapon than what is imagined. Realistically, they are more of a 25 - 35 yard range weapon. Shots at extended ranges are the exception, not the rule. And they are definitely not a 100 yard weapon.

I can keep the bolts in a 3 - 4 inch circle at 50 yards from my Excalibur Exomag; but would I take a shot at a game animal at that distance? No way!!! Too much chance of something going wrong to affect the shot. And I am not one to go about just flinging my bolts in an attempt to score a lethal hit.

All the " hype" about crossbows is just that; hype. Unfortunately, it is the misinformation regarding crossbows that gets bow hunters in a tether which condemns the crossbow as a viable hunting tool.

By misinformation, I mean the hype that a crossbow can shoot farther and faster than a hand held bow. It is true that a crossbow can shoot faster (and probably farther) than a traditional or recurve bow; but when comparing the abilities of a crossbow against a compound the point is mute. In fact, there are some compounds out there that will outperform, or are at least equal to, the speed and distance of a crossbow. Other hype is that all the rifle hunters will immediately rush out and buy crossbows which will soon disseminate the game animal herds. They are afraid that one of these crossbow hunters will encroach their woods/fields and shoot their animal(s). This is only speculation on the part of those individuals who do not wish to share the woods/fields and game with other hunters.

Many of the crossbow opponents go so far as to demonize it by calling it a " crossgun" . They try to rationalize it by saying that it looks like a gun, has a stock and trigger like a gun, and is mounted like a gun; therefore it must be a gun. This is a pathetic excuse to rationalize the difference between a hand held bow and a crossbow. The word alone describes it as a " bow" .

Some will argue that a crossbow isn' t " archery" equipment. Again, hype put forth to discredit or demean the crossbow. It must be recognized as archery equipment or many of the major archery manufacturers wouldn' t be making them, or they would be taken out of the archery section of sporting goods stores and placed in the gun section.

Many will say that because it " resembles" a gun it should be used during the firearms season. Another attempt by opponents to demonize and categorize the crossbow. It is archery equipment by definition, and should be allowed in the archery season

Others will argue that the gurus of game animal records, Pope & Young, will not allow game taken with a crossbow into their record books. This is true, but on the other hand, they will not allow animals taken with a compound bow with over 65% let off into their books. They claim that using a compound with over 65% let off is like using a hand held crossbow. Can' t blame them for this definition, it' s their book and they can write their definitions any way they see fit.

I believe that the biggest amount of hype is laid upon the crossbow pertaining to it' s physical configuration. That being that it is pre-loaded (as in " cocked & locked" ) has a stock, a trigger, and is shoulder mounted at the time of the shot. So? ----- compare that to a 70 - 80% let off compound using a release and what is the difference? The only difference is one is held in a vertical, or canted (at the shooters discretion) position while the other is held in a horizontal position. No appreciable benefit by either piece of equipment other than shooting position at the time of release.

There have been many debates over time regarding the use of the crossbow versus the hand held bow as a hunting weapon. Both camps have their reason for inclusion/exclusion of the crossbow. Which one is right, or which one is wrong I do not know. It is just too bad that a chasm is widening in the hunting fraternity that could have all of us on the sidelines someday when the animal rights freedom (ARFs)folks have seen our squabbling and used it to their advantage to put a stop to all forms of archery hunting.