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RE: crossbow hunting question
 

Yeah I do, stick with your bow!

RE: crossbow hunting question
 

Here ya go BB
www.excaliburcrossbow.com Great bows! Very popular here in Canada for Archery Moose
AL

RE: crossbow hunting question
 

NOPE;)

RE: crossbow hunting question
 

Horton makes some good crossbows but I believe the best are Tenpoint. http://www.tenpointcrossbows.com You should check out their Stealth model. But like a good rifle, shotgun, or compound, they aren' t cheap. I' ve done some testing with a Stealth and have the most experience with it. Be advised, crossbows are not what most people believe. First, they are extremely noisy. Sounds like dry firing your compound when one goes off. And next, don' t believe you can easily take deer out to 100 yards. And finally, yup, they are extremely accurate within normal bow ranges. Hope this information helps. You can check out the Tenpoint Stealth in either Bass Pro Shops or Cabela' s Archery Catalogs.

RE: crossbow hunting question
 

From experience only you can decide what is right for you . Like bows and guns , all crossbows are individuals . You' ll have to find a dealer with a range or other place to shoot a few before deciding what' s best for your needs . Or you could seek out folks near you who have one and will let you try it out , some of them may be members here . Caveat emptor , you definitely get what you pay for with a crossbow , buy the best one you can afford when you make your final selection . They have pluses and minuses like any other tool , and compared to a compound or stick bow they have more minuses . Noise , no let off(Easy there Rack:D) , less KE , weight , etc. Your biggest obstacle , as you can see above , is acceptance from traditional archers . My advice : The tool is legal where you live , use it if you want to . Above all else , try as many as you can before deciding whether or not you want one , they aren' t as " easy" as some would have you believe . If you do buy one then welcome to a small but growing community , you' ll find us to be an open minded and very helpful bunch . E-mail if you' d like more details .

RE: crossbow hunting question
 

The guys around here have been using them for years and Excalibur is the brand they judge all others against.

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RE: crossbow hunting question
 

Noise can be a huge factor - deer don' t have to be " super deer" to jump the string on any compound or cccccrrrrrrroooosssss bobobobbbboob...............the other thing:) - you have to know your weapons limitations.

And to set the record straight - I never, never liked Billy Idol:D

RE: crossbow hunting question
 

I shoot a Barnett Quad 300.love it.
alum. arrows ; spitfire mechinals.

I have to shoot a xbow or stay home ; so I chose to go to the woods!!;)[:-].

you get what you pay for.don' t go cheap to try them.you will just be wasting your money.buy what you want to start with.JMHO;):D

RE: crossbow hunting question
 

An X-bow is not going to make you a better stalker....;)....Heck if you can stalk close enough to shoot one with an X-bow you can do it with a Bow..

RE: crossbow hunting question
 

Read the post Hawgz ,
the man said he was a bow hunter and just wanted a different tool for a given purpose .

bucksbuddy ,
crossbows may not be what you' re looking for , you' re not actually supposed to leave them cocked all the time because it can damage the prod . You can leave them cocked for short periods , which will allow you to stalk with it , but you' ll have to let it off occasionally . I' ll be using mine from a ground blind , so my movement will be hidden , but it won' t be " cocked and locked" until I' m certain that a deer is coming or already there .

For all you archers , picture drawing a 150 bow with no letoff , you' ll need a both hands and a foot in the stirrup to do it . Then load your arrow onto a metal rail through a small opening with the broadhead clanking on the rail and front sight mount . Then when you fire it you' ll hear how much louder it is than a bow since you can' t use much of the silencing and vibration toys available to bow shooters . Be prepared to give up about 10-30% of the KE you' re used to , and arrow and accessory choices too . And let' s not forget tuning if it' s a compound type , they have as much tuning to deal with as compound bows which is why many of the ones out there are straight or recurve .

It sounds to me like this fella loves a challenge ! [8D]

RE: crossbow hunting question
 

I know alot of crossbow users and none of them cock their crossbows when an animal is close by. They all get to their stand and cock them there or some even cock them at home. Here a crossbow is not loaded until there`s a bolt on the string. And I`ll take cocking a crossbow with a string puller over finger drawing a 70 lb. bow any day.

RE: crossbow hunting question
 

I' m with BuckAlley, stick with your bow!;)

RE: crossbow hunting question
 

Turk_Man ,
I' m guessing that your buddies who have xbows haven' t thoroughly read their owner' s manual . Mine plainly says " DO NOT LEAVE IN COCKED POSITION FOR EXTENDED PERIODS , PROD MAY BECOME DAMAGED BY EXCESSIVE TENSION , OR BREAK RESULTING IN DEATH OR SERIOUS INJURY TO THE SHOOTER" . Granted , we have some very lawsuit wary manufacturers down here . We actually have warning labels on drink cans :eek:But I have to think that they know their products better than we do , and I like to err to the conservative when it comes to weapons reccomendations .

RE: crossbow hunting question
 

Anybody have any idea what they mean by " Do not leave in cocked position for extended periods" ? 15 min., an hour, a day? I have an old Barnett recurve type, and I always wondered.
John

RE: crossbow hunting question
 

im the one turk man is talking about i leave the bow cocked for hours from daylight till lunch time .... never lost 1 foot of speed .... took this questions one the excalibur site and there are guys on there that leave em cocked from daylight till lunch and then again after lunch till dark so i dont know what the right ansewer is

RE: crossbow hunting question
 

Fellas ,
all I know is what the manual for mine says . I can' t answer Lowly Darton' s question because I' m not familiar with his equipment , or the manufacturer' s reccomendations for it . That recurve sounds pretty tasty though , I' ll bet it' s fast . Mine is a Ranger with a straight fiberglass prod , which may explain why it says not to cock it for long periods . Fiberglass has a definite fatigue point .

bgunner ,
leave it cocked if it' s not hurting anything , but I' d check my manual to make sure . Personally I' d rather not have an angry xbow in my hands if it can be avoided . Do either or you have glass prods ?

RE: crossbow hunting question
 

Just pulled this from the Barnett website: http://www.barnettcrossbows.com/
" Q: How long can I keep my bow cocked?
A: It is safe to keep your bow cocked while you are hunting in a stationary position. FOR PERSONAL SAFETY REASONS, DO NOT STALK OR WALK TO AND FROM YOUR STAND WITH YOUR BOW COCKED. We do recommend that if you break from your hunt that you let the bow down to the un-cocked position by shooting a target arrow into a safe backstop. It would be a good practice to let the bow down every 4 hours or so."

They don' t specify compound or recurve? Don' t know if it matters?

Either way, the above is meant for Barnett Xbows only.
One things for sure, I' m never going to be stalking with an uncocked Xbow. I stalk with a loaded gun & both have safeties.
Alot of guys don' t like Xbows during archery season, guess I wouldn' t either.
Pa. allows ' em during later seasons. Fine with me & they sure are alot of fun.
Good Luck
John

RE: crossbow hunting question
 

Thanks John ,
it more or less verified what I posted . That target arrow reccomendation sounds good too , it will really save my fingers , but I don' t think I' ll try it out in the field due to the noise it would make . Barnett' s reccomendations would apply to both types in their case , other manufacturers may have other thoughts on the subject . I believe I' ll leave mine uncocked until needed since I hunt from a ground blind . Thanks for the link .

RE: crossbow hunting question
 

What ever you buy,get the top of the line. But remember a X-bow is only as good as the hunter. They are not 50 yard tools. I shot 15 deer with my horton,but never shoot over 25 yards and only take high % killing shots. You will find out after 25 yards no matter what brand you pick they will drop like a lead balloon. On a 3D course a good compound in the hands of a good shooter wil kick the X-bows butt anytime.

RE: crossbow hunting question
 

I have a horton hunter supreme . i have friend who bought the new horton crossbow that is top of the line ( i don' t remember the name) it wouldnt group good enough for him no matter what broad head he used.
He tried to get mine but i won' t let it go.

now he did buy another matthews after selling the crossbow. but unlike some i see he wasnt to close minded not to see the fun in crossbow hunting.

get a crossbow and enjoy it . hey enjoy your bow too. and when you get ready to put meat on the table get a GUN!!! BOOM!:D