please tell me just one negative to crossbows
 

I came in late on the thread on the Traditional forum. Building on what was said over there ........... can anyone give me ONE negative that crossbows bring to archery. They're legal in several states. I'm wanting something REALLY negative, not just an opinion because you personally don't like them

RE: please tell me just one negative to crossbows
 

I see it almost daily where I sell them. Mostly guys that are rifle hunters and for whatever their motives want to use a crossbow. Those with good intentions are recpetive to hearing some of the pitfalls of crossbows. Others, the ones to worry about, think that because it holds like a rifle then it has the effective range and energy of a rifel. And some of these cannot be told different. These guys are just looking for an easy way to go out and kill more deer. No respect for nature or the animals. Cannot enjoy the woods and what nature has to offer.

There those who have bowhunted for decades and just can't handle a bow anymore. I've had some of these come in and plop down $1300 for a good outfit with the realization they m,ay never shoot another deer--some of these guys in their 80's. They just want to be out there with their sons and grandsons. GOD BLESS EM.

Since I started HAVING to sell them I've changed my attitude about them somewhat. I still don't like them in archery season for the healthy and able, but I don't make the laws. But I do see some of the pitfalls of them that make them NOT an ideal weapon like some seem to believe.
They are bulky, heavy, noisy, and not real friendly walking in brushy areas. They don't have unlimited range. In fact, if a person faces reality it's a 40 yard/max weapon. You do for the most part get one shot and that's it.

There are only a couple brands that I've seen with any kind of quality to them and some are just stamped out of a mold to sell and make a bunch of money. It's not hard to see which are the better ones. Look at the price tag. Then look to see those with the least amount of plastic parts, especially sight mounts, rails and triggers. And try pulling the triggers on some of the cheap ones. I've shot some that are much much harder than any cheap shotgun. Not conducive to accuracy. But then the company making them isn't worried about accuracy---$$$.

OK, Ive ranted on long enough. Sorry for the speech.

RE: please tell me just one negative to crossbows
 

My limited experience has shown that users have a misconception as to their effective range and as a result lose deer.

RE: please tell me just one negative to crossbows
 

Those same arguments can be made for compounds, guns, or muzzloaders. It's up to the individual to know the limitations of their weapon. I also worked at an archery shop for a couple of years, that sold crossbows, and IMO there were no more uninformed individuals with unrealistic expectations coming in to buy them than there were coming in to buy compounds.

The same could be said my gun hunters or trads toward those using compounds. But again, IMO it's not fair or correct to sterotype a group because of their equipment preference.

RE: please tell me just one negative to crossbows
 

silentassassin - exactly. Those are not negatives towards crossbows, because people everyday buy guns, compounds, recurve/longbows ........... all thinking that shooting them is easy and will result in easy filling of tags.

So ............ 4-5 hours and not a single valid negative of crossbows ? You have to ask yourself .......... IS there any negatives ?

RE: please tell me just one negative to crossbows
 

I completely agree it isn't fair to try to stereotype a group because they choose to use a crossbow. At the same time, I don't think that was BGfisher's intention. He did list three very different categories of crossbow hunters he has encountered.

From my experience I have noticed that many people that I have talked to realize a bow, whether it's a compound or trad, has a limited range, but feel that a crossbow has a great range. When I ask why they believe that they say because they are faster. I then explain that it's because a bolt is lighter than an arrow and has more energy transferred to it, but because it is so much light is loses that energy faster. For some it sinks in and others it doesn't. I have noticed that there is a pretty large misconception that crossbows are more "powerful."

With that being said I don't believe the problem is in the equipment, but in the lack of knowledge by the general public about the proper application of that equipment. Just like the guy who thinks it's OK to take an 80 yard shot with a compound because he's never been told otherwise.

To me, yes. They are loud. They are heavy. They are cumbersome to reload. These are all subjective and some may not feel any of these factors are an issue. I've considered buying a crossbow to play around with, but the cost of a good one is too prohibitive at this time.

RE: please tell me just one negative to crossbows
 

The problem with most crossbows is not the bow it's the operators. I think it is unethical to shoot an animal at 40 yards with one, without rangefinding that animal. The arrows just drop off to much to be accurate at that range. If you guess an animal to be at 40 yards and its at 43 with a crossbow you most likely have a wounded animal. They shoot to light of arrows, they don't retain enough MOMENTUM (talk energy all you want). Most crossbows are not tuned the way compounds are (do you bareshaft yours?). 90% of those that use crossbow are capable of using a compound, but they are lazy. This tends to spill over into other things, such as tracking. I have hunted with 2 guys that use crossbows, I see it all of the time. They have wounded 3 deer in 2 years because they are lazy, too lazy to practice, or track the animals to the extent they should be tracked.

If you are one of the ones that tune, and shoot your crossbow alot don't pay attention to this. Most of the time a crossbow hunter gets his bow out the weekend of and shoots it and is ready to go. This leads to many animals lost. As for the ederly, or the disabled people of the world, more power to them. Same way with kids. I'm glad to have these people in our sport. I'm not against crossbows, I'm against the idea that the crossbow breeds. I can go out, not practice and shot animals. I do think they are inferior to the compound, but this means nothing, because the compound is inferior to a rifle. The big difference is the type of people that shoot them. (Disclaimer: this doesn't mean everyone that shoots them, I'm not attacking anyone that uses one, this includeds the disabled, elderly, kids, people new to the sport, and those that are responsible and practice as much as possible and take ethical shots and track their animals to their full potential.)

RE: please tell me just one negative to crossbows
 

Data & Sniper,

If you guys look at it that way than there can really be no negative to any weapon if it is up to the user to know it's limitations. Which should be expected of the person. Maybe, instead we should be looking at what is positive about a crossbow? I personally have never used one or even looked at one up close. I don't know anything about effective ranges or what kind of kinetic energy they produce. I would be interested to learn about these things.

RE: please tell me just one negative to crossbows
 

IMO there aren't any negatives against crossbows except for other archer's perception. I don't hunt with one, but I hunt in a state where it is legal (Arkansas). My brother in law hunts with one while I hunt with my compound. Any advantage of a crossbow IMO is again perception. He has no advantage over me and my compound bow.

RE: please tell me just one negative to crossbows
 

No, what I'm getting at is people are frenzied over hating crossbows. Why ? What NEGATIVE do they bring to archery season. Like ......... are so many more deer killed that the seasons are cut short ? Are there more hunting accidents ? Are the woods overcrowded ? Things that are NEGATIVE to archery season that cannot also be applied to compounds, recurves or longbows ?