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Hi All, I'm going in the morning hunting with a cross bow for the first time, I have one question though...
My bow is extremely hard to cock and I'm wondering if I cock it righr before I leave and go hunting with it cocked the whole time would that put unnecesary stress on the string?
Thanks in advance

If you want the added challenge, cock the crossbow as the deer approaches, similiar to actually drawing a compound, recurve, longbow. IF you simply want to point and shoot, cock it ahead of time.

Good Luck and Good Shooting

Rob

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I'm wondering if I cock it righr before I leave and go hunting with it cocked the whole time would that put unnecesary stress on the string?

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are you talking about befor you leave home or befor you get into your tree????

I am not a hunter I am a whitetail population reduction specialest

remember keep your back to the sun, your knife sharp, and your powder dry.

I'm Talking about just as I leave home

i hunt here in ohio with a crossbow. i cock it before i get into my strand. and then load when i'm in and settled. it will not hurt your string or limbs. just remember to use and old arrow when unloading or that thing will explode if you dry fire it . i have seen it done limbs split and all the pullies blew off so make sure you are on safe when getting in and out of tree .

Thanks a lot Teamster...
I was wondering if I was the only one here that hunted with a cross bow...

Deerhunter; you should mark your bow string with whiteout when it isn't cocked. The whiteout marks need to line up when you are cocked to shoot straight. It's much easier and more accurate to cock ahead of time so you know the marks line up.

Dan O.

hey there deer hunter, i to use a cross bow for hunting due to a spinal cord injury that left paralyses on my right side, have not much use in right arm nor hand. Been hunting w/ crossbow going on my fourth year now. Take note on what Dan o said about marking yor string, needs to be pulled back equally on both sides in order to shoot straight & accurately every time you shoot. I use a cocking device which works great in pulling back the string staight. I always cock mine before leaving the house but am always conserned about getting pulled over by the sherriff or the Game Warden on the way to the stand. Sooner or later you will have to cock your crossbow in your stand, Usually only takes one shot w/ those puppys.

happy and safe hunting

DH; I sometimes cock mine befor I go up the ladder then pull it up.I have an old arrow to "unload" when I get back to the truck.I have a Barnett and the string has black serving with white marks on each side to help keep it linedup.

Good luck on the new bow.good luck on the hunt.

I am not a hunter I am a whitetail population reduction specialest

remember keep your back to the sun, your knife sharp, and your powder dry.

Thanks for all the great replies guys...
I'll keep all this in mind and I'll tell you how it goes in the morning.

A lot of it depends on the situation. It can be hard to cock the bow in a tree stand, depending on the type of stand. I usually cock the bow before I climb the tree or before I start walking to the stand. I have shot and missed and recocked the bow with deer infront of me. It isn't as loud as it seems. I also found that wearing gloves is really helpful when drawing it back.

Please take note of some safety tips:

Never load an arrow until you are in a safe position, in other words you can cock it, but don't load the arrow until you are in the tree and your safety belt is already on, or when you are seated on the ground, then unload before you get up or come down from the tree.

Always use a pull rope to bring the bow up the tree, cocked or not! Of course without the arrow loaded. Although, I worry about a dryfire when pulling the bow up. I'd rather break the bow than fire an arrow.

Always carry the bow when walking - unloaded. It can be cocked, just don't put an arrow in it. I never stalk, but if I did I still not load an arrow until I was ready to shoot.

Never rest the front of a loaded bow on your foot. Sounds silly but shooting yourself in the foot is a common crossbow accident.

Leave the safety on until you are ready to shoot. Practice slipping it off quetly so you can do it when a deer is in front of you. I usually take it off after I see a deer and have brought the bow into a safe shooting position.

I hunted with a crossbow and a compound for many years now. The crossbow does bring up added safety issue for me. I mean these to be helpful. They are things I've learned to be conscience of over the years.

I always say to myself "I want to kill the deer, not myself" Think safety first.

Happy Hunting
Kestrel

most definetely don't place arrow in bow till up in your stand.