Hey I want to get in to crossbow/bow hunting and i was wondering what would be good to get. I know it is late for this season NC. But hoped to get one and practice for next season.
Thanks,

Any will do. Excal for the do-it-yourself type. Top end Horton's are fine, Ten point for some newer ideas and safety features. There seems to be some guys come in lately that seem pretty happy with Parkers. Bow Tech is currently new in the game and are still working out the bugs. The recurve design of Excal will be easy to maintain if you do a bunch of shooting. If you do not do a bunch of shooting, like say more than 500 shots a year then a Compound style will be ok, any thatI mentioned. Compounds require a press to do a serving on. I have not had to reserve my Excal since I am on my forth string this season. Not that I am having a problem with strings, but have been trying the different types, something you will not get to do with a compound, at least not readily available to most. Also welcome to the forum!

My experience is this. Dont get a Horton Legacy. It came out this year and itis junk. I now have a Excalibur Pheonix and a Vixen and really like both of them. The Vixen is a little smaller but it really belongs to my 9 year old. He will hunt with it next year. Hotburn gives good advise as usual. Use the search feature here on the forum and you will find tons of answers to your question...Just my two cents...Welcome to the forum
Chris

My luck with my Parkers has been great,the other posts have good
solid advice,any one would be good,If you are a do it yourselfer a
Excal would do you the best,welcome to the forums!

Shoot as many as you can before buying. They tend to fit differently for different folks depending how they are built and how will be used. For ground blind or mostly tree stands compact bows like the Ten points and Parkers tend to fit the bill. But they are also compound bows with cables and pulleys that tend to need a bit more maintenance. A set of sting and cables will set you back $50.00+ labor. And you'll need a press if you tend to do your own work.
For simplicity, the recure Excaliber can't be beat. Can be restrung with minimum effort with a rope stringer. Tend to be very accurate but are a bit wider and generally involve more pull weight; which could be an issue depending on your physical abilities.
Most importanly, one has to try the trigger. It's smooth, predictable release is as important to accuracy in X bow as in a rifle.
I shoot both a Parker Terminator and a Excal Vortex. They work for me. The Parker is smaller, lighter and has a better trigger. But the Vortex will give me softball sized groups at 50 yards.... offhand ... despite being a bit shaky due to two bad shoulders (67 yrs of being rode hard, put away wet).
Good luck. Welcome to the world of horizotal archery.