Hi!
My first posting here, I have just recently received my crossbow permit from Michigan, you need to have a permanent injury to hunt with a crossbow in this state. Unfortunately the state didn't issue the permits until the season was almost here and I didn't receive mine until a few weeks ago. I was a traditional archer for many years but pulling back a recurve much less a compound is very painful now.
Anyway I'm now using an old (10-15 yr. old) Barnett with very dubious results. It is very inconsistent at even 20 yards and the trigger pull belongs on a cap pistol. Needless to say I'm in the market for a crossbow.
I visited Cabelas yesterday and the newer crossbows are like laserguns compared to the old Barnett. Now this is where I have some questions. Being a traditional archer I have a fondness for the recurve crossbows. There was an Excaliber there that I liked but it is so wide I wonder if it would be manageable in a small blind or treestand? There was also a Parker Cyclone there that seemed very handy and lightweight, of course a compound but I saw that it has a lifetime warranty. Both of these bows seem to be on the opposite extremes but they were the two that I really liked. I will of course shoot whatever I decided to purchase before I laid down my hard earned cash but would like to get a little feed back. I'm in no hurry as it looks that since the season is 1/2 over and I'm also a gun hunter I can take my time and look forward to getting something for next hunting season and be better prepared. Thanks!

I shoot both, two Excaliburs (Vortex and Phoenix) and the Cyclone. They are as different as night and day. Excalburs are simple to maintain. Lifetime warranty and a great company that supports it. They are wider but very consistant and mine have great triggers after I worked them over a bit. Cyclone is like a trophy wife. Great to look at but takes some TLC to keep around. They are fast, mine is 355 fps, and perhaps a bit quieter. Shooting 430 grn arrows it gives me about a 6" drop between 20 and 40 yards. But, it has both string and cables, which seem to need much more maintenance. The quality of the factory strings has been spotty. Every time I think they have it worked out, I hear another story about serving wear and string separation. And, being narrow as they are, they are hard to press for the local shop. Finally made my own hydrolic press to solve the problem. The trigger on this Cyclone isn't nearly as crisp as the other two. I shoot the Ecxals a lot, save the Cyclone mostly for hunting. If I had to choose just one, it would be the Vortex.

The difference is only a few inches. I own but one compound crossbow but have never hunted with it because it I just bought it. I have hunted with my Excals for a very long time. I own twenty some odd recurve trad bows and just got my first custom long bow and I understand your fondess for recurve crossbows. I have not to date been limited by the width. I does look like a problem a bit but in reality it isn't. It's like hunting with a long bow. It's a tiny bit limiting but not really. Warranty and support of the Excal cannot be bested. As far as support or warranty goes Excal is the hands down winner, bar none. It is a milestone by which all others are measured.
Oh, I forgot, I own 10 Excaliburs.

Boris, I have to agree with you on the Vortex. I used to think that about the Phoenix but the more I use the Vortex ,the more I like it!

Welcome friend.
I shoot an Excalibur Equinox from a treestand and ground blind with no problem
Just like vertical archery you want to think about limb travel and make sure there are no shooting obstruction well before the season.
I have killed 4 deer this season with my bow,3 from the ground 1 from a ladder stand,no problem.
I am a dyed in the wool Excalibur fan but you have other good choices as well,give them all a try and choose what floats your boat and again
WELCOME FRIEND

Welcome, enjoy,lots of great folks here!

like the others before me i also would say the excal vortex. i shoot both ways from my climbing stand and a ground blind. no trouble just need to remmeber to set abit back from blind wall and not put limbs in any contact with any part of the blind. i have the phoenix and vixen love miss vixen. i like the phoenix but the vortex is better and you can use the crankaroo to cock it. abit slower but no stress on your body at all.

Thanks for the info. This really seems to be the place to get some answers. Yes, I would prefer the recurve, as I just seem to prefer a more simple, rugged and easily maintained piece of outdoor equipment. The Excaliber that I looked at was a Vortex Bow package. I really like the bow quiver that has the arrows parallel with the bow, in fact the Parker quiver was set up the same way. I normally take a bow quiver off when I get to my stand but it was one of the little things that attracted me to those two particular bows.
You fellas were right about the difference in the widths of the bows, I mean I took a lot of flack from the guys using the newer tiny compounds when compared to my recurve or long bow, but I felt the length of the bow really didn’t matter much when you were used to it. I would guess the same applies to the crossbows.
Now what about arrows and sights?
I didn’t use sights on my traditional bows and haven’t used sights in 15 years when I last used a compound. Are there any preference of peep sights, scopes or the red dot type of sight?
I used aluminum and carbon arrows with my recurves and really went primitive using wooden arrows and real feathers with a longbow. Was is the type of material, length and type of broadheads that are popular for crossbows?
Sorry about all the questions but I really don’t know anyone that is into crossbow hunting as for the most part it’s not legally allowed in Michigan unless you have a permit. Hopefully that will change as more people will be able to participate legally in this sport.
Thanks Again!!

As we older we need scopes more and more to take our quarry more efficiently and therefore more humanely. I figure the better I can see exactly that hair I am aiming at the less chance of muffing a shot and wounding my quarry. I prefer a low powered rifle scope with a fair size lens but many perfer the Lumizone and Varizone Excal scopes. Peeps are rarely used because they are less precise but some still use them.
Aluminum and carbon both have fans. Aluminum are more noisey but carry more clout. Few people for unknown reasons use feathers and I am growing to like them for crossbows.
As far as broadheads go for short compact heads. Mechanicals are getting better as years go on give the option of a wider cut. I still like the Montec and Striker but if I have time to get out deer hunting this year I might try a couple of mechanicals.
The change will come when those jackasses get too old to pull back their beloved compounds and just plain smarten up. They cannot stop the tide of change!

you ask a dz. ppl what BH they like and you may get a dz. diff answers. these are some i have and use. steelhead mech. slick tricks boltcutters & montec G5. i like alum. arrows to hunt with and carbons for my 3-D shoots. my eyes have went so i need a scope so i can see well enough to put arrow in right spot.