RE: The Crossbow Controversy
 

The difference between a crossbow and a compound bow with an 80% let off is holding 20% of the bow's draw weight. With a mechanical release you're half way to a trigger. The other factors (draw weight, tip, arrow weight/length) depend on what equipment you're using. Sighting a crossbow on target without scaring the deer isn't as easy as most would make it out to be. I don't know anyone who keeps their 6 lb crossbow at the ready when they hunt.

If you use any bow within it's limits to reduce the chance of wounded game and ensure clean kills, you're hunting for sport, not to fill the freezer. If you can learn the skills of hunting well enough to make clean kills with a bow, then you can decide if you want to hunt for meat during any open season.

Dan O.

RE: The Crossbow Controversy
 

what is the difference between a crossbow and a compound bow? the compound has more bells and whistles than the crossbow will ever have.shooting a crossbow is not as easy as you think.they are not as accurate as a compound.
if we really want to get down to basics we should take all the bells and whistles off the compound and go back to the recurve.compound users want the crossbow made illegal or have its own season.why not take all the bells and whistles off the compound and then only let them hunt that way.
there is more of an advantage for compounds than crossbows. i had to start using a crossbow last year dur to a back injury.the only TRUE ARCHERY is with a recurve.
crossbows are just another hunting tool that has been around much longer than the compound.as long as the hunting is done ethically we should all be able to hunt with what is legal.

RE: The Crossbow Controversy
 

Im with PABowhntr on this,its fine for the handicapped and they should be in their own season or with gun season. As far as shooting one. Their like a gun in the respect that you can get it sited in put it back in the case and not touch it again till a week before season. Ya cant do that with a bow.Also if you pickup someone elses crossbow you can take a couple shots and be as good as the owner with it. Try that with a compound. If your forearm dont get filleted youll at least have to buy your buddy some new arrows. A crossbow doesnt take near the dicipline that a compound or traditional bow does and that probably P&Y's problem with them...1B

RE: The Crossbow Controversy
 

how many bells and whistles does the compound bow have compared to the crossbow? you are mistaken in saying they stay sighted in until next season. they are like a compound that has to be checked before every useage.
i could use your same reasoning and say that the compound bow should be outlawed due to all its add ons for advantages. again the only true archery is a RECURVE. crossbows have been around much longer than a compound.a crossbow is not anything like a gun. there are no bullets. it does have a scope just like the compound has a sight pin. no difference.they are both bows that shoot arrows using sight devices.

RE: The Crossbow Controversy
 

Crossbows are NOT hand drawn, or hand held! In that respect, they are much more like a gun. Sure, the effective range is similar to a bow. One does NOT need to practice nearly as much to be proficient with a crossbow. In my opinion, they (crossbows) should not be in regular archery season. The difference between a crossbow and a compound, is certainly not the same as the difference between a compound and a recurve. If you are disabled, legitimately, fine, bring your crossbow into archery season. That is a different scenario than saying that they should be just lumped together.
And dep214, you are absolutely correct in stating that a crossbow is not as accurate as a compound, nor does it have as far of an effective range. So why would anyone without a physical disability choose one over a conventional bow? Because they require minimal practice to hit the broad side of a barn, thats why!

RE: The Crossbow Controversy
 

I believe that you're wrong in saying crossbows are less accurate that compounds. My bow is guaranteed to shot within a 4" circle at 25 yds. Read the writeup at excaliburcrossbows.com It takes a good deal of practice with a compound to be able to claim you can shoot with that accuracy.

But; that aside, does everyone agree that any bow takes a great deal more skill to consistently take deer. That you have to dot your i's and cross your t's to get deer within shooting distance. That it opens up a whole new area of hunting close to inhabited areas.

Dan O.

RE: The Crossbow Controversy
 

Dan O, I agree that a bow, or crossbow is an effective weapon, and that they both require more skill/patience to harvest game with than a gun would. As far as the accuracy thing goes, I have shot a crossbow probably 50 shots in my life. The people who owned them claimed they were top of the line equipment. I could shoot them every bit as accurately as them, from the first shot. As far as your statement about a 4" group at 25yds., well I will be wiping diet pepsi from my keyboard for a while on that one. Granted, I have fired, on average, 100 arrows per day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, for over 10 years. So maybe I have an unfair advantage over people you may know that shoot a conventional bow. The day I cannot hold a 4" group @ 40yds. with broadheads(fixed blade) is the day I quit hunting until I practice some more. And I know quite a few people who can perform every bit as well with their bows. Once again, I am not against crossbows, I just feel that they should not be included in regular archery season.

RE: The Crossbow Controversy
 

That is one problem with crossbows that I have seen. Some crossbow users have told me that a crossbow can't shoot past 30 yards and still be accurate, others have told me that they can hit 3 inch rings out to 60 yards. Some talk about how crossbows have low fps, some talk about how they have high fps. A traditional bow is the hardest to use, but a compound isn't very easy either. No matter what anyone says, a compound/recurve/long bow is harder to use than a crossbow. It IS true. Sure, crossbows are made to be VERY easy to use, and they aren't as easy as they are made out to be, but they still have a HUGE advantage over a compound bow. First off, a compound bow is only different from a traditional bow in that you have a let off, thats pretty much it. A crossbow doesn't have a let off, you don't have to hold the weight. That means that you won't pull some arrows and you don't have to practice your form. It is true. Bow season in my opinion should only be for recurves, long bows, and compound bows. PERIOD. It won't really bother me if crossbows are introduced, I just don't think that they are a real bow, the facts point them to be more like a gun.

Good Luck This Season: Buck Magnet
P.S. Only Chuck Adams can sit at home and see deer so get into the woods. =;^)

RE: The Crossbow Controversy
 

if you want archery only the take off all the bells and whistles on the compound. lets see how good you are then. the crossbows are not any where as accurate. the bolts,arrows, are shorter and mush easier to be influenced. what is the diff between sight pins and scopes on a crossbow?how many bells and whistles do you see on a crossbow as compared to a compound?they are just tools to help you shoot better. anyone who says a crossbow has an advatage i one not knowing the crossbow. the crosbow has been around much longer than the compound. maybe the compound should not be allowed?

RE: The Crossbow Controversy
 

I appreciate your suggestion to remove the bells and whistles from my bow. But, I found these neat little gadgets a few years back, they are called simms limb savers. They keep my bells really quite, so I will just leave them on the bow.
And by the way, a crossbow does have one HUGE advantage, it is already at full draw when the deer gets there, so very little movement is required to aim and shoot. Now you know one advantage that a crossbow has over a conventional bow. And, for the life of me, I can`t understand why you are being borderline hostile about this, when by your own admission, crossbows are not as good in most aspects.