Would you hunt with a crossbow if legalized???
05-03-2009, 01:00 PM
#11
Typical Buck
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: grottoes,va.
Posts: 764
RE: Would you hunt with a crossbow if legalized???
i've been hunting with a crossbow in va. for 2 years. the only differents i see is its easier on my back then holding a compound at full draw,i had 2 disc fixed in 05 and my compound was killing me. its also easier when i put up treestands,before i had to remove my shooting rails on my ladderstands and then reinstall them come muzzleloader and rifle seasons. now its the same setup for both,much easier.
05-04-2009, 04:30 AM
#12
Dominant Buck
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Ramsey , Indiana
Posts: 22,545
RE: Would you hunt with a crossbow if legalized???
Indiana allows use of crossbows already, but due to the myopic objections of the bowhunting community we can only use them during the month of December, the worst possible month. I'd gladly take either of mine out full time if I could.
05-04-2009, 06:14 AM
#13
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Southern Mississippi
Posts: 111
RE: Would you hunt with a crossbow if legalized???
I like using a rifle,shotgun,or single shot 45-70 presently.I have no plans to bowhunt at all in the near future,but that could change eventually I guess.
05-04-2009, 11:20 AM
#15
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location:
Posts: 2,186
RE: Would you hunt with a crossbow if legalized???
A few years ago, Alabama "legalized' the use of X-Bows for all hunters. Before then, the use a X-Bow was limited to physically challenged hunters, and required a physician's statement as part of the qulification to recieve a special permit. As I have stated on this forum before, I have been an avid archery hunter since 1962. I had never even considered using a X-Bow until after I suffered an"season ending" shoulder injury during the second weekend of fall archery season 2008-09.I had purchased a X-Bow for my brother, who due to a spinal injury cannot draw a traditional or compound. Turned out this too was impractical for him to use due to the weight of the set-up. I had kept it for whatever reason.I pulled it out of the case. Practiced for a week or so each afternoon, and then headed to the woods the next weekend.During last year's season I was able to get clean shots at a few does and connected each time. If I had not had the X-Bow, my archery would have been done for '08-'09.
I have read a ton of lamentations about how much easier it is to use a X-Bow than a traditional or coupound. And it is. I will not argue that point at all. I was able to drill a target deer out to 40 yards with only about a total of 4-5 hours of practice.But to be truthful, I found the X-Bow gave me only twodistinctive advantagesover my compoound ...(1)not having to draw an d (2) not having to hold the draw weight. Don't get me wrong, these seemed to me to be big time advantages. As far as aiming skills, effective distance, string jumping, recovery challenges ... I found no appreciable advantages at all.
For me there were distinct disadvantages too.Despite my X-Bow beinga top of the line Ten Point, with excellent vibration and noise dampening accessories, my X-Bow seems muchlouder than my compound. I noticed what seemed to me to be a lot more reaction to the release noise. There are also a "space" challenge. This confounded me on more than one occasion. To aim and fire my compound, I need only about 6" of clean, vertical space a 4' tall where I can safely release without fear of slapping the limbs against a stand part, tree trunk, limb or whatever. The X-Bow requires clear horizontal space, about 4' wide. Took me a while to get used to this difference and cost me a shot at a fine buck. I simply could not turn enough to clear the tree trunk and get a shot at the buck feeding over my left shoulder.Horizontal space is not always so easy to come by in a tight tree sand set-up, with lots of cover. Also using compound, it would be much easier for me to get off a secondshot than using the X-Bow.Most of the time only one shot can be taken with any sort of archery set-up. Either a hit or the missed deer spooks out of the countryside. But I have missed cleanly before with my recurve and later in my life, my compound,and not spooked the deer away ... or they didn't go far and eased back in within minutes. For me there is a lot more body movement required for me to recockand load the X-Bow than doing the same with my compound. I did not need a second shot in any of the kills I made, but if I had, I do not think I could have gotten away with the movement.
I have read a ton of lamentations about how much easier it is to use a X-Bow than a traditional or coupound. And it is. I will not argue that point at all. I was able to drill a target deer out to 40 yards with only about a total of 4-5 hours of practice.But to be truthful, I found the X-Bow gave me only twodistinctive advantagesover my compoound ...(1)not having to draw an d (2) not having to hold the draw weight. Don't get me wrong, these seemed to me to be big time advantages. As far as aiming skills, effective distance, string jumping, recovery challenges ... I found no appreciable advantages at all.
For me there were distinct disadvantages too.Despite my X-Bow beinga top of the line Ten Point, with excellent vibration and noise dampening accessories, my X-Bow seems muchlouder than my compound. I noticed what seemed to me to be a lot more reaction to the release noise. There are also a "space" challenge. This confounded me on more than one occasion. To aim and fire my compound, I need only about 6" of clean, vertical space a 4' tall where I can safely release without fear of slapping the limbs against a stand part, tree trunk, limb or whatever. The X-Bow requires clear horizontal space, about 4' wide. Took me a while to get used to this difference and cost me a shot at a fine buck. I simply could not turn enough to clear the tree trunk and get a shot at the buck feeding over my left shoulder.Horizontal space is not always so easy to come by in a tight tree sand set-up, with lots of cover. Also using compound, it would be much easier for me to get off a secondshot than using the X-Bow.Most of the time only one shot can be taken with any sort of archery set-up. Either a hit or the missed deer spooks out of the countryside. But I have missed cleanly before with my recurve and later in my life, my compound,and not spooked the deer away ... or they didn't go far and eased back in within minutes. For me there is a lot more body movement required for me to recockand load the X-Bow than doing the same with my compound. I did not need a second shot in any of the kills I made, but if I had, I do not think I could have gotten away with the movement.
05-04-2009, 12:37 PM
#16
Spike
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location:
Posts: 99
RE: Would you hunt with a crossbow if legalized???
I live and hunt in PA: for the past 4 years I have been primarily an archery hunter. By the end of last season I had already made up my mind to purchase a crossbow in the off-season and use it whenever possible(urban areas during archery season,early and late muzzle-loader season statewide with a muzzle-loader stamp)while continuing to use the compound the rest of the time. It was a pleasant and welcome surprise to hear that the Game Commission has decidedto allow the cross-bow statewide during all archery seasons. I have since purchased an Excalibur crossbow and am very impressed with the quality and precision.
As Mojotex mentioned, I am looking forward to the advantage of not needing to hold the bow at full-draw (I hit a 6-point in the shoulder last year because Idrew when he walked behind a tree and then had to hold an extended time waiting for him to step past the tree). Furthermore, there is no question that I am a better shot with the cross-bow:"form" is far less critical. Finally, I am pleased to be able to use a low power scope rather than rely on a fiber-optic dot (my eye sight is not what it once was, especially in low-light.
An additional advantage that I have observed is that crossbow hunting is considerably cheaper than compound hunting.The basic good-quality compound is more expensive than a comparable good quality cross-bow (I am not referring to "top of the line" $2,000 crossbows)and then there are the never-ending (and ever-changing)"accessories" for a compound (rest, release,sound dampening, sights, the list goes on and on and is continually changing, leading to a great temptation to continually upgrade). My excalibur Phoenix package from Cabelas includedcrossbow, scope,quiver,four bolts with field points, and a cocking string for $650. Add broadheads and I am ready to hunt; in fact, there is not much more that I could purchase for the crossbow.
However, the disadvantages that Mojotex mentioned are very evident: distance estimation remains critical (the cross-bow probably extends my effective range from 25yards to 30 yards; after that theboltbegins to fall very quickly) and the added noise (and resulting deer "bolting") also limits effective range. Obstructions due tothe greater horizontal "footprint" of thecross-bow become more evident. I will be limited to one shot; re-loading the crossbowand taking a second shot is very unlikely.
One additional "disadvantage" is that there may well be others who begin to hunt during archery season because of the crossbow, making it necessary to adapt to significantly greater hunting pressure when I was previously alone. It remains to be seen how significant this is, but I can certainly understand others wanting to hunt during the five weeks of archery season that did not previously allow a crossbow.
I plan to keep mycompound. It is entirely possible that I will want to use it at least part time.For the present, however, I plan to do all of my archery hunting this year with the crossbow.
As Mojotex mentioned, I am looking forward to the advantage of not needing to hold the bow at full-draw (I hit a 6-point in the shoulder last year because Idrew when he walked behind a tree and then had to hold an extended time waiting for him to step past the tree). Furthermore, there is no question that I am a better shot with the cross-bow:"form" is far less critical. Finally, I am pleased to be able to use a low power scope rather than rely on a fiber-optic dot (my eye sight is not what it once was, especially in low-light.
An additional advantage that I have observed is that crossbow hunting is considerably cheaper than compound hunting.The basic good-quality compound is more expensive than a comparable good quality cross-bow (I am not referring to "top of the line" $2,000 crossbows)and then there are the never-ending (and ever-changing)"accessories" for a compound (rest, release,sound dampening, sights, the list goes on and on and is continually changing, leading to a great temptation to continually upgrade). My excalibur Phoenix package from Cabelas includedcrossbow, scope,quiver,four bolts with field points, and a cocking string for $650. Add broadheads and I am ready to hunt; in fact, there is not much more that I could purchase for the crossbow.
However, the disadvantages that Mojotex mentioned are very evident: distance estimation remains critical (the cross-bow probably extends my effective range from 25yards to 30 yards; after that theboltbegins to fall very quickly) and the added noise (and resulting deer "bolting") also limits effective range. Obstructions due tothe greater horizontal "footprint" of thecross-bow become more evident. I will be limited to one shot; re-loading the crossbowand taking a second shot is very unlikely.
One additional "disadvantage" is that there may well be others who begin to hunt during archery season because of the crossbow, making it necessary to adapt to significantly greater hunting pressure when I was previously alone. It remains to be seen how significant this is, but I can certainly understand others wanting to hunt during the five weeks of archery season that did not previously allow a crossbow.
I plan to keep mycompound. It is entirely possible that I will want to use it at least part time.For the present, however, I plan to do all of my archery hunting this year with the crossbow.
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