First of all, I have no problem with crossbow use. Zero. I don’t care how or why you use one or don’t, they’re a perfectly legitimate hunting tool and yes, I believe they even belong in archery seasons without restrictions.
I bought one this Summer for a few reasons:
1) I’m getting my daughter into hunting this year and she’s a long way from pulling a 45lb vertical bow, nor is she allowed to hunt from elevation yet so my bow is impossible to draw in our ground blind, necessitating a crossbow.
2) I have a host of injuries and owwwwwies from years of martial arts, weightlifting, and back-breaking physical labors. Plus bending down to pick babies up for the last 7 years has really taken a toll on my lower back and neck.
3) a pinched nerve in my left shoulder comes back to haunt me every month or so. It’s usually not a big deal but twice last year, I locked up drawing my 55# bow on deer and couldn’t get the string drawn more than a couple of inches. I recently turned it up to 60# peak and can usually draw easily. Needless to say those deer never became dinner. In heavy winter clothes and cold weather when when my shoulder is feeling pinchy, drawing is nearly impossible.
4) Sometimes deer and turkeys will hang out within 40-50 yards of my garage or fewer. I would never snuff my nose at an opportunity to fill such a gimme tag, and the crossbow turns those marginal 35-40yd shot distances into much more manageable ones. Still not into taking extremely long shots, but I don’t consider 35-40 out of xbow range in the open yard.
5) Turkeys. A lot less movement, I can shoot sharp scary expandables at high speed with decently heavy bolts, and the sheer stopping power of a bolt is intimidating.
6) Coyotes. Night optics and such are much more suited to crossbow than vertical, and I don’t love the idea of sending a $40+ arrow through a mangy yote when my bolts are cheaper and easier to aim/shoot overall.
Okay so if you’ve stuck with me this far, here’s the conundrum: what if a big buck comes in front of my xbow? I’m legitimately getting anxious that I would hesitate to shoot because it’s not with a vertical bow. Again, I have no ill will towards xbow use, and indeed I want the xbow to taste blood from a doe, turkey, or coyote, I just have a mental hurdle telling me I’d be somehow disappointed to not shoot a buck specifically with a vertical bow, since 99% of the time I’m able to draw it. I haven’t felt the “need” to relieve my shoulder of it. I have left the xbow on the hook 3 or 4 times already this season in favor of my compound, in anticipation that bringing the xbow would almost certainly egg Nature on to bring a bruiser right to me, and I’d choke on the opportunity just because of some weird tainted feeling I merely ASSUME I’m going to get.
Anyone else feel this way? Anyone wanna tell me to suck it up and just shoot whatever weapon at whatever animal I need to? Got a different solution? Cautionary or funny tales of the same feelings or situations arising?
TLDR: despite recognizing all the upsides to xbow use, I have a mental block on using it to shoot a nice buck. What’s my deal, yo?!
I bought one this Summer for a few reasons:
1) I’m getting my daughter into hunting this year and she’s a long way from pulling a 45lb vertical bow, nor is she allowed to hunt from elevation yet so my bow is impossible to draw in our ground blind, necessitating a crossbow.
2) I have a host of injuries and owwwwwies from years of martial arts, weightlifting, and back-breaking physical labors. Plus bending down to pick babies up for the last 7 years has really taken a toll on my lower back and neck.
3) a pinched nerve in my left shoulder comes back to haunt me every month or so. It’s usually not a big deal but twice last year, I locked up drawing my 55# bow on deer and couldn’t get the string drawn more than a couple of inches. I recently turned it up to 60# peak and can usually draw easily. Needless to say those deer never became dinner. In heavy winter clothes and cold weather when when my shoulder is feeling pinchy, drawing is nearly impossible.
4) Sometimes deer and turkeys will hang out within 40-50 yards of my garage or fewer. I would never snuff my nose at an opportunity to fill such a gimme tag, and the crossbow turns those marginal 35-40yd shot distances into much more manageable ones. Still not into taking extremely long shots, but I don’t consider 35-40 out of xbow range in the open yard.
5) Turkeys. A lot less movement, I can shoot sharp scary expandables at high speed with decently heavy bolts, and the sheer stopping power of a bolt is intimidating.
6) Coyotes. Night optics and such are much more suited to crossbow than vertical, and I don’t love the idea of sending a $40+ arrow through a mangy yote when my bolts are cheaper and easier to aim/shoot overall.
Okay so if you’ve stuck with me this far, here’s the conundrum: what if a big buck comes in front of my xbow? I’m legitimately getting anxious that I would hesitate to shoot because it’s not with a vertical bow. Again, I have no ill will towards xbow use, and indeed I want the xbow to taste blood from a doe, turkey, or coyote, I just have a mental hurdle telling me I’d be somehow disappointed to not shoot a buck specifically with a vertical bow, since 99% of the time I’m able to draw it. I haven’t felt the “need” to relieve my shoulder of it. I have left the xbow on the hook 3 or 4 times already this season in favor of my compound, in anticipation that bringing the xbow would almost certainly egg Nature on to bring a bruiser right to me, and I’d choke on the opportunity just because of some weird tainted feeling I merely ASSUME I’m going to get.
Anyone else feel this way? Anyone wanna tell me to suck it up and just shoot whatever weapon at whatever animal I need to? Got a different solution? Cautionary or funny tales of the same feelings or situations arising?
TLDR: despite recognizing all the upsides to xbow use, I have a mental block on using it to shoot a nice buck. What’s my deal, yo?!
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