Talk me out of a crossbow. :-)

[Jeff F.]

I'm a relatively new deer hunter (meat hunter). This year will be my 5th season.

I've managed to take 6 deer in that time (public and private).

I got three deer last season so, with the freezer full, I decided to take this bow season off to do some more camping, mountain biking, fishing, and other fall activities instead of grinding it out on public land with my compound bow.

This has given me plenty of time to mentally masturbate about giving a crossbow a try.

I love shooting my compound bow but the bottom line is, practically speaking, it has a lot of downsides compared to a crossbow (in my opinion). I'm not a slob so if I'm going to archery hunt I am going to practice practice practice (this takes time and money). I'm going to take it to the shop to make sure it is properly set up (this takes time, money, and hopefully they do it right). I also take some issue with the fact a lot of stuff can go wrong when you are flinging arrows at a deer. I'm extremely careful and I practice my ass off but none of my archery kills have been as clean as I would have hoped.

For me the main benefits of a compound bow are they are small, light, they are FUUUUUUUUUUN to shoot and practice with, and you can use them more widely across the country if you intend to out of state hunt.

The primary reason I am interested in a crossbow is it would allow me to engage in other outdoor fall activities and I could focus on scouting public land (work on hunting not shooting) and potentially hunt less with more focus and lethality in the fall. When the winter hits my family is not interested in camping or fishing with me anymore so I can spend as much time in the woods as I want (this is usually gun season).

Anyway I just thought I would be a thread started and get some thoughts.

 

[swapfox1862]

i would just stick it out with the compound to me the reward of a harvest would mean less with a crossbow...i was a right handed shooter an hurt my shoulder had to teach my self to shoot left handed an i also shot a long bow i harvested my first deer left haded two weeks ago an it was the best feeling ever ...just my two cents ...shoot what makes you happy

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[MJH]

i would just stick it out with the compound to me the reward of a harvest would mean less with a crossbow...

This sounds like the standard anti-crossbow baloney to me.

With that said, I would probably look at other hunting seasons and opportunities before getting a second archery tool. For instance is there a muzzleloader season that you could get access to, or a traditional bow season? Maybe a different gun option. To me if you are already successfully shooting a compound, then there is no real reason to go to a crossbow.

 

[Newhunter1]

I had to switch to a crossbow for three years as I had surgery on both shoulders two consecutive years. finally I'm back to a compound. While a crossbow may SEEM easier to hunt with and for the most part it is. It is a lot more difficult to also hunt with. It's heavier...and not as nimble as the compound. I have the Horton ultra light and the Ten point Shadow NXT. While easier to shoot in the tree it does not have greater range than the compound...in fact they are about equal. The only advantage to the XB is that for the most part the bolts travel faster out of the bow. Personally I grab the compound over the crossbow.

 

[Gamover06]

It all comes down to priorities. I have a work, hunt, life balance. I practice with my bow because I need it for my stress and anxiety relief. I need the outdoors and archery other wise my bad days start to stack up. I don't have anything against crossbows but personally the hard work makes the it that much sweeter. Not saying a crossbow makes it easy but they sure seem like they would.

 

[DelaWhere_Arrow]

If you’ve got a hankering, get one. The worst that can happen is you hate it and sell it, the best that can happen is that you take it when you want, or take the compound when you want. You don’t have to choose A or B if you want to add tools to your toolbox. I’m going to get my daughter started with a recurve or compound for archery principles and form, but for her first hunting seasons we’re going to get a crossbow so she can get the most efficient killer for her size. When she gets old enough to pull over 45 lbs on the vertical bows, then I’ll feel more comfortable with the trauma she’ll cause on a deer.

 

[Bigterp]

Shoot what ya want if you buy a crossbow you’ll have less money to spend on other gear....... just messing w/ya. Personal preference I owned a crossbow & didn’t enjoy shooting it & thought it was bulky. Flat out just missed the anchor point/string touching my face & watching the arrow...... but I aint a hater, go for it you may love it!!

 

[Jeff F.]

i would just stick it out with the compound to me the reward of a harvest would mean less with a crossbow...i was a right handed shooter an hurt my shoulder had to teach my self to shoot left handed an i also shot a long bow i harvested my first deer left haded two weeks ago an it was the best feeling ever ...just my two cents ...shoot what makes you happy

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I too have that same FEELING even though it seems devoid of logic.

I hunt highly pressured public land in Michigan. I'm happy shooting a yearling for the freezer in my parts.

 

[dlist777]

I hunt with a xbow. Yes, they take much less practice than a compound to get equivalent accuracy/consistency. But, it's still an arrow flying so its not the like shooting an RPG which many of the haters claim. But, really...why do you care what a bunch of hunters think? Do what you want.....

 

[Jeff F.]

This sounds like the standard anti-crossbow baloney to me.

With that said, I would probably look at other hunting seasons and opportunities before getting a second archery tool. For instance is there a muzzleloader season that you could get access to, or a traditional bow season? Maybe a different gun option. To me if you are already successfully shooting a compound, then there is no real reason to go to a crossbow.

Thanks for the tip. We do have muzzle-loader here. I run my muzzle-loader all firearm season here so I am set there. I actually dropped two 1 minute apart with it last year (that is the main reason I am fishing this fall lol).

Sorry and to be clear only 2 of my 6 deer have been archery deer.

 

[swapfox1862]

I too have that same FEELING even though it seems devoid of logic.

I hunt highly pressured public land in Michigan. I'm happy shooting a yearling for the freezer in my parts.

i hunt louisiana its hard hunting also i understand ...i hunt public land also

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[Jeff F.]

I had to switch to a crossbow for three years as I had surgery on both shoulders two consecutive years. finally I'm back to a compound. While a crossbow may SEEM easier to hunt with and for the most part it is. It is a lot more difficult to also hunt with. It's heavier...and not as nimble as the compound. I have the Horton ultra light and the Ten point Shadow NXT. While easier to shoot in the tree it does not have greater range than the compound...in fact they are about equal. The only advantage to the XB is that for the most part the bolts travel faster out of the bow. Personally I grab the compound over the crossbow.

Is the crossbow easier to maintain and keep functioning perfectly? I've had bad luck with bow shops around here and my bow started shooting funny in the middle of the season last year. This could all be in my head but it seems like a crossbow would require less maintenance.

 

[Newhunter1]

Is the crossbow easier to maintain and keep functioning perfectly? I've had bad luck with bow shops around here and my bow started shooting funny in the middle of the season last year. This could all be in my head but it seems like a crossbow would require less maintenance.

I feel it's about the same as a compound. You have to take care of the strings, wax them and lube the rails...some crossbows have a timing device that can get out of time and you have to take it to the shop. I have never had to take my xbow to the shop...well except when I forgot I was shooting a xbow and my limb hit the trunk. String came off and I was lucky.

 

[cdwester]

Had both a crossbow and a compound and hunted deer with both.

Compound bow was definitely fun and enjoyed shooting it but I honestly just don't have the time to practice enough, where I feel comfortable making an ethical shot, so I ended up selling it. Now I strictly hunt with my recurve crossbow (Excalibur). It's definitely heavier and not as fun to just shoot around, but I really enjoy the actual hunting part of hunting and look at it as a tool to finish the job.

 

[MaxJac]

I'm a relatively new deer hunter (meat hunter). This year will be my 5th season.

I've managed to take 6 deer in that time (public and private).

I got three deer last season so, with the freezer full, I decided to take this bow season off to do some more camping, mountain biking, fishing, and other fall activities instead of grinding it out on public land with my compound bow.

This has given me plenty of time to mentally masturbate about giving a crossbow a try.

I love shooting my compound bow but the bottom line is, practically speaking, it has a lot of downsides compared to a crossbow (in my opinion). I'm not a slob so if I'm going to archery hunt I am going to practice practice practice (this takes time and money). I'm going to take it to the shop to make sure it is properly set up (this takes time, money, and hopefully they do it right). I also take some issue with the fact a lot of stuff can go wrong when you are flinging arrows at a deer. I'm extremely careful and I practice my ass off but none of my archery kills have been as clean as I would have hoped.

For me the main benefits of a compound bow are they are small, light, they are FUUUUUUUUUUN to shoot and practice with, and you can use them more widely across the country if you intend to out of state hunt.

The primary reason I am interested in a crossbow is it would allow me to engage in other outdoor fall activities and I could focus on scouting public land (work on hunting not shooting) and potentially hunt less with more focus and lethality in the fall. When the winter hits my family is not interested in camping or fishing with me anymore so I can spend as much time in the woods as I want (this is usually gun season).

Anyway I just thought I would be a thread started and get some thoughts.

keep talking y'all, I'm going down the same rabbit hole, almost bought one yesterday, but then walked away last minute.... would like to hear more opinions. thanks

 

[mtsrunner]

I bought a crossbow about 5 or 6 years ago because I was injured and couldn’t climb a tree. I figured it would be easier to shoot from a ground blind. I never got to the point where I enjoyed shooting it, so I never actually hunted with it. Still have it and should probably sell it

 

[sureshotscott]

Is the crossbow easier to maintain and keep functioning perfectly? I've had bad luck with bow shops around here and my bow started shooting funny in the middle of the season last year. This could all be in my head but it seems like a crossbow would require less maintenance.

Some guys will poo-poo the xbow because they romanticize the bow. This is as silly as romanticizing a handgun over a rifle. The military puts soldiers afield with rifles because they are demonstrably more effective than handguns. Nothing wrong with making your own choices, but I'm over the romance and just want to kill stuff. If there's a void in your free time, you want to drink a beer before dinner and shoot a few rounds through your bow and exercise your proficiency, more power to you. Side benefit: bows are lighter.

The compact xbows Excalibur puts out are fantastic. No cams, very simple. I don't have experience with the latest/greatest Excalibur xbows I see now they have cocking cranks and whatnot. Mine is very low maintenance.

 

[slonstdy]

To me it sounds like you are not truly passionate about bow hunting and that's ok. If the xbow keeps you in the field and frees up your time then it may be the right choice for you.
Bow hunting is by far my favorite type of hunting and I enjoy putting in the time/work needed to become proficient. That said, when the day comes that I physically cannot draw my bow or my state designates a xbow only season I will be a proud owner of one!

 

[peteherbst]

Think of the children!

 

[Arrowsquirrel]

I've wanted to own one since I was on grade school. Not sure why just wanted to try one I guess. Just always wanted a bow more. So I've hunt with a compound and trad bow for quite a while. Had some points and gift money last spring so I finally bought one. Love the thing, shot a turkey with it and just got done painting it and putting ghillie wrap on it. It's going to be my ground hunting set up. (Probably won't use it much because of that crazy saddle competition I'm in) Tried it out of a saddle and it's not for me. I can make it work it's just not as easy. I would say I'm more confident with my compound but my crossbow is more fun for me now because it's new. I would say get one if you like. I try not to use to much reasoning when it comes to hunting... Hunting is about having fun.