Trembow

After reading the sticky post: The enemy within and Dan Hendricks (sp?) article I started thinking... What do I have against people who want to hunt with a crossbow...

.. and then it hit me: Who do I know who has one or has used one?

Truth is: Nobody, except a few psycho jerks who aren't even hunters, just crazy kids or psychos who think it's cool to use something they dreamed about when they played (or play) Dungeons and Dragons.

I've read arguments for and against hunting with crossbows, but all of them use far too much overhashed rhetoric and generalizations to either sway my opinion or make me more confident in it.

So, now I would really like to know from a crossbow hunter what his motivation is to use that form of "weapon". How did he/she get started, that sort of thing.

Finch

Not trying to be a smartie Trembow but you might get more responses in the crossbow section.

Greg / MO

You may get more response from your post in the Crossbow forum... but I'm not sure how your thread will be taken...

Beat me to it, duc... my first attempt at responding timed out on me, and then I see you said basically the same thing...

HuntingEd

i know two guys that hunt w/ a crossbow because they cant physically draw a typical bow. Before their ailments they hunted w/ a regular bow

tschaef

Trembow, I bought a x-bow a few years back when I realized that the archery season was 3 months long (vs 2 weeks for gun). I felt that I was too busy to learn all there is to know about verticle bows, and remembered tearing strips off my arm whenever I tried a bow in my younger days (bad form). Since then I have bought a compound and harvested a buck with it, I never did get a shot off with the x-bow in a hunting situation.
I can tell you that a x-bow doesn't make hunting too easy, nobody sits in a tree with one at their shoulder so there is still alot of movement required, and you don't get more range than a vertical bow. X-bows are great for the disabled, but what about people that are afraid of heights? X-bows make hunting from a ground blind a realistic option. Another reason to not oppose x-bows are people like me that used it as a stepping stone to introduce me to the great sport of archery.

RWK

Trembow i've using one for a couple years, I hunted with a bow for about 42-43 yrs then i blew out my left shoulder, its not that i can't pull the bow i can'thold it up any more. I went with the xbow so i can still hunt and be in the woods doing what i enjoy. The xbow is not the magic bullet that people think it is, try walking with one, clumsy- heavy- and not easy to get off another shoot. The distance is about the same as a compound out to about 40 yards then the arrow drops like a bitch, with compounds there taking animals out to 60 plus yards. My problem NY does not let me hunt with one i'm not busted up enough. in NY to hunt with xbow you have to be in a wheel chair not be able to use any parts of your body and use a air device to release the xbow trigger. So i hunt states thats itslegal for me to use this God forsaken device. I mostly hunt from ground blinds and i have a stand that i rest the crossbow on to shoot. Rich K.

Trembow

Greg and Duc, thanks for the suggestion... I didn't even know there was such a section![&:] I never leave this one!

I'll repost over there with a change or two.

tschaef and Rich: Thank you very much for your responses. Those are two very different and honest viewpoints. I find it interesting that one of you went from bowhunting to xbowhunting and the other vice-versa!

It leads me to believe that there may be a way for us all to live like one big happy hunting family....someday.

mitchmtm1

I plan to hunt both this year. But because of lack of time to practice as much as I want I limit myself to shots under 20yards with the compound. I know that with the xbow I have a much better chance of a quick clean humane kill. I still practice as much as I can (a couple of hours a week) but I just don't have 4-8 hours a week to get automatic with the compound anymore.

It's just another weapon to choose from. 95% of hunting with any short range weapon comes down to being a good hunter. If you don't scout, learn deer movements, control scent, choose good stand placements, use good judgement, and take good shots you will not kill many deer with either a compound or crossbow.

Mitch

awshucks

I've had several over the years, got three right now. They are fun to shoot and hunt with. They have been legal here in Ar. for a long time. It's no big deal here, everyone uses what they prefer. I used to shoot a vert until my shoulder surgery, also shot small time competition w/ muzzle loaders. My Excals are light enough I can shoot off-hand again. Most of the adverse comments you will hear about their use for hunting is the same as when thecompounds came on the scene in the early 70's. They are rapidly becoming legal in more and more states. I'd much rather see a hunter who doesn't have the time needed to stay in shooting shape w/ other types of equipment use a xbow. We live in changing times. Gas is over $3.00 a gal. lot's of folks are having to put extra time in supporting families, we need the new folks like ladies and younger hunters that the xbow seems to attract.

fatsbucknut

My pap has one because he's 75 yrs old and cant pull back a compound. This allows him to be in the woods during the best time of the year. Also this past year, it was legal to take out a crossbow in late season if you had a muzzleloader stamp. So i decided to give it a try. He has a "10 point" crossbow and it's scary accurate. I did harvest a doe the one and only day i took it out but there's no way i would trade my bow for that thing. Too bulky and heavy but for those who want to use them, go at it.


Zach