standsleeper

There areobvious advantages to a crossbow. You don't need as much time to practice. You have less movement involved with the shot. The modern crossbow is still faster than the modern bow. There are also cons. The crossbow tends to bleed energy faster. I.E. it doesn't have as much effective range as a compound bow. IMO. Crossbows are louder and harder to reload. You will most likely not get a second shot. Then there is the chalenge factor. You have been shooting a compound bow for a while. I think you might get bored with a crossbow. IMO. This is not a completely uninformed opinion. I own both. I hunt with both but prefer my compound bow. The crossbow does come in handy on the colder hunts. I hunted with it a lot after I wounded my first deer. I practiced with my compound but didn't have the confidence to shoot a deer with it. I used it as a crutch. I shouldn't have ,but it was to easy with my x-bow right there. If you want to buy a Crossbow, I would recommend a Tenpoint. I never regreted buying mine.

kodiakhuntmaster

I hunt with both.

My Horton crossbow shoots at 260 fps, my compound bow shoots at 280 fps. My crossbow costs around $300, and my compound was about $450. My compound out performs my crossbow in just about every field, other than the amount of movement it takes to get ready for a shot. Like anything else, you get what you pay for.

Top end crossbows will out perform top end compounds, but if you buy mid range (affordable)... It's about the same.

It is a lot harder to drag a crossbow through thick woods or on long walks because they are generally heavier and much more bulky. I'll also say that compound bows give you many more options than crossbows as far as setting it up the way you like.

I think hunting with a crossbow is great fun, and a huge rush. It's not the same as hunting with a compound, but it's similar. To me, hunting with a modern crossbow is just as traditional as hunting with a compound bow. I mean, the crossbow has been around for hundreds of years.