Does anyone use crossbow

Crossbows are a fun hunting tool. Contrary to what a lot of people believe, the events of a crossbow hunt are the exact same as hunting with a compound, with the exception being the bow will hold the string for you.
All other things are equal, like shooting distance (usually a max of about 40 yards).
Crossbows are heavy, the short fat arrows tend to drop quicker than a compound bow too.
I hunt with every bow I can get my hands on, I find compounds to have a bit of an edge over crossbows with speed, range, weight.. To each their own though. Crossbows are great when you are all bundled up in the bitter cold, less things to go wrong with bulky cloths.
Here in Ontario crossbows are accepted with any other form of archery, there are still the uneducated people who think a crossbow can hit a dime at 100 yards, but they are slowly learning. My state-of-the-art 200# crossbow shoots the same speed as my 65# compound, the compound arrow is far flatter though.
Again, crossbow hunting requires the same skill as any other form of bow hunting, it is the ability to get withing range of your game that makes you a bow hunter, not the tool in your hand.

What crossbow is it you are looking at?
 
crossbow is just like shooting a single shot rifle imo.
I have a couple but other than gophers have never hunted with them,prefer my compound or my recurve...
the learning curve isn't what it is with a vertical string...especially with a red dot sight ;)
lent one to a buddy who practiced for a day and filled his doe tag the next.
you need 150lb to hunt in Sk.
 
Unless I'm reading this wrong, I believe the synopsis for Sask says it cannot be used during archery season... with the exception of specific zones. I was interested as well until I read this, then just started to think about a regular compound bow.

"It is a violation to: hunt big game with a crossbow other than in an open muzzleloader or rifle location. With exception in the Regina/Moose Jaw, Saskatoon and Buckland-Prince Albert wildlife management zones, crossbows are permitted during all open seasons."
 
Pyd said:
there are still the uneducated people who think a crossbow can hit a dime at 100 yards, but they are slowly learning.
Click to expand...

you mean your excalibur cant? must have got a lemon :D:p


crossbows are easier to shoot accurately but they are larger and heavier than compounds. i bought a crossbow due to a shoulder injury and i am now thinking about switching to a compound because the shoulder is good to go. with a crossbow you are somewhat limited to what animals you can shoot where as a compound can be used for everything.

id like to shoot small game with a bow, but with my 225lb crossbow theres a good chance of losing a bolt every time. with a compound you just use flu flu arrows to slow down the arrow...

it all comes down to what you plan on hunting with a bow.

you could just do the smart thing....


buy it and then wonder what you are going to do with it ;)
 
BrotherRockeye said:
crossbow is just like shooting a single shot rifle imo.
I have a couple but other than gophers have never hunted with them,prefer my compound or my recurve...
the learning curve isn't what it is with a vertical string...especially with a red dot sight ;)
lent one to a buddy who practiced for a day and filled his doe tag the next.
you need 150lb to hunt in Sk.
Click to expand...

OK, I'll bite.. Do you not have a form of a red dot on your compound? Be it electric or fiber optic?
Learning curve? Are you going to say that a compound is hard to shoot accurately? If you are then you are talking about your skills, not the bow.
Putting a compound in the same category as a recurve is just insane, a recurve is a hard bow to shoot and requires practice and patience, a compound or crossbow just require the ability to hold it still.
I shoot daily, compound, recuve and crossbow, My crossbow is ready for hunting season, it puts arrows where I want them, compound is ready, it too puts arrows where I want them, the recurve seems to have a mind of it's own and even with an hour or so a day I would still hesitate to pursue game with it.
Comparing a fat heavy arrow traveling at 300FPS with an effective range of 40 yards to a "single shot rifle" speaks volumes about your lack of knowledge on simple ballistics.
If you are a finger shooter on your compound, and I highly doubt you are, then you too are using a trigger (release), if you are hunting a compound with no sights then you are a better man then me, but I would bet my last dollar you are using artificially lit dots, called fiber optics.
Give your head a shake, a bow that propels an arrow is nothing like a gun..
Crossbows and compounds do not belong in the same league as recurves.
 
For all hunting purposes, a crossbow has EXACTLY the same effective/ethical range as a compound bow; same broadhead on a smilar arrow going the same speed. Besides, it's not the accuracy that limits the range of any bow -- it's the ethics of any given shot based on the situation. By which I mean -- a slightly quartering away moose with his head down in the water or grass at 60 yards is probably not going to so much as twitch when you cut the arrow loose, so that's probably not an unethical shot (assuming you can make that shot in terms of accuracy with whatever arrow flinging equipment you happen to prefer). A whitetail deer broadside to slightly quartering towards at 20 yards that just busted you coming to full draw that's now looking you in the eye while you line up on his vitals, is probably quick enough to jump the string on you -- so that's not an ethical shot, IMHO.

Or, to put it another way -- the challenge of bow hunting is to get an animal to stand broadside at close range; running the arrow through him once the shot has presented itself is (or should be) trivial by comparison, no matter what equipment you're using.
 
Pyd said:
Crossbows are a fun hunting tool. Contrary to what a lot of people believe, the events of a crossbow hunt are the exact same as hunting with a compound, with the exception being the bow will hold the string for you.
All other things are equal, like shooting distance (usually a max of about 40 yards).
Crossbows are heavy, the short fat arrows tend to drop quicker than a compound bow too.
I hunt with every bow I can get my hands on, I find compounds to have a bit of an edge over crossbows with speed, range, weight.. To each their own though. Crossbows are great when you are all bundled up in the bitter cold, less things to go wrong with bulky cloths.
Here in Ontario crossbows are accepted with any other form of archery, there are still the uneducated people who think a crossbow can hit a dime at 100 yards, but they are slowly learning. My state-of-the-art 200# crossbow shoots the same speed as my 65# compound, the compound arrow is far flatter though.
Again, crossbow hunting requires the same skill as any other form of bow hunting, it is the ability to get withing range of your game that makes you a bow hunter, not the tool in your hand.

What crossbow is it you are looking at?
Click to expand...

Well said Pyd. I have an older one and have no problem taking deer with it. Keep in mind they tend to be louder than compound bows and they are sub-sonic (arrows/bolts are traveling slower than the speed of sound). Unlike a gun, deer will hear the shot before it hits them and they can re-act incredibly fast. While I can shoot accurate groups to 40yds, I limit my shots to 30yds max due to the noise and slower speed of my bow.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom