Rifle fence crossing question

Suther said:
Bird shooting and for that matter many types of hunting deer (such as doing a drive) necessitate a loaded firearm. For those situations it would be foolish to not have your gun ready to go.

However a lot of big game is shot at 100+yds with the animal unaware of your presence...
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This is very region specific. Across central Ontario for instance most big game is shot at less then 50m, with many in the 20-30m range, either during drives or slow stalking. Its very densely wooded areas.
 
blasted_saber said:
This is very region specific. Across central Ontario for instance most big game is shot at less then 50m, with many in the 20-30m range, either during drives or slow stalking. Its very densely wooded areas.
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Bah Ontario trees are so tiny lol

You don't have to tell me about how dense the woods can be, I spend most of my time in the coastal rainforest, and if I'm with another person I'm not locked and cocked. It doesn't take much to rack the bolt, and I'll load one if I feel like it might be necessary soon, but I'll also take it out if I feel like I'm not going to need it anymore. IMO there is no need to ALWAYS have one in the chamber unless you're doing a type of hunting that requires it as mentioned before.
 
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Suther said:
So you walk around with a loaded crossbow too?
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Of course. Why wouldn't I?

Likely 1/3 of the animals I have shot were taken on my way to or from the location where I thought the animals would be. That's why you should "hunt your stand" or "hunt your truck" by stalking them like they're game. I think most people fail to realize how much game they're spooking on the way to and from their stands.
 
Clay00019 said:
IMHO hunting/walking around with a chambered round is poor practice and a safety hazard no matter what action type you are using.
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Obviously you’ve never hunted upland game birds with a break action shotgun over flushing dogs. I enjoy some meat in my stew not just vegetables and that meat would be out of range by the time I loaded two rounds, closed the gun and brought it to my shoulder. Some of us know how to practice proper muzzle control.
 
canadian hunter312 said:
Of course. Why wouldn't I?

Likely 1/3 of the animals I have shot were taken on my way to or from the location where I thought the animals would be. That's why you should "hunt your stand" or "hunt your truck" by stalking them like they're game. I think most people fail to realize how much game they're spooking on the way to and from their stands.
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Im not a crossbow hunter, but I've always heard it's not safe to walk and stalk with one, notably less safe than a rifle/shotgun.

This guy agrees. https://www.grandviewoutdoors.com/bowhunting/10-commandments-crossbow-safety/
 
canadian hunter312 said:
Muzzle and trigger control applies to anything that fires a projectile. I don't see how a crossbow is any different than a gun?
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I can think of a few ways. Guns don't have the potential to explode from dry firing. Guns don't have strings that'll take your finger off. Guns don't have a string that can catch on stuff... If you're behind a gun, chances are small that you can hurt yourself. Not so much with a crossbow.
 
Although this is a bit of a generalization, the people I have seen who hunt/hike with an empty chamber aren't very comfortable with their firearms handling skills and they overcompensate by leaving the chamber empty, bolt open or out, etc.

It may also be a regional thing, as I've noticed hunters who originated from Eastern Canada seem to do this more often than Western hunters.
 
Suther said:
I can think of a few ways. Guns don't have the potential to explode from dry firing. Guns don't have strings that'll take your finger off. Guns don't have a string that can catch on stuff... If you're behind a gun, chances are small that you can hurt yourself. Not so much with a crossbow.
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Nothing unsafe with a loaded crossbow, it is a mechanical system like a rifle or shotgun, keep your digits out of the area where the string goes, it is about the same as not pointing your rifle at yourself.

One thing to consider though is the terrain, if the terrain is rough I crack the bolt, open up the action, etc, make the gun so that it is not in battery and therefore cannot fire. I have unloaded my gun to climb up iffy slopes but for normal ground I hunt with the gun in the ready carry and loaded with the gun on safe and pointed in a safe direction, never had an issue with it and nor has anyone else in our hunting party.
 
Suther said:
I can think of a few ways. Guns don't have the potential to explode from dry firing. Guns don't have strings that'll take your finger off. Guns don't have a string that can catch on stuff... If you're behind a gun, chances are small that you can hurt yourself. Not so much with a crossbow.
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If the crossbow is loaded, you can’t dry fire and many crossbows come with anti-dry fire feature. Your notion that “you’ve always heard” it’s not safe is weak and finding a random website that agrees with this is weaker. Walking around with anything loaded requires an extra level of care no matter what it is. Both crossbows and firearms can pose a danger to the shooter or to others if they fire unexpectedly. Arguing about one being more “safe” to walk around with loaded doesn’t make much sense.
 
Runningfool said:
If the crossbow is loaded, you can’t dry fire and many crossbows come with anti-dry fire feature. Your notion that “you’ve always heard” it’s not safe is weak and finding a random website that agrees with this is weaker. Walking around with anything loaded requires an extra level of care no matter what it is. Both crossbows and firearms can pose a danger to the shooter or to others if they fire unexpectedly. Arguing about one being more “safe” to walk around with loaded doesn’t make much sense.
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Random website? It's an article from Bowhunting World magazine - and that was the first one I clicked on. Want some more? Google it, there are lots of magazine articles about crossbow safety that say you should not walk with a loaded crossbow. Don't shoot the messenger...

So you're saying if you trip or slip it's impossible for the bolt to become dislodged and the crossbow dry fire?

I'm sorry, but you are going to have a hard time getting me to believe a crossbow is not inherently more dangerous to the user than a gun.
 
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Suther said:
Random website? It's an article from Bowhunting World magazine.

So you're saying if you trip or slip it's impossible for the bolt to become dislodged and the crossbow dry fire?
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Not any more than you’re saying it’s impossible to slip and have the barrel plugged and the rifle/shotgun blow up and injure yourself.

Edited to add: dry firing a crossbow can be catastrophic to the bow but rarely leads to injury of the shooter afaik
 
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Runningfool said:
Not any more than you’re saying it’s impossible to slip and have the barrel plugged and the rifle/shotgun blow up and injure yourself.

Edited to add: dry firing a crossbow can be catastrophic to the bow but rarely leads to injury of the shooter afaik
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So barrels blow up simply by plugging them? That's not a danger from falling, that's a danger from not checking your barrel is clear after falling, big difference.
 
Suther said:
So barrels blow up simply by plugging them?
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So crossbows dryfire simply by dislodging the bolt?

Suther said:
That's not a danger from falling, that's a danger from not checking your barrel is clear after falling, big difference.
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Likewise, your example of a dry fire because of the bolt being dislodged after a slip or fall is not a danger from falling, that’s a danger from not checking to see if your bolt is still in place.
 
Runningfool said:
So crossbows dryfire simply by dislodging the bolt?



Likewise, your example of a dry fire because of the bolt being dislodged after a slip or fall is not a danger from falling, that’s a danger from not checking to see if your bolt is still in place.
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No, I mean the bolt gets dislodged and the string gets bumped.

I'm not terribly familiar with crossbows, as I said before. However, it seems there are a lot more things that could possibly go wrong and lead to an injury with one vs a gun. Maybe I'm wrong? I don't know, but there are plenty of magazine articles that point out the potential dangers of them.
 
Suther said:
No, I mean the bolt gets dislodged and the string gets bumped.

I'm not terribly familiar with crossbows, as I said before. However, it seems there are a lot more things that could possibly go wrong and lead to an injury with one vs a gun. Maybe I'm wrong? I don't know, but there are plenty of magazine articles that point out the potential dangers of them.
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Probably a good idea to learn a bit more about crossbows. Otherwise your comments begin to sound similar to those of friends/relatives that don’t know much about guns and yet go on to explain how dangerous they are...cause they always heard that and plus lots of magazines say so.
 
Runningfool said:
Probably a good idea to learn a bit more about crossbows. Otherwise your comments begin to sound similar to those of friends/relatives that don’t know much about guns and yet go on to explain how dangerous they are...cause they always heard that and plus lots of magazines say so.
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Which gun mags extol the dangers of guns?

Where do you suggest I learn about this, if not from bow hunting magazines?
 
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