What are your thoughts on Crossbows?

[Christian Soldier]

I'm a bow guy, hands down. I love my primitive bows and I can be a little but snobby about when if the moment calls for it. 

Recently the crossbow market has exploded and in many states (like my own) its use is legal for hunting during bow season under similar laws.

I think I'm to purists for hunting with an X bow but they are just so Cool! I've been looking at Excaliburs lately and the reliability is pretty great and being able to have firearm like accuracy at anything sub 50 yards is pretty neat too. You can also reuse your ammo almost indefinitely which is a big advantage the way ammo prices and availiability is these days.

 I was thinking about getting one for target shooting and SHTF hunting or maybe squirrel hunting.


What are your thoughts on X bows and hunting with them?

[Pappy]

No problem with them,they just don't need to be in my bow season, other than that no problems.
   Pappy

[PEARL DRUMS]

To each his own. I have zero interest in them no matter their make up. I prefer to draw my bows.

[Slackbunny]

I see absolutely no problem with them. They are another great alternative for hunting especially in semi-rural areas where development is starting to encroach on good rifle territory. I love hunting in all its forms (all its fair chase forms I should add). I love my rifles, I love my shotgun, I love my bow, and I'm sure I'll love the crossbow I'm currently building. They all have their place in modern hunting.

[Josh B]

I agree with Pappy, they don't need to be used during archery season unless your disabled.  If you want to use em during muzzleloader and firearm season, I'm good with that.  On a side note, I also maintain the unpopular belief that in-line muzzleloaders should be restricted to rifle season.  That opinion has certainly ruffled some feathers in the past! Josh

[Slackbunny]

To me a crossbow is in the "archery class" of weaponry. Crossbows work from the same propulson system and have similar cababilities and limitations to bows. They are stronger in some areas but weaker in others. They fit better in the bow season than the rifle season in my opinion.

[Pappy]

I have that same unpopular belief GunDoc. We will have to agree to dis agree,a bow [at least use to be in TN. Regs] hand drawn/hand held and hand released. Cross bows in Primitive weapons or any other time you want to use them,but not in bow season.  This is one of them topics that can go bad pretty quick so lets try and keep it nice, me included. in fact especially me,I am pretty adamant about both subjects.
   Pappy

[Wolf Watcher]

I make no bones about xbows.  They are not primitive weapons now with the scopes, lasers, range finders, etc .  I don't have a problem about people hunting with them as long they put them and the new age muzzleloaders in hunting seasons other than primitive bow seasons. I belong to the Wyoming Disabled Hunters Org. and the crossbow lets very disabled hunters to have success on deer and elk.  As much as any other reason I find them bad for the hunting community is in our area they allow the poachers to kill with no sound to give them away.  Two years ago I found 12 deer that had been poached and not recovered.  Only one deer that had died next to the road had its horns removed.  The rest became bird and coyote food!  We need to respect hunters that use methods other than our own as together we are becoming an endangered group, but only if those hunters are fair chase.  MY opinion!  Joe

[osage outlaw]

I see no difference in accuracy in a crossbow and a modern compound.  Watch some hunting videos and you will see them kill deer at 50-60 yards with a compound.  Both have their advantages and disadvantages.  Have you ever tried to re-cock a crossbow while in a tree?  Or turn around and shoot behind you in a ladder stand?  Or sit and hold one on stand for hours?  They are not the "weapon of mass deerstruction" like they are made out to be.  If I fail to kill anything with my selfbow in the first half of this coming deer season I'll be taking mine out so I can put meat in the freezer.

Look into the Wicked Ridge line of crossbows from Ten Point.  I did a lot of research into them last fall and they are about the most bang for your buck.  That is the brand I ended up going with.

In my state there is only an "Archery" season.   Compounds, crossbows, and primitive bows are all allowed during the entire season.

[Josh B]

Apparently there are a lot more folks that agree with your view slackbunny than there are that agree with me.  Even my home state of KS is on the brink of allowing crossbows in the archery season.  It may already be a done deal.  The archery season is longer and earlier because of the considerable added challenge of using a bow.  Most of us, I would assume, Bowhunt precisely for that challenge.  Folks that want to use a crossbow already have a chance to do so during firearm season in most places.  I see the folks wanting to use a crossbow during archery season as people who just want to game the system with whatever technological advantage they can.  If you want to hunt earlier and get first dibs on that big buck or whatever it is your trying to get a head of rest of the hunters, put in your time and effort and develop the skills required to do it the hard way.  That is the essence of bowhunting.  I have to say, if I meet someone in the woods that's toting a compound crossbow with a scope and ten pounds of battery powered gadgets bolted to it and they refer to themselves as an archer, the chances of pleasant conversation from that point are pretty slim.  Simply put, if you want to hunt bow season, use a bow.  Josh

[Frawg]

I bought a Parker crossbow for my son 3yrs ago. He was not yet 10 and could not pull back the legal bow poundage. He hunted with it  twice , Heavy,Loud and bulky. The first year they were allowed for all hunters here they sold like hot cakes, but before the season was half way over the pawnshops were full of them. People were expecting rifle like distance from them and were sadly let down. To each there own, I love shooting my traditional bows and if I ever get my primitive bow finished that will be my weapon of choice. With that being said if the game animal is taken legal and used I don't care what weapon you use.  Crossbows are legal here and  In my opinion are in no way detrimental to the archery season.
Matt

[Slackbunny]

Gun Doc. I guess the way I see it is that the real challenge of hunting is getting close enough to make the shot in the first place. Crossbows have a very similar effective range as compound bows, and so the difficulty level to get into shooting range is very similar. Once you actually get to that range, the shot is easier to make, but you still had to get that close. A lot of people tend to grossly overestimate what a crossbow is capable of.

But they are not primitive, never were. Crossbows came along long after we had left our primitive roots behind. They shouldn't be allowed in a "Primitive only" season, and only traditional crossbows should be allowed in a "traditional only" season. But for an archery season that allows for compound bows, crossbows should be included.

[Josh B]

Handguns and shotguns with buckshot have a similar range.  Shall we include those as well?  I have nothing against either of those either, but they don't belong in archery season.
Clint, I'm still chuckling about your post ol buddy.  First you lay out a list of crossbow disadvantages in a seemingly genuine  attempt to disprove that crossbows have any advantage over real bows. Then you follow that up with if you can't get it done with the bow your gonna switch to the crossbow to make sure you fill the freezer.   Lol!  I'm laughing with you brother!   not at ya.  Josh

[osage outlaw]

I hear ya Josh.  I have to laugh at myself sometimes    I have been trying to switch back and forth between a selfbow and a compound to fill my freezer each year.  My thought is with the crossbow, the only thing I'm going to be drawing back is a selfbow it might help me improve with it.  Trust me, I would much rather put some deer down with a piece of osage and a cane arrow.  But if it gets late and the freezer is empty, I need to fill it with what ever I am most effective with.  I needs my deer meat   

And I was comparing crossbows to compound bows.  Both are the same in my book and I don't have anything against them.  Both have extreme advantages over primitive gear.

[Christian Soldier]

I always considered a crossbow to be more of a rifle replacement than a bow replacement for me.

I love challenge, hence the reason I started primitive archery. If I do get a crossbow, It'll be the excalibur phoenix which is a simple recurve with standard iron sights. I think wheel's on a compound design are kinda ugly and I don't like the idea of depending on a range finder all the time to use a scope.       

I think having one would be really fun for target shooting.

Taking game with a crossbow still would be much more challenging than with a rifle, but probably less satisfying than a self bow.

I'm a young hunter, and I spent the past couple years huting, at least weekly, during bow season out in the woods. I have learned a ton. However, my freezer and my family really have no clue because there isn't any meat coming back.

The primitive archery purist in me keeps contradicting with the successfull teenage guy I normally am, about this crossbow thing and I'm still looking for some clarity. I'm hoping this thread will help with that. We'll see. Thanks guys for your thoughts guys