what is a crossbow? we call them crossGUNS. more gun parts than bow parts. all but one buck of any size in my area were all taken with a crossgun. I talked with guys that are vertical bow hunters and they told me stories of getting busted drawing or couldn't hold it back any longer and spooked the buck. how can it be legal to stalk through the woods with a cocked and loaded crossgun over your shoulder ready to fire at will? imagine walking through the woods holding your bow back all day? impossible! imagine having a laser scope on your bow. imagine having a device to pull your bow back and something to hold it for you for hours. you shouldn't be allowed cocking aids or electronic sights on crossguns. the biggest question about crossgunners is " why don't you get your crossgun in your trophy photo?" every guy I ever seen that hunts crossgun never held there crossgun in their photo. one guy admitted that it did feel little weird since he was getting frustrated with busting deer with his compound. don't get me wrong, I am all for disabled using one. I think my area now has the world record for shoulder injuries since crossguns became legal. I won't give up a bow until I can no longer pull back the minimum of 35# draw. in the end to each their own.
Terry, I have never had my bow in the picture with me on a trophy shot does that mean I am ashamed of being a bow hunter? The reason I don't have the bow in the picture is because I am not carrying my bow when I am tracking, I imagine the same is true with somebody using a crossbow.
I agree with op. To each his own, but I don't feel the challenge is as great with a cross bow. The real argument though should come from traditionalist, they could argue we are getting off easy. In the end, if it's legal and you are hunting, then I'm for it. JMO Sent from my iPhone using Bowhunting.com Forums
But they are taking pictures of deer, right? In the end that is what matters. I'm going on a hunting trip this weekend and guess what I'm taking both. I will hunt with both and hopefully kill a deer with both. I will let you know if any deer come to me just to check out my awesome crossbow or if the meat taste better from the one I kill with my bow. If I kill one I'll take a picture with both and let you guess which one I killed it with. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Good luck and I hope you get a bowhunting kill and a crossbow hunting kill. Would be interesting to see guys cock the x weapon at the time they want to take the shot on game and not before. (since its the same as bowhunting) and then hold back the draw weight on the x weapon only through human power (since its the same as bowhunting). What happened to the OP? He asked a question and didnt come back to provide addition info.
I have no problem doing that, as this pic from last year shows. I hunt with my Hoyt most of the time, but I also use my CB when I feel like it. I enjoy them both, as long as I'm in the deer woods the weapon doesn't matter.
I have been busted more using a crossbow than with either of my vertical bows. A crossbow is heavy, bulky, noisy and awkward to get on target at times. Limbs slapping sides of blind or stand. My xbow is 40 inches long, 24 inches wide and weighs 9 lbs. My recurve is 62 inches long and does not weigh 3 lbs and I can stand, draw and be on target in one move and release an arrow by the time the deer looks up. Had a friend who thought the xbow was to easy so I let him borrow it for a day hunt. We were walking a mile back into punlic land through some blue steam grass. While he did not get a shot he said that sitting in the ladder stand with that thing was a real pain. He pity's me now when I hunt with because my back is acting up. Some days I hurt so bad I cannot even carry that heavy thing. While most can shoot one well off the rest at the range they are hard to hold free standing and hit a target... especially a walking deer when buck fever takes over.
Yeah............. Those issues are fixed. Everybody knew they would be. Would be helpful if the op came back and told us of if he is wanting to take up hunting and gave specifics so we could direct him towards either being a bowhunter or a crossbwer (or whatever term those guys use)
must be I struck a nerve! I am not a meat hunter. I got tired of going out and shooting deer just to put one on the table. I wanted a new challenge so I am very picky on the deer I shoot. I really enjoy shooting longbow but I am still practicing to get better before heading into the deer woods with it. I would like to see more benefits out there for the trad guys honestly.
Probably laughing. Makes post asking loaded questions and waits for the "if you want to be a real man you have to do it like me" squad to show up.
Hunt however you like. Some of my fondest hunting memories are from when I first started hunting. I'd wander public land in blue jeans and a camo jacket. Sometimes I'd climb a pine tree and use my belt as a harness. Killed several deer with my shotgun while sitting in pine trees. My point?...it's the experience that matters. Sent from my SCH-I545 using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
Let me first say thank you to all that replied. This is the first time I've logged back in since asking the question. I appreciate the varied responses. I got quite a few laughs, and even a few "ouch's" in the readings. To me, a crossbow seems like cheating. I want to bow hunt. No offense to anyone with a crossbow, but to me, using the scope just makes it seem like you're shooting a gun. I'd love to get a Hoyt, but don't know if I will put out that much for a first bow. I kinda like BowTech, or even some Diamond's. Also thought about Bear Archery or Cabellas, but not decided. My plan is to keep researching and decide by early February, and then hit the range for a few months and try to learn as much as I can. Then, maybe in the fall, tagging alone with someone who knows what they're doing. In the meantime, I'm looking a bowhunting videos more than ESPN. I will try not to ask a loaded question next time.
Smart choice and you are not alone. The bowhunting community agrees. The scope, the stock, the leaning your face into the stock to look through the scope, placing your finger in the trigger guard, flipping off a safety, the felt recoil from the weapon discharge are not remotely close to what a bowhunter must do to attempt a shot on a live animal but its good that sort of thing exists for those that cant or are not able to rise to the challenge of bowhunting. You made a smart move. Welcome to the fraternity of Bowhunters. Good luck going forward. You will have lots of questions and there are plenty of bowhunters here that will assist you with them.
So had the OP decided to go with a cross bow it would not be a smart choice? Let it go Rancid not everyone wants to be like you.
Just remember YOU said this when the day come, and it will, that you pick up your bow and cannot draw it and a crossbow hunter has to kill your meat for you.
No. Not even close. If at some point I am unable to draw 30 lbs, I will have to quit bowhunting. At that point I have the choice to stick with only gun hunting or take up a new sport like crossbow hunting but I would no longer be a bowhunter and would have to be very disabled or very old. So long as I can close the bolt on my Savage, I will not require anyone to kill my meat for me. Again, this does nothing to aid the OP in his desire to become a bowhunter. He made a choice. Lets aid him in his quest rather than pouting.
Thanks for checking back in. Don't worry about tip-toeing around tough topics. Folks love defending their views and aren't afraid to share. It can be very helpful. I look forward to the replies that will come when you eventually post "Broadheads: Fixed or Expandable." It will be entertaining, I promise you! :D Welcome to archery and this forum!!!
