Ok so got my first crossbow and got to say I love it but what made you all a fan of the crossbow me it was the cool look and love having it in the treestand.
I love anything you can put optics on. Mines a tack driver out to 50 yards (probably farther, but my scope only has 4 lines) X bows are always at the ready, so there is less movement when the deer comes in range. Sure, some say its "Old Man bow hunting" but I've killed 4 deer with it in less than a year of ownership. Plus Zombies...
I just started hunting last year after I retired. I started with a crossbow because I wasn't comfortable using my compound hunting. I love the crossbow (have 2). I also shoot a recurve...not ready to hunt with it. When I have one of the g'kids in the 2 seater stand, we both have a crossbow. The 2 g'daughters each got their first deer this year. They are 15 and 14. The 7 yr old g'son hasn't gotten one yet. I love, love, love my crossbows.