I always cringe when I hear a bowhunter say this. My own brother in law was also under the impression that crossbows shot close to the velocity of a .30-06. All of this is just nonsense. The trajectory of the bolt is not much different than an arrow from one of today's high end compounds. It is not gun like at all. If you shoot at a deer thinking the range is 30 yards and it is actually 40 yards you will miss, just like a compound bow. I know of no gun where this is the case. Crossbows share similar ballistic properties with vertical bows and neither is anywhere close to a gun not to mention that a gun kills by shock and tissue destruction and the crossbow, just like a vertical bow, kills by blood loss from a sharp broadhead. My Dad hunts in Ohio and has a crossbow. He doesn't use a rangefinder and has shot over and under several deer with his crossbow when he misjudged the range. Those deer would have been dead if it were gun season and he had his shotgun or muzzleloader. ie. a crossbow is not a gun.
I've never hunted with one but since the season is the same for all bows I will just hunt with a compound until I can't pull it back any more and then I'll make the switch. I'm not worried about cross bow hunters, though, I am still laughing at the orange army complaining about a little rain on opening day.
After shooting a bow for 40 I now shoot a x bow because of a unrepairable shoulder injury. It keeps me in the game but the x bow is awkward, loud and heavy. I do not feel it is an unfair advantage to hunt with a crossbow. Given a choice I would still shoot vertices bow.
I will be honest, after toting around a crossbow for my kids to hunt the last 3-4 years I would say it is a pain in the arse compared to a vertical bow. Heavy, not the easiest for second shots, bulky, pretty much need a rest for any decent shot, LOUD, etc.. The only way I would go to one for myself is if I didn't have a bow or couldn't pull my bow back at an adequate draw weight. They can be VERY accurate.....with a solid rest (since I mentioned how heavy most are)......but at the same time they can be very temperamental too.
I shoot a compound but am thinking about purchasing a crossbow in a couple of years when my son will be old enough to begin hunting with me.
My girlfriend just purchased a crossbow, she was dead set on buying one with the Muddy Girl camo, glad I talked her out of it because I know there will come a time when I want to use it and wouldn't be caught dead carrying around a pink bow lol. I personally don't see much of a advantage using a crossbow compared to a compound. I can re-knock my compound in seconds where as you pretty much have one shot with a crossbow and the chances you reloading a crossbow without spooking every deer within 100 yard radios is about impossible. Also with a compound bow you don't need as much room to shoot it (especially when hunting out of a climber stand), where as you need a rest with a crossbow to get the same type of consistency. I kind of look at it as, a crossbow is nicer for blind hunting or hunting out a treestand that has a rest, but I still think a compound bow is actually easier to use under most circumstances. For awhile here in PA, you had to either be a senior hunter or have a handicap license to use a crossbow, but that's changed in the past few years and now anyone can use a crossbow. I think they both have their advantages and disadvantages and if you really break it down they kind of balance each other out.
