No scope, a sight ring and pins. With a magnified scope I'm sure I could shoot it better. As far as cocking it in stand it is very possible to shoot more than one feral hog if you are patient. I also really don't like the idea of pulling a cocked xbow up into the tree. I have never heard of one going off but mechanical failure is a possibility however remote.
A crossbow is nothing more than a gun that shoots a different caliber. You've got .30-06. .270. .44 Rem Mag, and "bolt". Let the elderly who can't pull back a bow and handicapped use them; otherwise, keep them in gun season.
They might as well pass it. Do you know how tuff it is to get one of those permits? Not at all. I personally know of 3 carpenters that have permits. They can build a house but not draw 30 lb seriously! If you know your doctor at all you will get a permit. Now that beeing said one of the guys has already switched back to his compound. He said "you think a bow is hard on your shoulder try holding that thing (pointed at his Xbow) while a deer approached".
Why wouldn't I be? Tell me what's different about a gun than a crossbow other than how the projectile gets launched from the barrel and its size. It's pretty cut and dried to me.
Knockdown power, ability to reload quickly, effective range, weight, maneuverability.....just to name a few.:D To not like a xbow is fine, but to say its a the same as a gun simply isn't accurate.
A .50 caliber has longer range than a .44 Rem Mag... hence, it's used in sniping scenarios usually... Is the .44 Rem Mag not a gun because it doesn't have the range? (Talking deer rifles here, as I've got a Marlin lever-action chambered in that caliber...) Conversely, the .50 is a LOT heavier than a .22... because it's heavier and bulkier than the rimfire, is IT not a gun? A crossbow is a gun with a different caliber. Bolt.
Well, you'd have to change the means of projection as well. Take the string off and add some GUNpowder. I'm not taking sides, just sayin'.:D
I understand, Greg... and I'm just having some fun as well... because I know what we and the rest of the bowhunting community has to say or the way we feel will have nothing to do with any laws being passed just as it hasn't in any other state which wanted to legalize it. And... someone had a good point a page or so back (forgive me for not taking the time to go see who it was... perhaps Doug? That anyone who really wants to hunt with a crossbow can already simply go to his doctor and have them write an excuse... But for the record... I iniitally stated the means the projectile gets launched from the barrel is different. But that's the only real difference I personally see in the two (gun and crossbow).
You're correct Flicker, and the majority of our "archery kill" is really crossbow kill. And ANY Tom, ****, or Harry w/ a little skill can set up a crossbow in literally MINUTES and be ready to hunt. Within 30minutes, I've had 7 different people capable of approximately a 3-4" grouping at 25yds w/ mine. That being said, I think they are a WONDERFUL introductory weapon to get people into the sport, and a great weapon to keep some of our elderly/disabled in the sport, but able-bodied persons should get a 3yr exemption, then be crossed over to a "real bow" or finished w/ their crossbow term. That's my thoughts on it..... Agreed. I have a nice crossbow, but it's not near the weapon as my compound in my hands because it's so noisy......but it is READY to shoot at a moments notice, and much easier to sneak a draw on something with, allows you "better" positions to hunt from, etc. Try setting up under some brush near a deer trail then getting up into a position to shoot a compound or recurve, vs. putting the fore-end of a crossbow on a bi-pod out in front of you and being in a semi-ready position. I set a buddy up like this for his first kill outside of gun season, and he thought it was the MOST AWESOME thing he'd ever done. Within 6 months he had a compound bow!!! See below, it takes a little bit, but what will happen is the gun-hunters will start buying crossbows to extend their season or get into a little better part of the hunting, start hunting earlier, etc. Exactly, and I think this is where we benefit some and lose some. So many of these guys don't understand how ballistically handi-capped a crossbow is, and think they have a string-gun when in essence they have a weapon only as capable as most of our compounds are, except it's already drawn and easier to shoot. However, with hunter numbers declining, we benefit as we have another group of hunting allies to fight our fights against anti's and the politicians driven towards limiting our hunting rights. Also, don't forget the insurance industry as they will stand firmly behind the crossbow industry especially when seeing that the crossbow kill nearly 40,000 deer a year in OH, which is about 1/3 of what the gunners kill, and nearly double what our MZL hunters kill. "What a GREAT and mostly safe tool to decrease the deer population," thus decreasing accidents, thus saving them money!!!! Make no mistake, it's more than the crossbow industry making this push......
