FACT: Opponents to the crossbow often quote an apples and oranges comparison when voicing this smokescreen. The vertical archer, if they are a sportsman/bowhunter, prior to ever going into the field hunting spends hours and hours working on the physical conditioning required by drawing, aiming and shooting their chosen tool – nothing mystical, just physical work. Once the season starts, the act of drawing, aiming and shooting (especially with high let-off compounds utilizing a triggered release aid) is no more difficult for a vertical bowhunter than a crossbow hunter. Movement is required by both (one to draw back the other to raise the crossbow into a shooting position) to obtain the target at an average of less than twenty yards. Both hunters must be accomplished woodsmen to get that close to a whitetail and still mask those necessary movements.
I support crossbows, BUT, the movement that you speak of, IS different. AND the last sentence is true of any form of hunting not just crossbow and vertical bow hunting.
I can't believe what I just read. You might as well do a comparison between a regular bow and a shotgun or rifle saying how their functions are similar. I support crossbows (for gun season or physically demanding), but here in Michigan they have absolutely no place in the bow season. That time is for true bowhunters, not fake wannabees that perform the same thing as a gun hunter. Flick the safety off and pull the trigger. I don't care about the argument that just because the trajectory and physics are very similar, they are automatically considered on par with real bows. They are two totally different styles of weapons. No way to argue that.
The same could be said in the compound vs traditional argument. Maybe archery season should be renamed "Primitive Season" and only primitive style bows may be used. No compounds because they give an unfair advantage. Doesn't sound fair, does it? Comparing crossbows to firearms is ridiculous. There is no "fire" in a crossbow. It uses a string, an arrow (or bolt) and limbs just like a compound. They don't shoot any faster than a high-end compound but they are a helluva lot slower than a 2500 fps .30-06 round with a range over 300 yds. They are no more accurate than a compound. And unless you are shooting with fingers you have a trigger on a compound. What difference does it make whether you hold your bow vertically or horizontally?
Figured one of my fellow Ohioans who can't shoot a real bow would spew forth this crap...... A crossbow is a VERY easy weapon to use, enables just about ANYONE, including my 6yr old little girl to have killing power in their hands, and with a few shots, and I DO mean just a FEW SHOTS, one can become proficient enough to kill with a crossbow. Case in point, a buddy of mine that shot a crossbow 4 times a couple seasons ago and the fourth time he'd ever shot a crossbow, he killed a deer!!!! He was hooked on "bow-hunting" from that point, went and bought a compound, and he's yet to kill a deer with his compound. He'd probably shot it a few thousand times, took him a few hundred times to become proficient with field points, then when the BH's came into play, that changed everything a bit, another couple hundred shots to figure that out. He's still probably "minimally" proficient, and opted to hunt with the crossbow again this season because he wasn't certain that he was proficient to kill with a compound, next season, he'll try again, while he PRACTICES this summer. A crossbow shooter DOES NOT need to practice, merely SIGHT IN, and hunt, very similar to using a gun, though the trajectories are completely different, the rest of it is VERY similar. And trust me, before you pull the I don't know about crossbows, I own a pair of them, and like the access to hunting they allow disabled, children, elderly, and NEW hunters. However, I think ABLE-BODIED people SHOULD be using "true" archery equipment. And yes, a COMPOUND BOW is TRUE ARCHERY equipment, hand drawn, and hand released. The original poster made his posts specifically to push his cause, a cause that in someways is noble, however, in others is selfishly pushed. I have a friend in New York who is a T7 paraplegic who has killed deer each of the last 2 seasons with his COMPOUND BOW, in part because NY doesn't have a "crossbow" season, and in part because he says, he's still "man enough" to use his compound, and he'll keep using it as long as he's able. He also bench-presses 315#, so he's no slouch, but he's worked VERY HARD to keep what he's left with after his accident. He supports crossbow use for handi-capped however he'll also only ever go to a crossbow if his body fails him to the point that he's unable to use a compound.
Proper decorum keeps me from using the appropriate language to address this poser. I only use a compound--two in fact. 3D, spots, Field, FITA, hunting. I am very edept at using each one. I do not, and have not, owned a crossbow. But I'm not going to let ignorance and fear keep me from letting others use them. It is funny how you self-prclaimed "keepers of the faith" are afraid of a crossbow. Here in Ohio they have not lead to the eradiction of the deer herd. I have only seen one actually used in the field. I've seen many more on the range but they don't shoot any better than any average compound shooters out there. I too have a friend that after a few practice rounds killed a button buck with a COMPOUND. So spare me how hard using a compound is to a crossbow. Each is a tool and it takes practice to become proficient in their use. I'd rather have less skilled crossbow hunters who are able to actually hit their target out there than the ones who only "practice" with their compounds once or twice then fling arrows indiscriminately at deer only to lose them. Crossbows are here to stay whether you like them or not.
I agree that the gap between a xbow and a compound is about the same as the gap between a compound and a recurve or longbow ... and I only shoot a compound
I find it ironic that the word itself "crossbow" can very easily be defined as a cross between a firearm and a bow. Stock, forearm, a trigger mounted as used on a firearm along with firearm scope String with limbs and fires an arrow or bolt Hmmm, seems to be a combination of both. But it certainly cannot be handdrawn in the manner of a primitive weapons bow or compound and can be held in shooting position forever.
Nice try. The crossbow can be dated back to before 200-100 B.C., well before the advent of firearms. If that is the case, how can the "cross" in crossbow denote a combination of a bow and firearm? Since some feel that crossbows give an unfair advantage, please provide a study that shows how animal herds are being decimated by armies of crossbow hunters, or states that have revoked crossbows from hunting seasons due to their over-effectiveness. This whole anti-crossbow argument is just personal bias against one form of hunting. I can imagine the ire of Ohio bow hunters if gun hunters called for an end to the 5 month archery season and to shorten it to 2 weeks. Perhaps 1 month for each discipline--archery Sep-Oct; crossbows Oct-Nov; regular firearms Nov-Dec; muzzleloaders Dec-Jan. That would make everyone happy, huh?
I, for one, would not be able to bow hunt at all if not for the crossbow. After multiple back and shoulder surgeries,I am unable to draw a compound bow. I love the challenge of bringing the deer in up close, just like all other bow hunters. I go through a great deal to camouflage myself and my scent, just like all other bow hunters. I sit quietly for hours, just like all other bow hunters. This is how I can enjoy bow hunting...the crossbow. Dont' get me wrong....it's not an easy bow to shoot. It is heavy and I ensure that I can hit a bullseye off hand at 30 yards before I ever go out in the woods. I don't take a shot unless I am sure I can take the animal down. DeeAnne
It really is all about the hunter and not about the tool, in my mind. Preserve your health so you don’t spend your outdoor budget on doctor bills. Hunt away!
