Alright, me and my buddy hunt everyday with each other... He killed a nice 12 point the other night, and kept bragging to me about it, because I havnt put a buck down yet. I was happy for him up to the point where he makes everything a competition between us, which i dont mind, i guess. But then he goes on and on about how good of a bowhunter he is, and how good of a shot he is... Then i bring up the conversation about how he uses a crossbow and how he should try using a compound once in his life..(I was just trying to get under his skill alittle), and it worked... I just dont really like the idea of crossbows, which really, its the same as a gun. I know some of you have mixed feelings, I wish crossbows were never invented..I dont care to much for them.. What are some of your guys thoughts on crossbows and how many guys actually use them???
As far as method of take goes, if it's a legal option then it's up to the hunter to judge for himself how he feels rather than us judging others. As hunters, together we stand, divided we fall.
I'm still in the process of figuring out where I stand on them completely as PA just legalized them this year for full use. I will say I don't like how they get used, but they aren't like a gun.
A crossbow is shot as differently from a compound bow as a compound is from a recurve/longbow. I am certain there are trad bowhunters that wish the compound bow was never invented. With any weapon it all boils down to the hunter using it. The weapon can be used with a lot of skill or a little. As long as the weapon is used legally/ethically (in the general sense) I don't care what other folks use. Sounds like he got under your skin a lot more than you got under his.
I'm wondering what your thoughts would be if I had taken the same stance with you......that you did with him? If it's a legal weapon, embrace him.
There not like a gun? they are the closes thing you will get to using a gun....they shoot as hard or harder then most compounds..you can sit in your stand...look through a scope and pull a trigger...(This is my own opinion) Im no expert...and i take nothing away from my buddy..like i said im always excited and happy for one of my buddies that kill a deer, prolly more excited then they are at times... but, when my buddy sits there and brags about how good of a shot he is non-stop, I have to come up with something to get him heated... I personally just dont care for them...
haha maybe so, maybe so... Maybe jealious...who knows... And like a said fellas, nothing against people using them...im just asking what your opinion on them are.... If he killed a deer with a speer i would be happy for him....its a friendly conversation between me and buddy that turned into a friendly argument...ha
You still have to get close with a crossbow (60yrs or less) With a gun you can sit on a field edge and make 2 or 300 yrd shots all day. There is still an element to bowhunting involved with a crossbow. I had a buddy kill a HUGE deer for this area with a crossbow but he was hunting with one because he had a bad shoulder. And I am no less happy for him because of it.
TIME OUT, TIME OUT! Jeff you ain't sliding that pic in there and not giving up the story on that one. Congrats man!
My opinion of the crossbow falls "somewhere in between". I think the use of a crossbow offers an advantage over a compound bow, but it is not to the level that a gun does. Deerslayer7- Your friend bragging on being a "great shot" with the crossbow would be what would get to me. Being a good shot with a (scoped) crossbow and a compound bow are two different things....the latter obviously involving much more skill.
He could still be a good shot with the crossbow and if he puts the arrow on target better than a person with a compound bow then he is a better shot.A person can be a lousy or good shot with any weapon. I am glad when any hunter brags about being a good shot though. At least they take shooting their weapon of choice seriously.
I know a couple of guys who use them...they do so sheepishly and claim it is because they have gotten so old they can't pull their old bows any more.... I simply have no interest or desire to use one.... If I can't pull my bow any more, I'll either go back to hunting with a firearm or get a lighter bow... SB
I have played with them before, considering I worked at an archery shop. They are NOT like a gun. Not hardly. If the person shooting the crossbow is shooting freehanded, you CAN out shoot them with a compound. It's do-able. If it's legal, don't undercut their achievments.
i personally like the way it's set up here in wi. , you need to be 65 or older and or be disabled and have a permit. i hope i can always use a recurve or compound, i not against crossbows, i'd just prefer not to ever use one. that is unless i become more disabled than i already am
You might want to check some ballistics before making this statement. "Most" crossbows don't have much K.E. right off the bow and they lose it rather fast due to their heavy bolt and now so great of speed. Of course the Stryker doesn't count here because downrange ballistics showed it to have 89 ft. lbs. of K.E. at 100 yards...:D Today's highly effiecient compound bows have very good K.E and they retain it longer in most cases. Years ago I was far more opposed to crossbows than I am now. A lot of this was due to working retail and hearing & seeing what I did. Time and time again we would have a customer come in to buy a fully rigged compound bow so he could hunt with his buddies the next day. I know, that's not so bad, kind of cool really until you couple in the fact that the person had NEVER EVER shot a bow in his lifetime...Not Cool! Personally, I'd rather (and did) sell these people a crossbow simply because it was much easier for them to become proficient with them. That said, my wife cannot draw the state minimum draw weight on a compound bow so she's hunting with me using a crossbow. I've always wanted to hunt with her and a crossbow has allowed me that... As far as your buddy goes, maybe you should find a new one that don't brag themself up. :D
Regardless of how I feel, that struck me as funny because the crossbow (recurve limbs) have been around a hell of a lot longer than a compound. A compound is what 50 years old, maybe less and a crossbow is what, hundreds of years old? Carry on. :p
