How is the Game Keeper one? It looked decent but I was scared it was going to be all Biologic ads. And as for Deer and Deer Hunting... I subscribe and there are some decent articles on deer research and such but other than that it's basically the same advice over and over again. I'm probably going to switch to QDMA next.
They still produce high quality issues that have great information in them, but I will admit I threw this issue away as soon as it came in the mail. I still love reading the articles by the likes of Charlie Alsheimer, Steve Bartylla, and Don Higgins.
I have to make a comment here. First, I do not get that magazine nor have I read the issue in question. Having said that, it blows my mind how some people will automatically disregard an article or a hunting show if a crossbow is involved. I guess people are just that anti anything but bow hunting. I hunt with a bow, rifle, and muzzleloader. I would use a crossbow if it were legal. I read articles and watch shows where they use all of the above weapons. I have gained knowledge from these articles and shows that can be useful regardless of the method you choose to hunt. It would seem to me that since the range of a crossbow is virtually identical to a compound and that the projectile kills in an identical fashion that tips, tricks, startegies, etc. that apply to one would also apply to the other. Unless the entire article is talking about nothing but the crossbow itself, why shun the article and potentially miss out on a valuable piece of advice? I just don't get this knee jerk automatic hate for the crossbow. It is almost unbelievable!
In a time where we need to recruit more hunters to our ranks so that they will be more likely to make their voices heard at the ballot box to protect our right to hunt, why in the world would you be against something that puts more hunters in the woods? That's what we want and need if we want to have enough people voting to keep our tradition alive. We don't need to exclude and run people off and have them not care and not vote. If we don't recruit more people into the hunting ranks, hunting will become extinct and the antis will win. Be careful what you wish for I guess.
I'm all for people not willing to put the practice time in to be proficient with a compound bow to use a Xbows, or if they have a physical issue.
You will have a decent ammount of biologic stuff in the magazine but it has alot of great information in it. I prefer it over the QDMA magazine I think
Well I may look into it then, I've been looking for a more management oriented replacement to it. And maybe I'm in the minority, but sometimes the way that they worship Ted Nugent also bothers me... I'm not saying he doesn't fight for hunting rights. But some of the stuff he says makes me cringe
I opted for a free mag with the potential of maybe subscribing. Didnt like what I saw so I sent in the slipsaying I didnt want anymore. Then I kept getting mail saying I owed a years subcription even though I didnt recieve any other magazines. Had to send in a few cancels before they gave up.
I agree, why limit it to archery gear and cross bows, why not rifles and shot guns and muzzleloaders all season?
Wow. All or nothing for some of you guys. If you can't understand that rifles, shotguns, and muzzleloaders already have a season and that all of the above have an effective range that far exceed that of a crossbow, then I'm not sure you will ever get it. A crossbow is nothing like a rifle, shotgun, or muzzleloader in terms of effective range and type of projectile it fires. The only difference between a compound and a crossbow is the act of drawing the bow vs. it already being drawn. And if you were honest, it is not that difficult to draw your bow on a deer especially from 20' up in a tree. That act alone does not make a compound so much more difficult than a crossbow. I have no trouble drawing on deer and even getting a second shot if I miss. The crossbow allows teens, older people, and women who are of slight build who can not draw and hold a bow with enough poundage to be ethical to participate. That's a good thing. If that results in a few more hunters in the woods, that's also a good thing. The bottom line is, most people that are against crossbows have this idea that the woods will be as crowded during archery season as it is during rifle season and they want to keep people out of the woods so they can have it all to themselves. First off, public land belongs to everyone and if you don't want to hunt where other people also have the ability to hunt, get a lease, buy land, knock on doors, or whatever it takes to be able to be the only person to hunt a specific piece of land. But don't chase hunters away from our ranks because you want exclusive rights to public land.
I'm not saying I disagree with all of your points, especially when it comes down to those who couldn't hunt with a compound. But I will say I would have several more deer on the wall if I was hunting with a crossbow. I know for me I (and most people probably) would add 10 to 20 yards to their effective range due to the fact that you can use a shooting rail to brace the shot. Also, I have had several nice deer spook or duck an arrow due to seeing me draw. Maybe that's just me. I'm not completely against them, but I also do feel using one would make it a little easier to kill deer.
I didn't read all 3 pages...but did you tell D&DH that you don't like all the Xbow stuff and that you want to cancel your subscription? Make your voice heard to them.
I just do not understand why you do not want to share your woods with other hunters? Why should archery and crossbow be the only hunters who get the rut or the prerut, or the early season warm weather hunts. Imagine how many more people we could get in the woods if we opened all seasons when the weather is nice and warm.
I really didn't think I had to spell it out. But since it appears I do, here it is. The success rate of a rifle, shotgun, or muzzleloader hunter is much greater than that of a crossbow or compound bow hunter. If the entire season was open to rifle, shotgun, and muzzleloader hunters, the population goals of the managing department would be met very quickly and they would have to shorten the season. Since crossbow success rates are similar to compound bow hunters, crossbows could be included in the archery season without much of a change in the overall harvest numbers thus leaving the length of season intact while providing opportunities for those that would not otherwise enjoy them. I thought this concept was pretty obvious but I guess not. The state I grew up in, Ohio, has done this for years with no ill affects. I'm just hoping that Missouri will finally come around too. And for the sake of other hunters, I hope more states follow suit as well.
I don’t know if it would extend most people’s range that far. Maybe 10 yards. I consider maximum range for archery equipment, either compound or crossbow to be 40 yards. Not because you can’t be accurate beyond that range, but because of the time of flight of the projectile. Beyond 40 yards, the time of flight starts getting long enough that the deer could take a step, turn, or otherwise move in a way that could cause a bad hit. Based on a recent thread, a lot of compound guys are already at 40 yards as their max so a crossbow would extend their range 0 yards. I think you are right that the potential is there to not spook a deer with the crossbow that you might have spooked with a compound due to drawing. However, I think that goes both ways. There are deer that you would spook with a crossbow that you wouldn’t spook with a compound. My dad was in a ground blind trying to move his crossbow into position and the limb of his crossbow scraped against the blind spooking the deer. He probably would not have spooked it with a compound. Crossbows are more cumbersome to maneuver in tight quarters or around brush or tree limbs. So that offsets the perceived advantage of not having to draw. The stats I have seen on success rates for compound hunters vs crossbow hunters show that they are virtually identical. Maybe a very slight edge to the crossbow but only a percentage point or two. Nothing in the neighborhood of any firearm.
