Personal experience with crossbows destroys any notion of "wrong vs right"

I said that the most difficult issue with either weapon is range estimation and in THAT regard they are similar (similar trajectory). As far as the drawing issue, depending on the situation the crossbow may or may not have an advantage. IF the animal comes in exactly as you expect it to and stands in your predetermined shooting lane, then maybe the crossbow has an advantage. It has been my experience that this seldom happens. Here are 2 examples where a crossbow is actually a disadvantage. My Dad was in a ground blind hunting with his crossbow. A deer came in from his right and he was expecting them to come from his left. The deer was only 12 yards away. Since it was not going to pass directly in front of him in his shooting lane, he tried to turn to his right to get a shot. The limb of the crossbow rubbed against the side of the ground blind and spooked the deer. I asked my Dad if he would have had a vertical bow could he have turned and got a shot without hitting the side of the blind. He said he could have without a doubt. So there is a situation where the horizontal limbs of the crossbow were a hindrance in the tight quarters of a ground blind and someone with a vertical bow would have most likely silently turned and got a shot.

My uncle was hunting in a tree stand with a crossbow. He had cleared out all the limbs in front of him but not behind him. He wanted to leave the ones behind him to help break up his outline. He thought the deer would come down a trail that would put them 20 yards in front of his stand. Instead, the deer came in behind him. He tried to turn and make a shot behind him but the only openings in the tree limbs were long vertical openings. There were no gaps wide enough for him to get the crossbow through to take a shot. He tried to push some limbs to the side to get a shot but he ended up spooking the deer. I asked him the same question. Could you have made the shot with a vertical bow. He said most likely yes since the vertical bow would have been easier to maneuver amongst the limbs and he could have shot it through one of the vertical openings between the limbs.

Besides these 2 first hand accounts, I have heard and read different people complain about the bulkiness, weight, and general clumsiness of the crossbow when compared to a vertical bow. This no doubt contributes to crossbow hunters spooking deer that a vertical bow hunter would not. On the flip side, some deer are spooked during the draw of the vertical hunter that would not be by a crossbow hunter. I do not know if it is a wash or which one spooks the most deer between the two but when you take this into account, the supposed advantage of having an already drawn (loaded) weapon doesn’t seem to be much of an advantage if that weapon is spooking deer in other ways that a vertical bow doesn’t. Maybe in certain specific circumstances it is an advantage, but overall, under all circumstances, I don’t see it as being a big deal.

 

I'm confused. Are you arguing that crossbows shouldn't be allowed or that they are harder to use than a vertical bow?

 

What a sad attitude...

 

I can't even express how happy I am to have read this story and know that your father will be hunting! Good for him and the Vet.

 

Neither. Just the opposite. I am saying that crossbows should be allowed. I am not saying that crossbows are harder to use than vertical bows but that they are not as easy to use as the crossbow haters try and lead everyone to believe. Crossbows come with their own set of challenges that are different than challenges faced by vertical bow hunters. In my estimation, the degree of difficulty between taking an animal with a vertical bow vs with a crossbow is not as big of difference as the naysayers are trying to say it is. Because of this belief, I think all archery gear (long bows, recurve bows, compound bows, and crossbows) should be legal during archery season. To me, excluding the crossbow just doesn’t make any sense.

 

Crossbows are absolutely easier to use. That's an easy one.

 

Never really understood the bickering about one way being "harder" then the other..........as it can be applied to each and every aspect of hunting.

We all do EVERYTHING we can to make killing a deer as "easy" and comfortable for us as possible. We spend thousands of dollars on easy drawing, fast as lightning, quiet as a mouse bows with scalpel broadheads that fly like field tips. We use mechanical releases to make shooting them easier. We have elevated stands and state of the art camo and carbon and chlorophyll and ozonics and luring scents from food to estrous both glandular and synthetic. We have the warmest clothes that allow us to move freely while staying dry and warm all day. We have boots that let us climb, walk and stand in comfort all day. We have cameras and video surveillance in the woods to spy on and track the movement of any game day or night. We have blinds, heaters, food and cellphones to play games on and talk to each other. We buy tractors, implements, lime, fertilizer and seed so we can spend hours cultivating food plots and more time trimming shooting lanes and tipping trees for sanctuaries. We pour minerals and/or feed on the ground to supplement artificial antler growth. We pay to hunt private land or buy our own just to hunt. We have laser rangefinders to tell us EXACTLY how far a deer is from our weapon. We have high tech arrows and atv's or utv's to do our dragging for us. We have flashlights and sprays to help us track and if that fails we can call in trained dogs.

EVERY one of us uses MANY if not all of the things I mentioned to make hunting deer "easier".........but a crossbow is going too far because it doesn't have to be drawn?? LOL. I think we all need to get over the notion that modern compounds are this complex pre historic contraption that is nearly impossible to kill something with. Fit someone properly with a compound and give them a 10 minute lesson and they will be lethal in less than a week. I could not shoot my bow at all and drill the first deer I see come fall. It's just not as hard as some make it out to be.

Ask yourself........what's "harder"? Hunting with a compound and everything listed above or hunting with a crossbow and none of it. I don't know about you guys but I'm not lasting very long in bare feet.

 

Post of the year...

 

I can tell some of you guys from my experience....., you think crossbows are "cheating" and somehow using a compound bow is the be all end all?....use a recurve for a couple of seasons and then get back with me. The difference between a crossbow and compound isnt as much as a compound and recurve.

 

I agree completely with everything you just wrote. And my thoughts to add for the people so viciously opposed to all those items you listed, every article or post preaches taking "ethical" and "fast" kills, yet tons of people rip apart others that "make it too easy" by using some of the things you mention. If the point is for such a quick painless ethical kill, wouldn't it make it your obligation to use everything listed to it's fullest within legalities? Wouldn't it be less ethical to not make it as easy and painless on the deer or whatever animal as possible? If crossbows are as lethal and simple as some push (I've never tried one and don't really plan on but don't have problem with either), wouldn't it be more of an "ethical obligation" we all abandon everything less effective and use them?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Thank you for a great post. Again, I'm very happy for you and your Dad. I'm sure you are very excited. I've never used one, but they have been legal here in Tennessee for a while. I do think it's funny how some people think Xbows are so evil...lol. We all have our own opinions though, oh well! If you and your Dad are ever around TN, let me know. I own a 101 acres where I live, you can bring him here to hunt with his Xbow.

 

Anyone know if crossbows are legal in New York now for deer bow season or just regular season?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Agreed!!

 

Holy crap that's just good stuff right there.

 

so, asinine reasoning and lawmaking should be the rule of the land? Two wrongs don't make a right.
A crossbowhunter's success/access does not take away from mine.

 

So are you using one to be able to say this?

 

Crossbows now legal in New York State | Buffalo News, Buffalo Weather | WIVB-TV News 4 Buffalo, NY | WIVB.com


Crossbows are legal in NY as of Nov 1st for anyone who is interested. All small game and turkey seasons as well as the last 2 weeks of archery and the rest of the deer season.

Man, as an outside perspective this has the makings to infuriate the try hards on both sides of the fence. The orange army will be steaming because they will say they are seeing less bucks and the bowtards will scream that they gave away the best part of the season and the rutt is ruined.

Then the fun REALLY starts next year when they institute AR's and/or a 1 buck only rule.

They were very smart to deal with crossbows this year because so many guys are going to flip out next year about the changes that they will forget about crossbows because they will all be dealing with something that actually DOES effect them directly.

Should be fun.

 

Round...and a Round...and a Round we Go...