100 yds is long range for a crossbow.
Ravin 500 fps $$$$$ 😱 $3500!!
- Thread starter Muddyboots
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waspocrew
Well-Known Member
While I probably wouldn't drop that amount on a crossbow, I've hunted with my brother's Ravin R10 and they are pretty impressive. My mom killed her first bull elk at 85 yards in Wyoming a couple seasons ago. I haven't had the time to practice with my compound bow this season, so I'll likely tote my brother's R10.
Plenty of guys don't care about dropping $1700 on the latest Hoyt or $70K for their truck. Go with what makes you happy and enjoy your time in the field.
Plenty of guys don't care about dropping $1700 on the latest Hoyt or $70K for their truck. Go with what makes you happy and enjoy your time in the field.
I hunted in Omaha during a cold snap and snow. The morning temps were from -10 to -15 for 5 days, some wind on some days, other no wind, and it didn't get a lot better, and yet I did not get cold sitting in the lockon tree stand. I started with Cabela's Polar Weight Polartec underwear, then a bulkier set of thermals, jeans, and shirt, Cabela's Dry Plus coveralls (think no wind here, nor rain), 800 gr insulted Rocky boots with a thick over the boot insulated bootie and I stayed toasty. I also carried a thermos with hot coffee and every now and then I'd drink a little. My point, if you can buy nices gear it will serve you well in the woods, but you could be like my dad when it gets cold he stays cold, no matter what he puts on. Plus sitting in a heated blind is nothing to dismiss either, that sounds so nice. btw on day five I did finally get a deer.
WYO300RUM
Well-Known Member
It's hard to draw back a bow when your cold as fk. Advantage XBow.
Crossbows have an advantage in getting a shot off , but are not much better ballistically than a vertical bow. Of course , the offering out there these days are widely varied , so my statement is based on vert vs horizontal bows of similar performance for their style.
Claims of 3 inch groups at 100yds with ultra high end crossbows are easily rivaled by same level vert bows in the hands of well practiced archers . With either design, judging distance to the yard, ability to accurately compensate for wind and angle, and an animal that is content and locked into position (lol) are a requirement for a clean hit at distances an arrow or bolt covers in seconds, not milliseconds, like a bullet traveling 8 to 10 times quicker from a rifle.
Advocates of shooting live animals with archery gear at extreme distances ( over 40yds ) are blowing smoke up your butt or lying to themselves , if they claim to never make bad hits on live game. There is just too much hang time from an arrow to guarantee an animal wont simply take a step or shift body position after the arrow leaves, but before it covers the real estate. I spent 20+ years helping design, selling, studying, competing, and hunting exclusively with archery gear . I've either seen it or done it with respect to sticks and strings.
Claims of 3 inch groups at 100yds with ultra high end crossbows are easily rivaled by same level vert bows in the hands of well practiced archers . With either design, judging distance to the yard, ability to accurately compensate for wind and angle, and an animal that is content and locked into position (lol) are a requirement for a clean hit at distances an arrow or bolt covers in seconds, not milliseconds, like a bullet traveling 8 to 10 times quicker from a rifle.
Advocates of shooting live animals with archery gear at extreme distances ( over 40yds ) are blowing smoke up your butt or lying to themselves , if they claim to never make bad hits on live game. There is just too much hang time from an arrow to guarantee an animal wont simply take a step or shift body position after the arrow leaves, but before it covers the real estate. I spent 20+ years helping design, selling, studying, competing, and hunting exclusively with archery gear . I've either seen it or done it with respect to sticks and strings.
VLD Pilot
Well-Known Member
Well besides the comfort of a warm blind during those temps in December, you'd never get a vertical bow drawn with all that warm clothing on. I hunt in some of those cold temps in a tree stand and must limit my clothing in order to draw my bow. It's not that staying warm isn't possible while bowhunting in a tree stand. It's being able to shoot the bow when needed. This is where the crossbow shines also. For you guys that want to bulk up to stay warm but can't effectively draw a bow in sub zero temps while bound in clothing, the crossbow won't let you down.
haftime
Well-Known Member
Fill your tags any way you want.
I for one, wouldn't spend that kind of money on a bow but not for the reasons some have indicated. I have three bows and am in the process of giving one to my son (the heavy draw compound). I also have a safe full of rifles I've carefully accumulated over the years. And for much of my shooting life, I've lived in states where you had to select either archery or modern firearms when you purchased your license. Leaving all those rifles at home when I went afield just broke my heart. (And now my aging rotator cuff has decided to voice it's opinion). So I'll take my trusted relationship with my rifle and mount the side of the canyon to my chosen stand and await the typical 200 to 500 yard shot at that elusive buck I've been watching all off season.
Never hunted with a bow in any form, certainly don't want to spend any kind of money on one like what's discussed in the original post. I am not a hunter, though I have taken a few Whitetails and Coyotes up to over 500 yards over some long senderos. I describe myself more of a shooter. Anyone taking a deer with a bow is what I call a hunter.
Is this worth buying for a beginner?
Is this worth buying for a beginner?
Amazon.com : CenterPoint AXCS185CK Sniper 370 Crossbow Package, Camouflage : Sports & Outdoors
Amazon.com : CenterPoint AXCS185CK Sniper 370 Crossbow Package, Camouflage : Sports & Outdoors
smile.amazon.com
VLD Pilot
Well-Known Member
Buy what makes you happy. My Barnett Raptor FX 3 Pro makes 380 fps. Has a trigger tech trigger that breaks well at a good weight. Excellent accuracy and performance. No, not 500 fps but haven't needed that much speed. If I didn't shoot a vertical Bow, I may get into a pricier outfit. At 350.00 when purchased, it's a bargain when I only use it during the late season deer hunt.
I briefly considered one of the Tenpoint Vapor 470's but ended up building another custom rifle instead. Here in PA our archery season is almost 11 weeks long compared to a 2 week rifle season so I would like to archery hunt for the extra opportunity but after my experiences I've put it on hold until faster affordable bows are created.
I archery hunted for the better part of a decade starting when I was 14 using three different compounds and finally a crossbow. Of the 7 deer I shot at two were missed due to shooting errors (hit a twig and caught my jacket in the string) while the other 5 all missed because the deer ducked the string.
I got the last two on video and based on the speed of the bow and the reaction time back calculated to see how close you had to be to beat the reaction time. Per the video the deer started moving at approximately 0.1 second after the sound reached it and had completely cleared the arrows path by 0.17 seconds. Shooting a bow with a 320 fps average arrow speed that means you need to be sub 15 yards to ensure you hit where you aim and past 23 yards you are entirely reliant on that deer being slow or missing the sound.
Increasing that speed to 450 pushes your ensured hit range to 27 yards and your probable hit range out to 45 yards. This is much better but since my top of the line crossbow in 2014 is now slower than the bargain models I'd prefer to wait for that $3,000 price tag to subside a bit before jumping back in.
I archery hunted for the better part of a decade starting when I was 14 using three different compounds and finally a crossbow. Of the 7 deer I shot at two were missed due to shooting errors (hit a twig and caught my jacket in the string) while the other 5 all missed because the deer ducked the string.
I got the last two on video and based on the speed of the bow and the reaction time back calculated to see how close you had to be to beat the reaction time. Per the video the deer started moving at approximately 0.1 second after the sound reached it and had completely cleared the arrows path by 0.17 seconds. Shooting a bow with a 320 fps average arrow speed that means you need to be sub 15 yards to ensure you hit where you aim and past 23 yards you are entirely reliant on that deer being slow or missing the sound.
Increasing that speed to 450 pushes your ensured hit range to 27 yards and your probable hit range out to 45 yards. This is much better but since my top of the line crossbow in 2014 is now slower than the bargain models I'd prefer to wait for that $3,000 price tag to subside a bit before jumping back in.
VLD Pilot
Well-Known Member
Speed is inferior to a quiet shooting bow. I've bow hunted for over 50 years. I'm my early compound years, I shot bow with max speeds of 175 fps and ultra quiet. Didn't see many deer squatting from the sound of the shot. Since then with bow speeds exceeding 300 fps, the bows have become a quiet version of the crossbow. Easily heard and reacted to by deer before arrow arrives on target. Crossbows are fast but very loud and with the speed of sound being around 1100 fps, you'll never get an arrow on target before a deer squats from the sound (if It does). Sure many may not react to the shot before the arrow zips thru them but not because they did not hear the shot. Often times I think deer just relate the sound to a stick or branch falling and hitting the ground rather than human presence. I've hit deer at 40-45 yards and they never reacted to the sound of the bow shot. Makes me wonder. I just know that they easily can and that's an obstacle we have to deal with. I still get away with shooting my traditional bows at around 170-180 fps and harvest deer easily. Much quieter than my compound and deer just do not react the same.
I want to interject into the deer "jumping" a string. For years , ive heard about deer jumping from SOUND. I think that is an assumption that needs more study and not a given truth like every bowhunting show claims.
I believe the MOVEMENT of something so close is what makes a deer react , not the sound. I have seen multiple examples that prove this to me , both while bowhunting and firearms hunting . How many of you have been shocked by a rifle report so loud you would swear you were shot, only to have a deer in sight that completely ignores the shot ? And how many shooters have shot deer with archery gear from a position where the deers eye or eyes werent visible only to have the deer completely ignore the fact that an arrow just cleared their chest after going through both lungs ?
Avoiding the EYES of a deer when releasing an arrow is the trick to avoiding a reaction to the shot , not the sound of the bow or arrow. Noises don't make deer explode into movement , but seeing something flash out of the corner of their eye will make them come unglued.
The whole sound make deer jump lie has sure made a lot of money for those able to capitalize on the lie though, lol.......
I believe the MOVEMENT of something so close is what makes a deer react , not the sound. I have seen multiple examples that prove this to me , both while bowhunting and firearms hunting . How many of you have been shocked by a rifle report so loud you would swear you were shot, only to have a deer in sight that completely ignores the shot ? And how many shooters have shot deer with archery gear from a position where the deers eye or eyes werent visible only to have the deer completely ignore the fact that an arrow just cleared their chest after going through both lungs ?
Avoiding the EYES of a deer when releasing an arrow is the trick to avoiding a reaction to the shot , not the sound of the bow or arrow. Noises don't make deer explode into movement , but seeing something flash out of the corner of their eye will make them come unglued.
The whole sound make deer jump lie has sure made a lot of money for those able to capitalize on the lie though, lol.......
Speed just helps with distance error and , the biggie for me, allows for a shorter " slot " to shoot through in the Ga deer woods.
Read my above theory if you want my worthless oppinion on deer and noise .
