X-bow VS. regular bow?

[coop2564]

Crossbows are great weapons. They are fun to shoot and very accurate. But they are noisier than compound bows due to the heavier draw weights. Arrow still lags behind sound so deer can still jump string, at least deer in TX, some of the bigger Northern deer just dont seem to react like TX deer. But stay within normal distance of 45yds or so and all is good.

 

[isaaccarlson]

I own and have used both. A compound is WAY lighter and much easier to carry. A crossbow is heavy, awkward, and will wear you out if you are walking or stalking. Mine has a chest carry strap like you would see on a tactical AR. I thought it was silly so I took it off and then realized just how great it was. It takes the weight off your arms and lets you just walk. Getting through brushy areas is still a pain compared to a compound.

You don't need a high dollar bow of either kind to do well. There is a lot of fluff marketing in sporting goods. A crossbow points and shoots like a heavy rifle. All the weight is up front, and that reduces shake, but that's all. Your left arm will get tired real quick if you have to hold and wait for a deer. All crossbows are loud. Very loud. Don't plan on getting a second shot with a crossbow and reloading is anything but fast.

Crossbow "arrows" (bolts) are very stiff and quite durable compared to compound arrows. Not that it really matters. I shoot 20" AND 22" bolts out of my crossbow. It doesn't care. They shoot the same and hit the same spot.

Crossbows need rail lube. The string rubs along the rail and will melt and wear out without lube. I use rail snot and it lasts a long time and lubricates very well. Most crossbows will come with wax, but it's only good for the string.

My buddy has a tomcat compound bow. It is super quiet. You can barely hear it from 10-15 ft. A crossbow can be heard by everyone in the neighborhood. They might not know what it is, but they will hear it. There is also a lot of vibration and recoil with a crossbow. You get used to it, but it might shock you at first.

 

[Freebore]

Crossbows are awesome weapons.
Compound bows are amazing too.

As with most of us seasoned hunters we have moved to a crossbow due to structural damages over the years.

Probably the number one complaint is awkwardness carrying. BUT if I'm walking in or out and there is light I'm cocked and ready. Just remove the bolt before hoisting. At the truck shoot the sacrificial arrow to unload. Like any weapon you need to shoot it to understand how it works and performs.

As for broad heads I only use the Grim Reapers Tri-tip expandable. But not the ones crossbows. The ones for compounds. Watch them fall over in <25 yrs or on the spot.
Gut shot with those blades <75 yards. And yes you can blow thru both the shoulder blades if the deer is close enough.
Awesome.

You just have to try a few. I shoot a Parker. Which is no longer around. Find a good trigger guy to rework but you may void warranty if buying new. I'd just get a good used one. Plenty around.
.

 

[isaaccarlson]

Ours don't make it more than 20-30 yards either. We use muzzy and montec g5. The g5 likes to turn if it hits something funny, but the deer look like they were hit with a 30-06. I shot one in the head with a g5 and it dropped like the power went out. Destroyed the arrow and the broadhead, but I got the deer. The only reason I took that shot was because it was the best shot I had. The only other shot was the (femoral) artery on the back leg and I didn't feel like tracking a deer in near vertical terrain. I was on a ridge that had cliffs on both sides and I had lost one down the side previously when it slid down on the snow. By the time I got there a bear had already claimed it.

The one I head shot was drt and I was happy. Shot it right in the temple and that was that.

 

[Rick Richard]

As what Freebore said:
"As with most of us seasoned hunters we have moved to a crossbow due to structural damages over the years."

That's why I shoot one. I shoot a Mission Sub-1 and it is very reliable and able to decock when ready to store.

Big fan of Slick Trick fixed blade broad heads.

Good luck on your choice

 

[Ravin2025]

I think the biggest benefit of having a crossbow is that you easily get an extra 10 minutes or so of shooting light in the woods.... if you have a high quality scope. My peep sight on my bow closes up so quickly in the dark to where I could see the bucks with my naked eye but then can't see through my peep. If you don't use a peep then it isn't a big deal but I do and would take my crossbow all day over a compound. It helps that anyone can pick up a crossbow and hit bullseyes too, definitely not the case with compounds.

 

[Buckskinner]

Biggest advantage to x-bow is you do not have to draw it when shooting. I hunted with one the last 2 years because of shoulder injury. Shot a dandy +150" buck last year. Healed and strengthened my shoulders this year and was able to hunt again with the Hoyt this season.

The other day had a really nice 10pt at 25 yds but no shot as he was walking towards me and I thought was going to continue moving to my left where I had a clear shot. Unfortunately, but luckily for him he went right giving me no time to draw when he crossed a narrow shooting lane stopping momentarily. Easily could have shot him with my x-bow. But that's bow hunting and I guess why I went back to it, definitely more challenging.

 

[wvbearhunter]

My wife switched to an excalibur assassin 420. It shoots as well as a rifle out to 75 yards. Completely flat and you can hear it smack. Fearsome

 

[FreezerFiller]

After 30 years of bow hunting I switched to a crossbow because I can't see through a peep site in low light (contacts, reading glasses and a wicked astigmatism). I was disappointed that the scope that came with my expensive Ravin R10 was such garbage, still couldn't see and shoot deer in the last hour of legal light. But a few weeks ago I put a DNT Zulus 3-12x day/night scope with laser range finder and ballistic compensation on it and holy crap what a game changer! I'll always miss my bowhunting days, but at least I'm back in the October game and could take a deer out to 80 yards at last light no problem.

 

[FreezerFiller]

I think the biggest benefit of having a crossbow is that you easily get an extra 10 minutes or so of shooting light in the woods.... if you have a high quality scope. My peep sight on my bow closes up so quickly in the dark to where I could see the bucks with my naked eye but then can't see through my peep. If you don't use a peep then it isn't a big deal but I do and would take my crossbow all day over a compound. It helps that anyone can pick up a crossbow and hit bullseyes too, definitely not the case with compounds.

Check out the DNT Zulus with laser range finder and ballistic compensation. Even with the night vision plugged, which you may have to do to be legal, its low light ability is fantastic, better than any of my other conventional scopes. Images aren't as clear and sharp as good glass of course, but plenty usable well past legal light even in dark woods.

 

[isaaccarlson]

Check out the DNT Zulus with laser range finder and ballistic compensation. Even with the night vision plugged, which you may have to do to be legal, its low light ability is fantastic, better than any of my other conventional scopes. Images aren't as clear and sharp as good glass of course, but plenty usable well past legal light even in dark woods.

I picked up an AGM Neith (for rats), and it will stay in day mode long after your eyes tell you it's dark. If there is enough light at night for you to kind of see where you are going with your eyes, it will have a very good picture without using the illuminator. The built in light is 850nm, and I have an aux 940 nm light as well because some animals can sense the 850.

I have astigmatism and looking through a regular scope messes with my eyes, but a digital scope does not. I have used it for several hours without trouble.

 

[Scammer122725]

I went from compound to crossbow this season due to a shoulder surgery. I used a Hickory Creek mini vertical xbow and it was awesome this season! My shoulder will likely be ready for a compound again next season, but I am thinking I may go buy a recurve this spring. The only think I dislike about my xbow is that it takes very little practice. It's too deadly. I will look forward to practicing again, hence why I want to try the recurve.

 

[isaaccarlson]

I went from compound to crossbow this season due to a shoulder surgery. I used a Hickory Creek mini vertical xbow and it was awesome this season! My shoulder will likely be ready for a compound again next season, but I am thinking I may go buy a recurve this spring. The only think I dislike about my xbow is that it takes very little practice. It's too deadly. I will look forward to practicing again, hence why I want to try the recurve.

When you say "too deadly", are you saying you recover more deer with it? If so, maybe you should continue to use it. Not trying to sound coy, but if you have better success with it, that means less wounded and lost deer.

 

[FreezerFiller]

When you say "too deadly", are you saying you recover more deer with it? If so, maybe you should continue to use it. Not trying to sound coy, but if you have better success with it, that means less wounded and lost deer.

I'm guessing that he's just saying the effort to gain enough proficiency to be successful with a crossbow is too low, he enjoys the achievement of gaining proficiency, and would enjoy a step "backward" to traditional archery gear to experience the accomplishment of mastery. Using a crossbow, compared to a recurve, takes an element of uncertainty out of the hunt. Same can be said for using a crossbow instead of a rifle. Or using a rifle instead of a drone strike. (you get the picture)

It's a strange concept. Evidence that people are little more than well fed housecats that kill songbirds under the bird feeder without fully understanding why. It's why all our hunting laws are an irrational mess; people confusing sport, tradition, technology, conservation, subsistence and human history.