nyslowhand

Interesting question considering all the stress put on a Xbow string simly cocking it and the huge amount of energy released upon pulling the trigger. No easy answer considering all the differences between a compound vs Xbow. Gotta think it is much less than a compound bow string, BUT really relative to how much you shoot. I probably shoot my Xbow <10X each year, including confirming scope settings and shooting deer. JMO, a small % of what vertical bow hunters shoot/yr...

So... anti-tank relates to being brown bear approved!??!

Had this happen to a ~2005 vintage Barnett Xbow. Second time practice shooting, string broke and launched arrow into the woods. Good thing I wasn't in a backyard!!! Fixed that issue by sending Xbow back to Cabelas for a refund.

Where can I get a 20mm rifle? Any scope suggestion? Would I need a recoil pad? Don't think my tree stand is large enough for a turret mount!?!

I'm the world's worst judge of distance there ever was! So I bought same RF as above ^^^ several years ago when going $$ was ~$150 and up. That model is only 100yrd max RF! Found using one during the moment of truth when a deer/buck is coming in to be a PITA and creates a lot of xtra movements. Although I still carry mine & rarely get it out, I typically only use it setting up yardage makers (25 & 40yr) with orange surveyors tape in September. JMO, Rangefinders aren't that useful as substitute binoculars. They have generally 6X mag, but field of view is a lot less than binos. Borrow one, s/u yardage markers, return it to owner, carry less crap to the stand and use ~$100 for some other toy. Or look for one on Black Friday or Cyber Monday at a bargain $$.

Here's another little cocking quirk I ran into, possible only on my Xbow mfger/model (10pt Turbo). In the dark one AM, only had interior SUV lights to illuminated my cocking of the Xbow. Faintly see the string set the safety to on. So, was assuming it was fully cocked. Fast forward a couple hours .. arrow in place, BB comes out behind my stand at ~12yrds broadside, aim, safety off, pull trigger, NOTHING. Reset safety to on & the off again, pulled trigger 2nd time - NOTHING. WTH, as BB is leisurely walking away. Guessing .. there is a certain point in the cocking process where string initiates safety, but not fully engaging it!??! What I now do & haven't had that problem since is to watch string set safety and keep ratcheting another maybe 1/8 a turn of hand crank. Don't want to get TOO over zealous, could damage string, safety, etc.

The more you shoot & handle your new toy, the more confident you'll get. BUT ... be warned a Xbow has a lot of moving parts and stored energy when cocked. Being a dumb-a$$, I got over confident and wasn't paying attention to what I was doing when shooting my Xbow the 1st year I had it. Almost lost the end of my index finger when I unknowingly got it up & onto the strings path on the forestock. WTH was I thinking.... A lesson learned the hard way for me that I do NOT want others to experience, so I share my dumb-a$$ness. lol

As you found out, the safety will should always be off when getting ready to (re-) cocking it. There's no reason I can think of to have the safety on before cocking a Xbow...!?! At least on mine when the string is fully cocked the string sets the safety to on. As CORY mentioned, some Xbows have a secondary safety, not allowing trigger to be pulled if an arrow isn't detected nested to the rear of the rails. Dry firing a Xbow is a big "NO-NO".

Voluntary AR is the only "fair" way to allow hunters that have purchased licenses to harvest what they want. We've seen what happens when trophy hunters want to limit what their neighbors are harvesting, the DEC is coerced into making WMU, county or zone mandatory AR regulations. JMO, mandatory AR is BS. Esp true with today's hunting property size, basically old farm land broken up into ~100ac or less lots. Obviously, if you don't shoot 2.5yo bucks they will become better quality bucks in a couple years. BUT ... you also have to live with the fact your neighbors might shoot these same 1.5/2.5yo or basket 8pt bucks and be ecstatic with the harvest. Who are we to criticize or decide how our neighbors hunt and what enjoyment they should get out of it?

Perfect, a peaceful resolution!!! He did what he was doing because he could, until he got confronted about it. Don't know about you (OP), but I be a little suspicious about his change of heart. People rarely change....

As you've found out only the DEC deals with hunter harassment cases, not local, county or state LEOs. JMO, you're SOL until the official signing. After that I'd make a strong statement with posted signs along any roadside or other access points. Might even send cert/reg letters to neighbors that you are new owner and will not tolerate trespassing w/o written permission from you. Might add a comment about any old permissions or lease agreements with former land owners are no longer valid. Oh yeah, start with an introduction, contact info & a lot of niceties about being a good neighbor, blah, blah..before getting into the "no trespassing" statements! Issues with neighbors is a huge ongoing headache for hunting property owners if not dealt with properly in a sequence starting with friendliness to blatantly posting signs or a locked gate to LEO involvement to outright confrontations. Can't blame the current land owner for not wanting to get into the middle of this issue with less than a month until ownership Xfer. Or maybe there's a hidden back-story about the relationship of current land owner and crazy down the road that's not being divulged to you!??!

My Xbow's scope has ranges/dots from 20->50yrds. Can hit 3" bullseye at 50yrds using a rest. Have shot a couple deer at 40yrds, but would never shoot beyond that distance. Well.. never say never, suppose if an 18pt BB shoot broadside at 50yrds I'd be thinking twice about my self-imposed range limit. I'm a life long bow hunter that has been (semi-)converted to Xbows for several reason, mainly I'm an old fart. So the aspect of the "up close & personal" bow hunting I've enjoyed for decades has carried over while using a Xbow, scope or no scope. Amen, brother!

Hardware mounts with thumb screw as shown in YouTube video are a theft deterrent &/or more secure...? You're basically putting a ~4"x6" cam on a tree and using a strap makes it more visible? Who has enough cams running to justify buying hardware in bulk? Whatever makes you happy, do it...!

Lets see... wasn't there another thread about Is technology a help or hindrance.

Seems like a lot of hardware & work when the included strap you get with a cam would work the same....? The peanut butter jar baiting trick seems a little bizarre to me, ya all. Does it have to be Peter Pan brand &/or smooth or crunchy???

Good to hear! That's the trick with using rope cockers on Xbows, getting the rope as short as possible. Reminder - Everyone have their dumb-a$$ DEC Xbow cert signed & on them?

You're positive it was a bucky and not a Squatch????

Sodus Point is on Lake Ontario. Village of Sodus is several miles SW, just off Rte104.

Shooting was near that Sodus school.

No offense to anyone that lives in the village of Sodus, but you'll probably agree it isn't the ... nicest of towns, esp neighborhood where this shooting took place. Granted, like most other towns, within village of Sodus there are other decent neighborhoods!!!

^^^ Yeah, initially sounds like a great experience & helpful fun for dog & trainer. BUT, me too .. calls happen when I'd want to be in the woods myself. Also not sure I'd be quite so forgiving of all the continual bad shots and tracking those deer. Not for me!

^^^ Makes me cringe just thinking about that shot......

Now there's a classic Red-Neck engineering concept! Super idea & build!! Whatz the plan for the bottom ladder section, strap it on top? Believe I've seen something similar on the market & probably for 2X the $$ you have invested.

OMG, some of you are borderline tailgating at the stand...

Powerstroke is basically the same a draw length on a compound and just what you said! Yes, Xbows are spec'ed as (A-A) distance between centers of cams as a width, not the same as how NY DEC regs define min width. This is what happens when politicians and people that have no clue about Xbows make legislation. It can be confusing, to say the least. Ropes for manually cocking Xbows have come a long ways in a few years. Originally you could possibly overload one cam more than the other by unevenly pulling on rope handles. Believe most have small pulley gizmos where rope attaches to string to prevent overloading issue. Due to the mechanical advantage of having a 2pt pull on the string to cock a Xbow, you basically are pulling 1/2 the total draw weight and 1/2 of that thru each handle. Not sure how you apply this advice to your situation, but for me I had to experiment with the rope length on the 1st Xbow I had. Meaning as short a rope as possible, bending over Xbow and doing most of the drawing with shoulders & back, with final few inches drawn using arms. There's nothing magical about those ropes or how they're assembled on the hand cockers, if you cut one too short it can be replaced and simply use the pulleys/handles from the original one.Sure there's tons of useful & not so useful stuff on youtube, you might be able to adapt to your situation. Fact - A 2nd shot is even less likely with a Xbow than a compound/long bow due to the distinct THWACK noise made when an arrow is released. JMO, I'm a treestand hunter and when I got my current Xbow I opted for the ratcheting cocking decive. Might not be true, but I envisioned some issues with trying to recock up in a stand with a manual rope cocker. Alright, I'll admit it - I'm an old fart and lazy, so the mechanical cocker is a dream come true for me! LOL