Crossbow for beginner

[BizCT]

Went ahead and pulled the trigger (hehe) on the axiom.

I already drive a minivan when i hunt. No way in hell was i adding a pink crossbow to that picture

 

Congrats.  You should check out Excalibur's website, they have tons of information and many videos to watch.  They also have a forum, etc.

[LIAF]

Went ahead and pulled the trigger (hehe) on the axiom.

Excellent choice that's basically a phoenix with a synthetic rail. Remember don't shoot at the same spot out to about 25 yards as you will be getting robin hoods all day!

[GreeneHunter]

Sorry to ask a dumb question if its already been addressed but .... Is there a course / class a hunter has to take before using a crossbow during hunting season ?

[Vince1]

Sorry to ask a dumb question if its already been addressed but .... Is there a course / class a hunter has to take before using a crossbow during hunting season ?

 

 

http://www.eregulations.com/newyork/12nyhd/crossbow-hunting/

 

those are the old regulations I believe.

 

looks like you just needed a card that you signed.

 

honestly would be a waist of time to add an entire new class. just make it a Bow/crossbow class and include it with the license

 

they covered a lot of the same stuff in the hunter education as they did with the bow if you ask me.

 

both were good don't get me wrong and worth the time.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Sorry to ask a dumb question if its already been addressed but .... Is there a course / class a hunter has to take before using a crossbow during hunting season ?

DEC has not finalized any of the regs yet, but I would bet the crossbow curriculum will be added to the regular hunters safety course.

[nyslowhand]

In theory...? Wouldn't Xbow safety be included in the bow cert course..? Anyone with a vaild bow cert, would simply take the on-line Xbow only class. Then the printable, signed form you carried on you or with tags. Pretty sure that is how it was setup before Xbows got "midnighted" a couple years ago. Maybe the DEC will get real creative and improve this old process, but I doubt it!

Edited April 6, 2014 by nyslowhand

[BizCT]

In CT you need to take a bowhunter ed class, so I took the NY class last year. Maybe NY will just require the bowhunter ed class?

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[WNYBuckHunter]

In theory...? Wouldn't Xbow safety be included in the bow cert course..? Anyone with a vaild bow cert, would simply take the on-line Xbow only class. Then the printable, signed form you carried on you or with tags. Pretty sure that is how it was setup before Xbows got "midnighted" a couple years ago. Maybe the DEC will get real creative and improve this old process, but I doubt it!

 

You have to take the regular hunters safety course before you take the archery course, and since crossbows are legal for gun season, Id say that you need to have the crossbow stuff in with the regular course. Who knows what they will do, but that makes sense to me.

 

Of course, this is NY....lol

[Vince1]

Nothing in stone yet but as per a dec rep i spoke to about spring turkey crossbow will be in the hunters ed course as of now. Bbbbuuuut grain of salt till its up on site. No xbow for spring turky

[Vince1]

Damn, crossbows are loud.

 

Wasn't quite prepared for just how loud it is.

 

with my recurve I hear next to no noise, this thing OMG. even got the string suppression system and its still loud as crap.

 

I will say that this thing is freaking easy as pie though. wife is nailing stuff even though she needs me to cock it. she is pleased and got a guy at work coming turkey hunting with me just so he can try the xbow and see how it goes (not gonna hunt just hang out)

 

thanks for the help all

[nyslowhand]

Damn, crossbows are loud.

 

Wasn't quite prepared for just how loud it is.

 

with my recurve I hear next to no noise, this thing OMG. even got the string suppression system and its still loud as crap.

Now relate that to a 40-50yd shot. Talk about jumping the string!

[Doc]

Damn, crossbows are loud.

 

.......wife is nailing stuff even though she needs me to cock it......

How many pounds pull is it?

[Vince1]

175 pounds. Believe its doin 280 ish fps with the standard string which im gonna leave. As fast as it flies and as accurate as it is i can see a 40 yard shot on a calm deer.

No wind and shootin off a rail or stick.

[WNYBuckHunter]

175 pounds. Believe its doin 280 ish fps with the standard string which im gonna leave. As fast as it flies and as accurate as it is i can see a 40 yard shot on a calm deer.

No wind and shootin off a rail or stick.

 

There have been plenty of videos posted here and elsewhere of deer "jumping the string" on a sub 300fps vertical bow at much less than 40 yards. Im sure those bows were much more quiet than your crossbow. Even a calm deer is wired to automatically react to a sudden noise, etc. I would advise keeping your shots short range at first, at least until you figure out how they generally react to it. Thats just me though.

[wooly]

Damn, crossbows are loud.

 

Wasn't quite prepared for just how loud it is.

 

with my recurve I hear next to no noise, this thing OMG. even got the string suppression system and its still loud as crap.

 

I will say that this thing is freaking easy as pie though.

 

That was my initial impression when I shot mine for the first time a few weeks ago. I doubt I'll even bother with the noise dampener stuff. It's not like it really needs to put on any more weight and I don't expect it to make a noticeable difference.

First time I pulled the trigger, I saw my bolt sticking out of the bullseye, and then a few seconds later I heard a sonic boom and saw the vapor trail.....faster than the speed of sound and light I tell ya,lol

Unbelievable damn near one hole accuracy to boot!

Seriously impressed by the performance but I may have exaggerated the speed deal a bit.

[sits in trees]

Figure out how you will be hunting. From the ground or in a blind, most any Xbow will do, recurve, compound or reverse draw. From a treestand, might possibly want a narrower axle-axle (A-A) cocked width compound. Next factor is your budget. And..Please do not get caught up in the hype & videos showing the PSE TEC. That's a non-typical 400fps, ~$1500 Xbow. Also, a couple of good crossbow only forums on the web. A Xbow is NOT the ultimate or miracle weapon some might promote it to be!

I compare hunting with a Xbow to that with a muzzleloader. Ideal situation, you'll get one shot and better make it good. Shooting noise, reloading time and movement required make subsequent shots..........quite unlikely.

Do NOT get caught up in the mfger's listed fps arrow speeds. Sale's hype is for the smaller/narrow diameter carbon arrows that naturally shoot faster. They also inherently have lower "knock down" Ke. Ballpark, you'll lose ~10% of advertised fps by going to heavier Alum arrows, naturally with higher Ke. Can only speak to compound type Xbows, but some of the 180#/350fps models will benifit from heavier arrows. They absorb more of the Xbow's expended energy when shot (and noise) than a lighter carbon arrow will. Not a mystery, much like arrow selection for traditional (vertical) compound bows. Just working with a 20" arrow. FYI - vane length and type (helical, strght, offset) are more important in the shorter arrows.

Xbows are loud, peroid!! Most I've seen listed with Dbs fall in the 90 Db range. Somewhere between lawnmowers or fireworks and normal conversational noises. Meaning, the myth is you can shoot a Xbow further than a traditional. Assuming due to ~180# draw weight of a Xbow, yeah, arrow might fly further. In the real world, when you shoot, hear the POP and watch the arrow arc thru the air at the 50yd target - You soon realize you're back in the traditional compound bow's effective range.

A lot of, if not all compound Xbows have strings AND cable systems. The string &/or cable life is relative to how much you shoot. As a very modest example, if you shoot a vertical compound bow 150/200X a year to retain form and consistency...That's more like 5+ years worth of shooting a Xbow. So, do the math with changing strings after 500 shots on a crossbow...!?! Those that brag about the string life, few years ago shot a new Barnett Predator 3X before the string broke with less than 12 arrows.

Look at the scopes, REALLY look at them and the reticles. Seen some that were...less than desireable! FYI - in the sub-$500 price range for Xbows, the scope's quality and limb construction are the 1st places mfgers cut back to meet the lower $$. Not unlike a scope on a long gun, a crappy scope on a decent Xbow can make or break its' effectiveness &/or your satisifaction. Seen those ~$350 rifle & scope packages? If it looks too good to be true, probably is..!

Do your due dilligence & research to be an informed consumer. Not just about Xbow mfgres/models/$$, but every aspect of using or hunting with them. Somewhere between the $350 entry level Xbows and the ~$1.5/2K carbon stock, high energy models lies one that's right for you.

Unfortunate thing about shopping for a Xbow is you probably will never get to shoot it before buying it. You rely on customer reviews, which like any other product reviews need to be taken with a "grain of salt".

Final suggestion, after handling a Xbow you'll soon find out a decent sling becomes a necessity & not an option.

BTW - If what the new legislation defines as minimum width is what the DEC defined previously, it's A-A cocked. Not overall width when limbs are in the freestate or uncocked state. Betting some of those really high energy compound or reverse draw Xbows are less than this min A-A...?

I have to agree with almost everything in your post but would like to mention that manufactures are very specific about arrows used in their bows and when u start changing between alum and carbon or different weights and lengths diameters can change which could cause string jump/dry fire.

And the second thing is the cheaper scopes work just fine for the shots your going to be taking with a crossbow, you may not even want a scope for shooting at deer sized game at 30yds at all for that matter. I guess what I'm saying is don't be discouraged from buying a package deal because the scope may not be the greatest. Even Excals scopes which most people consider to be very good would be scuffed at by someone looking for a good scope on a rifle. Most xbow scopes are low power and have thick crosshairs but are more than sufficient for the job required.

[sits in trees]

That was my initial impression when I shot mine for the first time a few weeks ago. I doubt I'll even bother with the noise dampener stuff. It's not like it really needs to put on any more weight and I don't expect it to make a noticeable difference.

First time I pulled the trigger, I saw my bolt sticking out of the bullseye, and then a few seconds later I heard a sonic boom and saw the vapor trail.....faster than the speed of sound and light I tell ya,lol

Unbelievable damn near one hole accuracy to boot!

Seriously impressed by the performance but I may have exaggerated the speed deal a bit.

yes don't forget that accuracy is do in part to being able to rest the bow on something when practicing, but quickly diminishes when shooting freehand especially from a stand.