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Why did you buy a crossbow?

Five Seasons

By Five Seasons,
in CrossBow Hunting

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Steuben Jerry Proficient

Steuben Jerry

Posted
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Simplest answer; because I wanted one.

I've bowhunted for years with a vertical bow, but I kind of wanted an xbow before it became a legal hunting implement in NYS. The allowance of it in archery season a couple of years back gave me the green light - justification wise.

This is the third year of carrying it, and I haven't taken a deer with it yet. Passed plenty, but haven't pulled the trigger.

I'm kind of a gear junkie. I didn't have one, so I needed one, right?

ps.  she didn't know I was buying it, but I didn't hide it from her either. She bought me a soft sided case for it a few weeks later for an early Christmas present.

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NYBowhunter Rising Star

NYBowhunter

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I have been hunting with compounds for many years and killed loads of deer. Wanted something different (transaltion, wanted a new toy). To me they are fun to shoot and liked the idea of a different implement to kill deer.  I have to be honest, they are heavy to carry and awkward to hold but are deadly accurate out to 50 yards (atleast mine is).

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Nomad Grand Master

Nomad

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28th year of bow hunting , several years of impinged shoulders , bone spurs and frozen shoulder , went from shooting 30 arrows to not being able to draw once .

I figured a crossbow would still let me hunt the rut . Mine was very close to one thousand  dollars with all the fixings .Honestly cost was not even a factor , we're at a good place financially , which is why is odd to includ it  given the wide range of folks here .

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ApexerER Mentor

ApexerER

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I waited for YEARS for NY to allow crossbows in the Archery season. All the talk of it every year kept me from picking up a Bow and hunting with it. For YEARS my hunting buddies have been telling me I needed to get a bow and start bow hunting. 5 years ago I finally purchases a bow and practiced all off season and started hunting. I didn't get a crossbow the first season they were legal. I had barley begun bow hunting and wanted to harvest a deer with my bow. When A black Friday add came out from Dicks, there was a crossbow in there that l like the specs of for a lot less money than I would have guessed I needed to spend on a crossbow. I mentioned it to my wife who got it for me for Christmas.  (so yes she knows). So I guess the answer is I got a crossbow because I wanted one.....I am very glad I started bow hunting first. Yes a crossbow is easier to just pick up and shoot but you still need to know yardage etc. Hopefully this will be the year for my Xbow deer!

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Core Rookie

Core

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Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, Belo said:

I'd like honest feedback here, and because I am who I am, I'm not sure I'll get it.

But with a decent setup including accessories north of $500 or even $1k, why did you buy a crossbow to hunt 2 weeks in NY? Did you already have a compound or no?

p.s does your wife know? :cheese:

I bought it because it was $210 shipped for a Sniper 370. I knew I'd need arrows and then I'd be good. I didn't realize (I know I should have of course) I'd also "need" a new scope. So now I'm out $400 (oops I also spent $150 on targets lol). Since I'm hunting from virtually the same tree as with my vertical it does occur to me exactly why I got it. I got it in part because in a year or two my daughter could use it. I also hoped it would increase my range a bit and I'd say it has by at least 10 yards. In fact, the one deer I've gotten so far with it (today) I only got because of it; had I been using vertical I would have been about 10 yards closer to a corn field, which would have made the shot on this deer 40 yards and that's getting dicey for sure. 

Funny thing is the same xbow today cost me a deer. Another walked by at 20 yards and the noise from shouldering it caused the deer to run. My vertical it would have been game over.

So, I don't know. They are cool and they are powerful, I guess that's it!

My wife knows. They are hard to hide. Harder than an extra long gun in the safe :)

Edited by Core
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grampy Veteran

grampy

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A few years ago I shot a friends crossbow, that he had picked up, for fun target practice, after shooting our bows. Then when the crossbow season was started, and we were given two weeks to hunt with it. I bought one, just to add to the implements I could use to take a deer with. Killed a doe that first season. Have not killed anything with it since. I am still a bowhunter first. That is my first love. But due to issues beyond my control, the bow buck I killed this year will most likely be my last with the bow. Now I'm happy to have the crossbow to keep me in the woods. Got two of them now. But the Mrs. knew about the first one. She followed up with a nice case and some accessories on Christmas. Next to my bow, it is the next best, fun thing to shoot!

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E J Rising Star

E J

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Same as others, I wanted one. Now it's actually more practical for me because I don't hardly have any time to practice with my bow anymore and I don't have time to hunt in October. So by the time crossbow season comes around I can shoot a few times and feel confident and maybe have time to go hunting

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Buckmaster7600 Mentor

Buckmaster7600

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When I got stationed in NC i looked up the regs and noticed Xbows were legal so I ran out and bought the best one I could find a Horton and in 2006 it cost me a little over 1K$ at the time I was buying a new compound every year but compounds had slowed down on technology so I started buying a new Xbow one year and a compound the next. It's a fun toy, killed truck loads of deer with them down south and haven't really carried them much in NY or my Ohio lease but they are there if I want to use them. The one I bought a month ago was 1475$ with all the fixings "Mission sub1." Wife knows I bought it and doesn't give care as long as bills are paid.


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wooly Newbie

wooly

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I just wanted to be a more versatile deer hunter with any legal weapon here in NY and kill some deer with all of them.

The new weapon, hunting styles, challenges, and learning curve were all exciting to me as well as the ease of use I'd heard so much about.

As I've stated in the past here, I've lost and wounded my fair share of deer in my days with a compound, so any advantages that came with an x-bow were more than welcome to me. This year I was forced to sit out the entire month of October with my compound due to some health problems and physical limitations drawing it after a rather extensive surgery. With two weeks left before x-bow season I was able to pick it up and practice enough to be prepared for the final 2 weeks of archery that we all enjoy so much, and cleanly killed a deer even though I couldn't "bow hunt" on my first sit of the season.

 I did have a variety of scenarios in mind when I first got my x-bow that would have made me take it afield before my compound but those will all depend on my own personal recovery and full inclusion. All you younger guys who oppose them now need to remember you might not be made of steel and invincible forever, so don't put them down too bad unless you can predict the future.

 

BTW- I got divorced BEFORE I got my x-bow just so there weren't any custody issues with my new baby,lol

 

 

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BizCT Grand Master

BizCT

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Posted (edited)
3 hours ago, Belo said:

I'd like honest feedback here, and because I am who I am, I'm not sure I'll get it.

But with a decent setup including accessories north of $500 or even $1k, why did you buy a crossbow to hunt 2 weeks in NY? Did you already have a compound or no?

p.s does your wife know? :cheese:

I bought mine in 2011 before it was ever legal in NY. I bought it so I could hunt full inclusion archery season in PA and CT. I bought a recurve xbow by Excalibur so no cams and I can change string in 5 min. Pretty cool.

NY became a bonus, but still no full inclusion so this year I bit the bullet and bought a Mathews.

Edited by Biz-R-OWorld
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mowin Veteran

mowin

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My, shoulder is not as strong as it used to be.  I own a landscape company, and this time of year using the backpack blower 5+ hrs a day has me in pain and unable to draw my 45# compound. 

 

This yr I had some help doing leaf cleanup, so as long as I'm able to pull my compound back, the xbow will stay in the case.  

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wolc123 Grand Master

wolc123

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Posted (edited)

The primary reason I bought one was to increase my efficiency at killing and recovering deer.  In 30 years of bowhunting, I never missed a deer, but I was not satisfied with a recovery rate of about 70 %.   I do not remember all the details of those that I recovered, but I will never be able to forget the ones that I lost.   Not being able to recover wounded deer is about the only aspect of hunting that has really bothered in the past.   I am extremely thankful that it has not happened in 13 years and the crossbow has played big part in that.   The main variable that the crossbow gives me better control over is the mood of the deer when the arrow/bolt is released.   Every bad hit I made with a vertical bow was due in part to "string-jump".   String jump is of no concern when the deer is not in an "alert" mood.   Both bucks I killed with my crossbow had no clue what hit them until the bolts pierced their hearts.   The act of drawing a vertical bow with a deer in close is often what causes them to switch to an "alert" mood.   There is no need for that fast motion with the crossbow.  It can be slowly moved into position in full view of the deer without causing it to go alert.   It is much easier to hit a target that is in the same place when the arrow arrives as it was when launched.   

Even though the crossbow appeared to offer much greater efficiency, I probably would not have forked over the $250 for an entry level package, had not I just had some major surgery that put me under some big-time physical restrictions.   That limited how much weight I could draw with a vertical bow.  Crossbows were legalized at the same time.   The "last two weeks only" deal may have prevented this purchase were it not for the physical restrictions I was under at the time.  It all worked out very well however.  I am very satisfied with the cheap crossbow I bought.  It's light weight, compact size, ease of handling, and smooth trigger are especially appreciated (Barnett Recruit compound crossbow).   Some of the folks who are complaining about their bulky, fast, expensive, unwieldy models ought to give this one a try.  It handles almost as easy as my Ruger 10/22 carbine.   Hopefully I can keep it's 100% record on deer intact this weekend.        

 

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Jamoke Newbie

Jamoke

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I now don't have to put my strap on bow holder around my leg, or my arm guard, or my non bulky less warm jacket, or my release on my wrist, or make sure my grunt call is inside my jacket when needing to shoot. I now just dress how I want and shoot a deer, just like this morning. Cant wait till it's all inclusive!

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fasteddie Grand Master

fasteddie

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I bought one so the last two weeks of my bow season would put me on an even keel with the other Crossbow Hunters . I don't like drawing my compound in cold weather and don't have to worry about that with a crossbow . Why use the compound when there is an easier way to shoot !

Although I will use a crossbow , I still don't want to see full inclusion . 

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G-Man Veteran

G-Man

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I got one because i won a high end 308 that was right handed..useless to me being left handed.. Crossbows are legal so I sold it and put money in to a high end crossbow and scope.. Its something new to Hunt with and in using it I find many flaws in its handling. Compared to my bow.. But I will continue to use it .as I will buy it make any other implement They make legal.. Spear. Knife ..sling shot , blowgun.. I will try anything I can use legally

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Fletch Mentor

Fletch

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I have a son just hunting age and he was small build and could not pull enough weight to hunt with the compound. So I have a buddy who tests bows and picked up a $1000 Mission for half price. So he can hunt and I hunt with it as well because I like the different challenges. I will never give up my Diamond but I like the options.


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