Compound bow or crossbow you decide?

[SteveB]

I'll stick to my recurve - compound defeats the challange of bowhunting. ;)

[First-light]

So it looks like most of us will continue as we were in bow season. I just want to put out a scenario and you guys tell me what you think.

Your a member of a hunting club and for the most part only 50% of the hunters hunt during bow season. DEC lets the use of the crossbow in bow season and now you have another 15% of the guys getting out. We know how a seasoned bowhunter acts in the woods, well now you have these guys in the woods at the same time you bow hunt. A couple of guys shoot decent bucks with the crossbow. How are you going to react? ??? ?

[SteveB]

I'll congratulate them!

[Bendog]

NY hunter shares my sentiments.......crossbows simply aren't for me.....in fact, my wife had to remind me that I've actually shot one, about 15-20 years ago during a gathering in Pa.......I'll never say never, but right now my guess is that when I can't draw a bow any longer, I'll do more pheasant hunting with my Labs....

[Larry]

    I have to admit I have limited experience with a  cross-bow. I have only shot one once and found it to be heavy and cumbersome  and noisy. To me it is more of a novelty. I’m not going to put 500 to 800  dollars down on one. The only advantage I can see is that it may be a more  stable platform then a bow.

[G-Man]

your senario is a good one!! i would congradulate them!! first and foremost!! next i would try to get the m to try a bow!! the art/science of taking a deer at close range it exrillerating!!  i dont think 15% would get a deer the gun mentality will probably result in a lot of great x-bows for sale cheap!! after a season or two not gettting within 50 yrds for a shot!!  those that havent tried to shoot a crossbow will be astounded at the noise it creates when fires and how fast the quarrel drops as energy drops....its not a gun by any means!!!

[WNYBuckHunter]

I would congratulate the hunter and welcome them to the archery hunting fraternity. Im sure they would know the same exhilaration that the rest of us archery hunters feel when taking a deer at very close range, as he had to have taken that buck up close.

[newbee]

Coming from an area that took forever to get drawn for rifle season and had over the counter archery tags.. I would cringe at "new" bow hunters that would delve into the sport with out a clue.. one quote i will never forget is a gentleman that was looking at rigs say in response to proper shot placement on how his throat slitting ability would suffice!?! I think that a xbow would at least alleviate the self felt need for someone to hunt in a way that is completely foreign to them, and a good alternative for those of us to use when we cant draw any longer..

my .02 and with inflation its not worth hardly that..

[covert]

For now i wouldn't try a crossbow just because I can't afford to spend the $$$.  In the future I would like to try it just for something different.  I've gotten bucks with rifle, shotgun and recurve and I'd like to get a couple with my muzzleloader and revolver just to say I did it, so why not a crossbow.  If they legalized large-caliber airguns for deer hunting i'd give them a whirl too! ;D

[biggamefish]

  Neither i will go with my RECURVE. 

[Nomad]

Myself I have little desire to switch to an inferior weapon,so I'll stick to my compound.Smaller,lighter,less noise,more accurite .Anytime there is a 3 bow meet,trad. compound,xbow the compound wins.......

Now injury and age may at some point force a change.

Honestly I used to start shooting when the snow melted,today with new bows maybe sept. 1 Couple times a week 15 arrows a day maybe.

I'll shoot 5 inch groups out to 40 yards the first day . Not sure what an xbow has over todays compounds.

[G-Man]

The advantage a crossbow has over a compound is better marketing department! the hunting industry is swamped with x-bow stuff right now....

[First-light]

The advantage a crossbow has over a compound is better marketing department! the hunting industry is swamped with x-bow stuff right now....

Funny you say that, the last catalog from Cabelas had crossbows and no compound bows featured. Thought it was odd but they do put out a bow catalog.