Crossbow Technology Today

[284winner]

You bought the wrong one.

Well considering I purchased mine years ago, i don't think that's the case. I shot probably 20+ crossbows out there from Bear to XCaliber and they were no quieter than the one I purchased, only pricier or faster. Today, maybe that's the case I don't know. I use it only in December and it's not my main archery weapon or I'd be looking at a faster, quieter better quality model.

 

[LonewolfMcquade]

At least give them a blade.

Only if they hand etch it out of stone....

 

[hogpatrol]

After they were legalized in PA, the archery license add on increased. Everything else has decreased. I'm on my third one, a Parker Concord self cocking job. Unfortunately a few years back they closed up shop. I gave one to my grandson and he enjoys hunting in a tree stand with it. I believe if it either brings in a new hunter or keeps an old fart like me hunting, it's a good thing.

 

[okie]

gives us a lot more opportunities to take legal game here in OK--my boys both got archery deer at 7 years old with a parker crossbow with an AR type stock that collapsed enough to allow them to fire it--now the older one moved up to a compound ---my old grandpa used one for a while too...

 

[JEFFPPC]

Well considering I purchased mine years ago, i don't think that's the case. I shot probably 20+ crossbows out there from Bear to XCaliber and they were no quieter than the one I purchased, only pricier or faster. Today, maybe that's the case I don't know. I use it only in December and it's not my main archery weapon or I'd be looking at a faster, quieter better quality model.

I am sure things have changed a lot in 20 years. When I hunted with a compound my number 1 criteria was quiet. I did the same thing when I checked out xbows I ended up with a Mission. By far the quietest. Now, downside to that 175 pull to cock. I can still do it at soon to be 74 without a problem so I guess I am good for a few more years.

 

[JEFFPPC]

Speaking of shooting far with a bow. 25 years ago or so when I was competing in the Buckmaster shoots the down south hotshots using overdraws were killing deer at 100yds with compounds . Crazy.

 

[284winner]

I'm not sure to be considered a "Purist" defines building your own traditional bows. I've owned a recurve most of my life. Never did get into hunting with traditional gear till last year when I had a hybrid flatbow built by a local bowyer. Due to covid, it didn't arrive till December so never had enough time to get confident and accurate(minute of deer) with it. I'm not claiming to be a purist but I believe hunting literally with a stick and string constitutes a pretty pure method of hunting. By now my accuracy is decent at 12 yards. At 15 yards, I'm not good enough to put every single arrow in a pie plate. 10-12 yards I am. This stuff really takes time or I just suck at it. Could be both. I'm determined to hunt with it next October. A big fat doe will be my target animal. I own an old wooded crossbow with steel limbs or actually a steel one piece limb that's both limbs on a crossbow. Has iron sights and I'm guessing isn't a real performer. May pull it off the wall and restring it with a new string and see how it shoots. By no means is it primative but by comparison to the crossbows today, it is.

 

[Kentuckywindage]

Not sure about the "purists"....but I have definitely found a lot more dead heads in PA since they legalized crossbow hunting for everyone. Personally, I am a die hard bow hunter, but we use them for late season all the time and don't take shots any farther than I would with a bow (40 yards). A lot of guys think because it will shoot a 2" group at 100 it is good for 100...hence the extra dead heads

 

[284winner]

Not sure about the "purists"....but I have definitely found a lot more dead heads in PA since they legalized crossbow hunting for everyone. Personally, I am a die hard bow hunter, but we use them for late season all the time and don't take shots any farther than I would with a bow (40 yards). A lot of guys think because it will shoot a 2" group at 100 it is good for 100...hence the extra dead heads

Right on. Same here. More dead bucks found now than ever. That won't change especially if the speeds keep getting higher. The faster they get, the louder they get. 40 yards is the furthest I'll shoot a deer. Even at 380 fps which is nothing these days, the deer easily can be 3 jumps away from the sound of string slap.

 

[okie]

Not sure about the "purists"....but I have definitely found a lot more dead heads in PA since they legalized crossbow hunting for everyone. Personally, I am a die hard bow hunter, but we use them for late season all the time and don't take shots any farther than I would with a bow (40 yards). A lot of guys think because it will shoot a 2" group at 100 it is good for 100...hence the extra dead heads

Right on. Same here. More dead bucks found now than ever. That won't change especially if the speeds keep getting higher. The faster they get, the louder they get. 40 yards is the furthest I'll shoot a deer. Even at 380 fps which is nothing these days, the deer easily can be 3 jumps away from the sound of string slap.

yep--lots of em are never found. I agree. I think some people are gonna pull the trigger no matter what the shot is....Hardly anyone hunts here anymore so we are overpopulated--state went to cell phone check-in as well. Maybe trying to thin herd. It is not working. Probably a disease will get them. Kids and I counted over 80 head from truck driving around one section. It was a wooded section! Until the population gets skim, no one gives a rip....I hate the fact that I find lots of dead ones like you guys

 

[284winner]

yep--lots of em are never found. I agree. I think some people are gonna pull the trigger no matter what the shot is....Hardly anyone hunts here anymore so we are overpopulated--state went to cell phone check-in as well. Maybe trying to thin herd. It is not working. Probably a disease will get them. Kids and I counted over 80 head from truck driving around one section. It was a wooded section! Until the population gets skim, no one gives a rip....I hate the fact that I find lots of dead ones like you guys

Oklahoma is a big buck state. I'd love to hunt it. Wonder why it's so under hunted ?

 

[okie]

Oklahoma is a big buck state. I'd love to hunt it. Wonder why it's so under hunted ?

I dont know--the last satuday of gun season we never heard a shot. Deer were moving good. We have counted as many as 75 shots in a morning. I think kids are more interested in video games and weed to be honest with you. We have huge plots of timber co. land, natnl forest and there are more texans hunting here than okies...this is SE OK--rest of state is more private ownership and probably has same hunting pressure. It has severely declined here.

 

[timeout]

Right on. Same here. More dead bucks found now than ever. That won't change especially if the speeds keep getting higher. The faster they get, the louder they get. 40 yards is the furthest I'll shoot a deer. Even at 380 fps which is nothing these days, the deer easily can be 3 jumps away from the sound of string slap.

Off topic but I see more than a few rifle wounded deer in this area also. We sighted in the Ravin a buddy of mine just purchased and honestly it wasn't very noisy. The limbs are very compact and minimal difference in width between cocked and fired. That being said on his first time out he made the mistake of resting it on the top of a wooden box blind and it did make a loud noise then. The deer ducked the arrow at 80 yards. I feel fairly confident that if he had kept a hand between the wooden blind and the crossbow the end result would have been different.

 

[okie]

Off topic but I see more than a few rifle wounded deer in this area also. We sighted in the Ravin a buddy of mine just purchased and honestly it wasn't very noisy. The limbs are very compact and minimal difference in width between cocked and fired. That being said on his first time out he made the mistake of resting it on the top of a wooden box blind and it did make a loud noise then. The deer ducked the arrow at 80 yards. I feel fairly confident that if he had kept a hand between the wooden blind and the crossbow the end result would have been different.

Yeah...see a lot of them shot on side of road and left to rot. Kids i figure...sad.

 

[284winner]

Speed of sound is over 1000 fps. Until crossbows get faster than that, deer will squat by reaction to the thump they hear from the crossbow at most ranges. Especially beyond 50 yards. Don't kid yourself thinking that 500 fps is fast. It's only fast for an arrow, not for taking super long shots on animals that can hear a twig snap at 100 yards. Drop an acorn from a tree while a deer is 30 yards out. Watch it's reaction. 50-60% of the time, that deer will bounce 2-3 steps but squat at the sound before jumping. That's where the arrow hits poorly or if lucky, misses. If you've archery hunted long enough, you've had it happen on close up shots on deer with bows. I've had it happen at 25 yards shooting an bow that makes 330 fps. Luckily it was a miss that went right over its back. It's not really an ethical issue. It's just thinking a little before the shot. Being realistic. I think 25 yards is very reasonable with a bow. The deer still jumped the string. Many crossbow hunter have killed deer at long ranges. Those are the exception rather than the rule. If they were whisper quiet, it would be different. They are the noisiest archery weapon on the market. They've definitely come a long way in technology tho. Almost 250 fps faster than when the first modern crossbow appeared. Bells and whistles included.

 

[2506]

I have been bow hunting about 42 years. I started out with a recurve and have progressed up to a crossbow. It don't matter which bow you use when the yardage starts to get much over 40 yards most deer are moving before the arrow gets there. It is not necessarily the bow they hear but the zipppppp of the arrow coming. Have done testing and even from 10 yards away you can hear the arrow BEFORE the bow. In case you have not noticed a deer's hearing is a bit better than humans.

As to those saying they are finding more dead dear because of cross bows it is not the cross bows fault but the shooters fault mostly. They make the decision to take those long shots or they are not proficient enough with their equipment. Same can be said for those taking 500+ yard shots with rifles. Just because you have a high dollar rifle with a fancy scope don't mean YOU can make the shot. As Dirty Harry said, "A man has got to know HIS limitations."
The trouble I see with those $$$$$$ cam contraptions is keeping them shooting properly. It don't take much string stretch to put them out of timing and there goes your accuracy.
I went with a Excaliber Bull Dog 380 a few years ago. Simple to maintain and I can do it myself.

 

[284winner]

Right. Bottom line, not the crossbow but shooter error. Crossbows are loud, period. They offer a better opportunity for killing deer(within reasonable range) with almost zero practice. Sight in the scope and done. Much like a rifle.

 

[LHSmith]

IMHO- States should let the hunter use whatever "legal" weapon he feels most comfortable with- then adjust the "hunting season" and allocations accordingly. Equal opportunities for all.
Here in PA, I am tired of archers shooting the largest buck and not tagging them. Their season is 10 weeks longer than rifle and now it falls at peak rut for the mere sum of $16.90 extra.