what is your bow of choice there Bill? a nice little 330fps compound? unless you are using your hands (or maybe throwing rocks) I'm pretty sure the deer is not gonna think its a very fair fight buddy.

its the same reason "LF guys" hate "HF guys," ego. you don't like someone getting props for killing a big deer if they did it "easier" than you did.

gold jacket, green jacket...

dang right, run what you brung

I've never deer hunted with a crossbow, but have been in a pop up with someone who has. Killed plenty of coons with a crossbow.

So the more noise a particular bow makes the faster the deer reacts?

Borrow that crossbow and take a shot at deer at 30 or 40 yards. Then post your opinion on hunting with one.

Should I use a standard red dot type scope or a laser? Shooting with no rest should be okay @ 30-40 yards huh?

Use what ever sight you want and shot it with a rest or without. Kill a deer with a crossbow then you can post a truthful comment on hunting with one. We all know how quick a coon reacts to a shot compared to a whitetail.

Well, Bigfoot, maybe amongst all the comments, you've been able to think about it enough to make a decision. There's as many pros and cons as there are people, because everyone has their own opinion. Personally, I enjoy hunting with a crossbow just as much as a compound. Crossbow enables me to set up low in a small pop-up blind which is nice in bad weather and in thick cover. Compound is much easier to use in a tripod(try cocking one while perched and you'll understand) and I prefer the openness and tripod height vantage point.

I fully support every hunting tool/method available. It's all about the recreation.

Most crossbows are so much louder than compounds that the deer reaction is much more intense (both faster and more movement). Kind of like when someone startles a person - the louder the noise that startles them the more they react.

JR

Well Said

I read this series with interest. I read nd participated in this same argument in the early 80's when Xbows were shooting in the 275 fps range and a blazing fast vertical bow was shooting 240fps with an overdraw and shooting knitting needles for arrows, most used those setups for 3D shooting (at homemade cardboard targets I might add). When hunting most went back to full length arrows and we were getting maybe 220 fps. There is a huge difference between between the trajectory of an arrow at 220 and 275. At the time I was stationed in ID and all hunting was on State or Fed property so no feeders, no established stands with known yardages and no Xbows during archery season. The flatter shooting Xbow was a big advantage when the speeds were as dissimilar as they were back then. The difference is no longer so pronounced. It also took a lot more work to shoot well out to longer yardages since arrow drop was much more pronounced. I'm sure my view is colored by my own experience so no I don't think Xbows belong in archery season, with the exception of those physically unable to draw a bow. However, as long as what you are doing is legal, enjoy it and don't worry about what I or anyone else thinks.

I never said I hunted whitetail with a crossbow and surely don't need to hunt with one to try to prove how hard/easy it is. Hunting with a compound bow is harder hunting plain and simple.

Pretty much my experience, but I have a crossbow and presently hunt with it, and every deer I've killed using a compound or crossbow the result was the same.
I use the exact setup and shoot the same distance with the crossbow as I did with the compound and none of the deer cared which one I used.
All the other stuff, noise etc. doesn't matter as long as you are a good enough hunter to get the same positive results, then someone elses preference shouldn't make a bit of difference to anyone.

Bow, Crossbow, Rifle, Spear= HUNTING. I wish people would quit the "I hunt this way and I don't condone that way of hunting" attitude. Hunting is hunting and we all need to have a unified "hunting voice" instead of trying to split hairs on which way is better. I hunt all kind of ways and think each has the pro's and con's. Who cares how you hunt, as long as you hunt abiding by the rules and regulations. Now go hunt, kill something, post a picture on here and then eat it! Good luck!

So you use a recurve and cut your own arrows?

Spoken like someone that has never hunted with a crossbow and I see you admitted that in another post.

I hunted for years with a vertical bow. The very first deer I ever shot at with a vertical bow was when I was 14 years old and it was a old Doe at a whopping 8 yards. I missed her clean! Shot low right between her legs. You know what she did??? She walked off about 10 yards and then came right back to the same spot I just flung an arrow at her. The second shot found its mark. No way that would have happend had it been a crossbow I was using. The noise one makes would have sent her to the next county! I can make that statement because I have hunted with both.

Have seen the same thing happen on tons of hunting shows as well. Never seen it happen with a crossbow though. Heck I have even seen first hand where deer will run farther and faster from a crossbow than the sound of a rifle!! My theory on that is they are far more use to the sound of a rifle than a crossbow. But make no mistake about it........a deer cant string jump a bullet!

Call BS all you want about the noise they make and the way deer react to it. You have already admitted you have never hunted with one so your opinion doesn't hold much water.

* "I never said I hunted whitetail with a crossbow"
Just wanted to make sure everyone will see this since you have never hunted whitetail with a crossbow but can tell everyone how much easier or harder it is.

If you can't practice regularly with a bow, you would be better off using a crossbow.

You still need to practice with the crossbow as well, but not as much practice is required to be a consistent shooter with the crossbow, mainly because of the muscles you need to build up to be a competent bow shooter.

As far as the pissing contest some want to make this into, ignore them. They are just people that feel the need to prove they are better than others because they're not happy with themselves.

Whatever means of legal hunting you like to do, you should do it and feel great about it. I haven't had the chance to try one hunting yet but I plan on using one in the future. Variety makes life more interesting for me.

Any hunting is better than no hunting. All hunting is good, there is no better or worse weapon of choice, it is what you want to achieve, how much challenge you want, enjoy the time in the woods.

Common sense tells me lifting a crossbow, looking through a scope, and pulling the trigger is completely different than operating a bow that must be drawn, anchored correctly, and leveled before a shot.

We'll just have to agree to disagree I suppose. It's not the same by any stretch, but hey if it's legal I'm good with any of it. Happy hunting

Traditional verses compound verses crossbow = a whole lot of nothing to do about nothing. Its all BS. A fallacy. I gave up my old Golden eagle compound in 93 for a chainsaw and drawknife to make my selfbows. I gave up the selfbow 5 years ago for a traditional longbow. I put my longbow up this summer for an elite synergy compound. I bought into my fellow primitive/traditional cries about how the compound and crossbow were the ruination of archery seasons. Then I wised up.I find it VERY entertaining that a modern compound shooter can stab crossbow shooters in the back. The old "you have to draw a compound" verses just aim a crossbow makes me shits and giggles. I can dam near "hold" my bow at full draw for a minute if I had to. Traditional guys still scream about that one.

Nothing has been ruined. I have no desire to hunt with a crossbow but have no problems with those that do. For the last 10 years I hunted with selfbows and longbows I had no problem with compound shooters. Hunting is a personal matter. What some guy is hunting with and over what in timbucktoo Tx is of no concern for the dude in walla walla ville USA. And vice versa.

+1

Like Craig Morgan, when he shot a deer (or was it an antelope?) at around 100 yards? I don't really care anymore that Xbows are allowed in the archery season anymore. But at the time the Xbow manufacturers were lobbying for it, I don't know why they didn't ask for a season after the general season was over. This would have extended the season. Is there anyone who wouldn't think this was a better alternative? I saw it as a lost opportunity.

Now, what should YOU do? Consider the points made here (mostly the practice issue), decide on one and buy it. Shooting them both first would probably be a wise decision. Good luck and happy hunting.

Pablo

I was stationed in Maryland for 4 years. The archery season was 6 months long. I could kill 6 bucks and 30 does on base, and also kill another 6 bucks and 30 does in the county.
Needless to say, I have killed a bunch of animals with a recurve and compound. Shot compeition when not on stand.

With that said, the accuracy of a crossbow will provide a more accurate clean kill in the hands of a novice. I'm glad they are legal. Until you have seen guys bring in bucks that have 5-6 arrows hanging out of them from not praticing with a traditional bow, its hard to imagine. If you do not have time to pratice, buy a crossbow.

I'm all about a clean kill.

Safety's another thing to consider:



Scary!

Yeah, and I bet nobody ever dropped the string or hit a release in the middle of drawing a compound.