Crossbow feedback

[BULLBLASTER]

Those things would scare the heck outta me trying to carry one cocked with the string back on a stalk or something. So much energy. I'd stick with a compound and shoot more personally. I did set up a buddys pse tac 15 crossbow and that thing was pretty awesome to shoot!

It's no worse than carrying a loaded bear trap around while navigating your way through the woods.   

[Bob33]

Those things would scare the heck outta me trying to carry one cocked with the string back on a stalk or something. So much energy. I'd stick with a compound and shoot more personally. I did set up a buddys pse tac 15 crossbow and that thing was pretty awesome to shoot!

It's no worse than carrying a loaded bear trap around while navigating your way through the woods.   

I carry a loaded rifle when I hunt, and I can assure anyone it has more energy than a crossbow.

[BULLBLASTER]

Those things would scare the heck outta me trying to carry one cocked with the string back on a stalk or something. So much energy. I'd stick with a compound and shoot more personally. I did set up a buddys pse tac 15 crossbow and that thing was pretty awesome to shoot!

It's no worse than carrying a loaded bear trap around while navigating your way through the woods.   

I carry a loaded rifle when I hunt, and I can assure anyone it has more energy than a crossbow.

It's not the bolt that concerns me it s the cables and limbs. If you snag a cable and pull it off a cam or limb tip. Stock your arm between the limb and cable etc. with a rifle you can reasonably guess where the energy is going if there's an accident. If a cocked crossbow let loose there would be parts everywhere

[JDHasty]

Those things would scare the heck outta me trying to carry one cocked with the string back on a stalk or something. So much energy. I'd stick with a compound and shoot more personally. I did set up a buddys pse tac 15 crossbow and that thing was pretty awesome to shoot!

It's no worse than carrying a loaded bear trap around while navigating your way through the woods.   

I carry a loaded rifle when I hunt, and I can assure anyone it has more energy than a crossbow.

They are very unwieldy.  I use mine for stand hunting exclusively in areas in which there are occupied buildings too close to my stands or where there are neighbors that the property owner does not want to have to deal with if they know the property owner is allowing hunting on their property.  Yup, that's right.  I have access to properties that the property owner likes the fact that I hunt there, BUT the property owner just doesn't want to deal with jerk neighbors making their life a living hell.  So we are rather stealthy about it.  From a stand, shooting off a rest a crossbow is pretty accurate and deadly out to about 60 yards.  Compound bows are much, much more convenient and sometimes it is a tossup what I will use unless it is Archery Season and in that case it is compound only.   

[JDHasty]

Those things would scare the heck outta me trying to carry one cocked with the string back on a stalk or something. So much energy. I'd stick with a compound and shoot more personally. I did set up a buddys pse tac 15 crossbow and that thing was pretty awesome to shoot!

It's no worse than carrying a loaded bear trap around while navigating your way through the woods.   

I carry a loaded rifle when I hunt, and I can assure anyone it has more energy than a crossbow.

It's not the bolt that concerns me it s the cables and limbs. If you snag a cable and pull it off a cam or limb tip. Stock your arm between the limb and cable etc. with a rifle you can reasonably guess where the energy is going if there's an accident. If a cocked crossbow let loose there would be parts everywhere

You got that right! 

[Bob33]

Those things would scare the heck outta me trying to carry one cocked with the string back on a stalk or something. So much energy. I'd stick with a compound and shoot more personally. I did set up a buddys pse tac 15 crossbow and that thing was pretty awesome to shoot!

It's no worse than carrying a loaded bear trap around while navigating your way through the woods.   

I carry a loaded rifle when I hunt, and I can assure anyone it has more energy than a crossbow.

They are very unwieldy.  I use mine for stand hunting exclusively in areas in which there are occupied buildings too close to my stands or where there are neighbors that the property owner does not want to have to deal with if they know the property owner is allowing hunting on their property.  Yup, that's right.  I have access to properties that the property owner likes the fact that I hunt there, BUT the property owner just doesn't want to deal with jerk neighbors making their life a living hell.  So we are rather stealthy about it.  From a stand, shooting off a rest a crossbow is pretty accurate and deadly out to about 60 yards.  Compound bows are much, much more convenient and sometimes it is a tossup what I will use unless it is Archery Season and in that case it is compound only.   

Unwieldy, less convenient, no range advantage, and yet you choose them over a compound?

Excalibur Matrix is what you want.  Incredibly accurate, no range advantage over a compound. We use them on the islands.

[JDHasty]

Those things would scare the heck outta me trying to carry one cocked with the string back on a stalk or something. So much energy. I'd stick with a compound and shoot more personally. I did set up a buddys pse tac 15 crossbow and that thing was pretty awesome to shoot!

It's no worse than carrying a loaded bear trap around while navigating your way through the woods.   

I carry a loaded rifle when I hunt, and I can assure anyone it has more energy than a crossbow.

They are very unwieldy.  I use mine for stand hunting exclusively in areas in which there are occupied buildings too close to my stands or where there are neighbors that the property owner does not want to have to deal with if they know the property owner is allowing hunting on their property.  Yup, that's right.  I have access to properties that the property owner likes the fact that I hunt there, BUT the property owner just doesn't want to deal with jerk neighbors making their life a living hell.  So we are rather stealthy about it.  From a stand, shooting off a rest a crossbow is pretty accurate and deadly out to about 60 yards.  Compound bows are much, much more convenient and sometimes it is a tossup what I will use unless it is Archery Season and in that case it is compound only.   

Unwieldy, less convenient, no range advantage, and yet you choose them over a compound?

Excalibur Matrix is what you want.  Incredibly accurate, no range advantage over a compound. We use them on the islands.

Shot placement if you are in a blind or on a stand and have a good rest.  I know, it sounds like I am being contradictory, I'm trying not to be, but it is that if you can rest it or shoot prone (off a knee) they can place a shot very very accurately and I have a scope on mine so it is in last light situations where it really has it over the compound.

[JDHasty]

I think it is also less movement because the arrow is already drawn so when a target appears all you have to do is move the safety off and very slowly get the crossbow lined up on target. 

[Machias]

Here in Virginia they are legal for archery season. 4 years ago I figured heck I'll try one and see what all the hype was.  First time I shot it absolutely scared the crap out of me.  I had NO idea they were that loud.  Literally like a .22 going off.  I had one of the quieter models and it had all the Sims silencers on it.  Next compared to a compound is was a huge pain in the butt to carry into and out of the woods not to mention it really stunk sitting in a treestand with one.  I hunted with it for a month and sold it.  Much prefer a compound or longbow.  For elk I would go with a nice heavy broadhead to try and get as much penetration as possible.  I don't think I would shoot out to 60 yards though, not on an elk, but that is just me.

[Bob33]

Thanks for the feedback.

Noise: from what I’ve read, compound bows generate DB levels in the mid 80s while crossbow levels are in the mid 90s. That is a significant difference. How much actual difference it makes in the percentage and amount of animal movement reacting to the twang is obviously a complex and difficult to assess statistic but it would seem likely there is more with a crossbow. 60 yards is more than twice the noise “twang” distance of 40 yards so the increased noise of a crossbow is reduced by that factor if the shot is longer.

Unwieldiness/weight: my hunt plans will most likely be within a reasonable distance from a vehicle. A compound is obviously lighter and easier to carry but I don’t consider this a significant difference based on what I expect to encounter terrain and distance wise.

Shot distance: that’s the primary potential advantage of a crossbow. Offhand there is probably little or no difference. From a rest, it seems logical to believe a crossbow offers a significant enough advantage. I envision setting up and calling. If and when the elk is 60 yards away, the question is whether or not I would have an ethical shot at the elk with a crossbow that I would not with a compound. If so, is that enough justification to put up with the extra weight, etc.?

[JDHasty]

Thanks for the feedback.

Noise: from what I’ve read, compound bows generate DB levels in the mid 80s while crossbow levels are in the mid 90s. That is a significant difference. How much actual difference it makes in the percentage and amount of animal movement reacting to the twang is obviously a complex and difficult to assess statistic but it would seem likely there is more with a crossbow. 60 yards is more than twice the noise “twang” distance of 40 yards so the increased noise of a crossbow is reduced by that factor if the shot is longer.

Unwieldiness/weight: my hunt plans will most likely be within a reasonable distance from a vehicle. A compound is obviously lighter and easier to carry but I don’t consider this a significant difference based on what I expect to encounter terrain and distance wise.

Shot distance: that’s the primary potential advantage of a crossbow. Offhand there is probably little or no difference. From a rest, it seems logical to believe a crossbow offers a significant enough advantage. I envision setting up and calling. If and when the elk is 60 yards away, the question is whether or not I would have an ethical shot at the elk with a crossbow that I would not with a compound. If so, is that enough justification to put up with the extra weight, etc.?

I think you are right on track.  I would try to borrow one and stumble around in the woods with one for a while and see how you think it handles?  Some people have more tolerance for putting up with their unwieldiness than others. 

[zike]

I went with the BC Raptor Reverse draw, its only 6.5 lbs and 20" wide uncocked. I'd like to go compound but my shoulder won't let me. I had to go with a crank because the cancer meds have taken my muscle tone. Even with the crank my shoulder acts up after a few shots. I don't think this one is loud, and it will be easy to carry.

[lokidog]

Since my name was mentioned, I will throw my  in the ring.

I am sure you will be able to accurately hit a tennis ball at 100 yards (crossbow scopes are not calibrated in 10 yard increments, mine had to be shot at different yardages to figure out where they fell, I did set the first one though), they don't move when they hear a crossbow go off.  As mentioned, crossbows are a lot louder than a compound bow. The one I bought is not the fastest out there as I wanted one that I could cock by hand if needed (which I did when I missed a turkey with my first shot). Due to the noise of my cheaper crossbow, and the slower speed, I limited our shots on deer to 35 yards.

Having said that, if you get one that is faster and quieter than mine (Barnett Jackal), you can probably take an animal at 60 yards. My suggestion would be to set up a camera at your target at different distances, or safely have someone shoot it while you are nearby so that you can hear it and try to react as an animal would at various distance. This way you can judge what the jump factor may be.

Get those new crossbow heads from Radsav.....   

[JDHasty]

I wouldn't stretch it out past 60.  I would use Bolt Cutters from Excalibur.  I would make sure an elk is broadside.  I would not shoot my compound past 40.  So does that mean that a crossbow has more range?  I guess.  I cannot get around the contradiction even though I was the one who said a crossbow does not afford you more range.  I guess it is because I would shoot my crossbow at 60.  I would hold off with my compound at ranges over 40.  Probably because I just don't shoot my compound over 40 and I shoot my compound at 60.  IDK, just because. 

I do know that past 60 is a no no with a crossbow.  With my compound I just have never wanted to be good past 40.  It is a psychological barrier I guess, so I have never shot it.   That does not mean the decision was depending on range if I would take one or the other.  When I take a bow it is always much less than 40 that I expect to shoot. 

I guess my advice is basically useless.