crossbow or compound bow

[tikka]

i want to buy a bow for this hunting seasin, but i am debating on weather to buy a cross bow or compound bow. i am leaning more towards a cross bow. i have not bow hunted so i am wonderig if anyone hase some sudjestions on which one they think would be the best one to buy

[Tinney]

Compound. No advantage to a crossbow unless you like using a trigger.

Yay! We haven't had a crossbow thread in a while

[jessbennett]

CROSSBOW!!!!!!!!!!!........ just kidden. compound all the way.......... shoot a compund man. heck shoot a recurve. they only advantage a crossbow has, is that it sits cocked and waiting...you dont have to draw it, you can use a scope on it, and it shoulders like a rifle....... compund, takes a little work , some practice, but way more rewarding.

[The Hermit]

I just got a compound at Christmas... my experience has been that it is very easy to shoot with deadly accuracy. With a peep sight and a good fiberoptic sight ligning up on the target is easy, the let off makes it easy to hold, and damned if the arrows don't go pretty much where ya point the thing! Honestly I thought this was going to be harder!

I am practicing every couple days because I want to beat BowWalker at a 3-D shoot this year!

[J_T]

The compound is likely a more efficient weapon. The bolts used in a crossbow, may in fact not provide you with enough killing power.

Crossbows are likely much heavier than a compound or recurve, and for that reason they can be cumbersome to pack in the bush. I've sat in my treestand and watched crossbow hunters still hunting beneath me and my quick assessment was that it seems there is no great way to pack the crossbow.

The compound is the way to go.

JT

[tikka]

i was also wondering on how easey it is to spok an animal when drawing the boe when hunting compared to having a cross bow already set to fire. that is my bigest consern. i wnet bow hunting with a friend in september i did not have a bow but he did and it was more fun than rifle. we didnt get anything though but having the deer get so close to you without seeing you was the coolest part. it seems to take more efort in bow hunting but that is what makes seem beter to me.

[bcfarmer]

hi there tikka

movement is movement, drawing a compound or shouldering a crossbow, both are movement and have the potential to spook a deer.

I own 2 crossbows...and shoot them because of shoulder injury. The crossbow is much noisier than a compound...much more chance of animal jumping the string. As for awkwardness of carrying each...I haven't carried a compound in the bush so can't really compare. My crossbows have slings so this helps to a certain extent.

As for killing power, i've been told by the experts that there is more than ample power to kill an animal out to 40 yds. Once again because of noise I wouldn't recommend shooting much more than 30.

crossbows also take practice to become efficient at. Contrary to the myth that a hunter can just pick one up and go hunting. Practice practice practice.... and learn yardages

in the end it is your own decision...but if your in good enough physical condition then you'll probably get more out of a compound. ( man that was hard to say..lol)

happy hunting
bcfarmer

[sealevel]

Just like JT said how do you pack it. All crossbows i have heard are loud . And if you every need a second shoot very slow loading.----On the good side you can shoot in all kinds of positions . A compound can be very quite and a lot of fun to shoot. One if the best things for me is shooting a compound it is so good for my back

[J_T]

I would express a caution to a new bowhunter using a crossbow. As everyone that has experienced both rifle hunting and bowhunting should agree to, there is a difference in the approach to hunting with the two distinct weapons (rifle and bow). Of legal archery tackle, the crossbow feels and operates like a rifle. There is less of a distinction.

Last season, our camp observed a couple of hunters using crossbows, and it appeared to us, that they didn't distinguish between the two. With a rifle, you might see an animal on the move at distance and attempt a shot. The concern many experienced bowhunters have, is that an individual that is crossing over from rifle to bow and is using a crossbow, may continue to hunt similarly. IE, what we observed by two crossbow shooters where extremely long shots (60 - 80 yards) shooting all bolts and running to retrieve those bolts from the ground and shooting them again.

For this reason CO's have also expressed concern about cross over hunters who choose a crossbow.

For this reason, if you are new to bowhunting, most of us recommend the International Bowhunting Education Program (IBEP) as it will make you aware of subtle and not so subtle differences in bowhunting that are very important.

If you are looking for a great bowhunting experience. Perhaps a compound bow will provide you with that. Enjoy.

JT

[huntwriter]

It depends how much time you want to spend practicing and learning.

The compound bow needs more time to learn and continuous practicing to stay in shooting shape.

On the other hand, a crossbow is easy to learn and once sighted in your done. There is no need to shoot frequently to stay in shape and keep the muscles tuned.

The compound bow is lighter and easier to carry around on a spot and stalk hunt. The crossbow is heavy and bulky. It is often wrongly stated that the crossbow is not as efficient in taking game, but that has been disproved time and time again. The efficiency and effective range of both bows in a hunting situation are almost equal.