I'm seriously considering wading (for the first time) into the world of archery by purchasing an Excalibur crossbow.
I'm fairly set on that brand due to the consistent excellent reviews, and great warranty. I've seen some impressive posts by a number of members over the years about this brand. They are also available at the Nanaimo Cabelas for me to get some hands on time with before I make any decisions, which I think is an important factor in any weapon purchase.
I've only tried compound bows a few times and didn't shoot very well at all. Part of that may have been using a bow that my hulk-Hogan like friend had set up at a very high draw weight. However, knowing I realistically simply do not have the apparently huge amount of time needed to practice the amount required to ethically hunt with a compound, is another reason I'm leaning towards the crossbow. I can probably make time to get out once a month to practice, which I've been told is probably enough for a crossbow if I get one this winter and get started right away to prepare for September 2019. Either way I am the type of hunter that wouldn't shoot at an animal until I'm 100% confident in what I'm doing. I probably went through $100 worth of ammo for my shotgun over a 2 year period before deciding on a buckshot load I was comfortable hunting with.
My primary target will be blacktail deer here on the Island, hunting out of a pop up ground blind or tree stand.
However, if it is possible to "do it all" with one crossbow, I'd like to potentially also be able to go after our local Elk as well, seeing as its basically impossible to draw a tag in the rifle zone. If it's not possible to do it all with one implement, then I'd focus on something perfect for blacktails.
My budget is about $1200 bucks give or take a little. I'm 6'1 and about 200 pounds in average shape as far as physical capacity goes (as I hear some of these things are real doozies to work) although hoping to get back to my usual this year with some serious gym time.
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