Bow or cross bow?

[870]

Well I have been thinking of getting in to bow hunting for a while now and was wondering which to get? what are the prows and cons of getting a cross bow?
thanks guys

870

[nomad]

I personally enjoy my recurve a lot! Shot a buddy's crossbow and thought that was cool but just not going to go for that till I can no longer physically pull my bow. That's what transitioned my friend to crossbow hunting. He could no longer hold his compound. But as he's in his 80's I give him a lot of credit for pulling that crossbow! Anyhow which ever way you go is more personal prefferance than anything! Maybe you'll end up liking both! Every style of hunting has it's eventual place in my book! Good luck

[Bowzone_Mikey]

There is no pros or cons ...comparing crossbow to to compound bow is like apples to oranges ...

both have the same ethically effective range according to popular opinion

esscientially you are are hunting the same way ...
Some state that a x-bow is more cumbersome ... I dont think so ...they just gotta learn to carry it properly (you cant carry it like a rifle through thick stuff)

I did find the learning curve on effectivly and consistantly shooting a X-bow alot shallower than a Compound bow.

I am thinking about buying one and triing to hunt with it ...but I wont be giving up my bows any time

[Ron.C]

First, regardless of personal opinions of some on this site, longbow/recurve/compound/crossbow are all bows and 100% legal for hunting in BC.

The benfit of a crossbow is that compared to a compound, you don't need to dedicate nearly as much time to be a proficient shot.

But spending alot of time shooting is part of the fun/

The benefit of a compound is MOST people shoot with sights so it is generally fairly easy to learn to shoot and become proficient at shorter ranges say out to 25-30 yards.
The shoot alot faster than a recurve or longbow and with practice can be effective for hunting outwards of 45-50 yards for most people with practice.

I have never hunted with a longbow or re-curve so I can't say much but I have shot them and do think it is the most challenging type of archery/bowhunting there is. I love the idea of traditional archery but I don't have the patience to take the time to learn to shoot well enough with consistent accuracy it takes to ethically hunt. My hats off to the ones that can.

[thunderheart]

I have never hunted with a longbow or re-curve so I can't say much but I have shot them and do think it is the most challenging type of archery/bowhunting there is. I love the idea of traditional archery but I don't have the patience to take the time to learn to shoot well enough with consistent accuracy it takes to ethically hunt. My hats off to the ones that can.

good post ... so do you hunt with a cross bow?

[Ron.C]

Nope, I shoot a compound.

[K5-ARCHER]

No Comparison , Compound All The Way

[K5-ARCHER]

Strictly Personal, But Compound All The Way

[Wild one]

If you are just trying to make your hunting season longer go for a crossbow as it is a lot easier to to shoot. If your what to get a bow for the fact of wanting to learn archery bow is more rewarding to shoot and involves more time. I have shot both compound and cross bow and I sold the cross bow just because I like shooting the compound more.

[Will]

Crossbows are for women ,limp wristed fellas and or the elderly......or for those that decide to become bowhunters the day before the season begins. http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/images/smilies/nest.gif

[thunderheart]

great smilies people.... where do ya get them ..lmao elkmasterC little show watcher is what i would post after the bee's nest ..i think there are more than a few shyte disturbers here ... great fun:biggrin:

[358win]

Crossbows are for women ,limp wristed fellas and or the elderly......or for those that decide to become bowhunters the day before the season begins. http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/images/smilies/nest.gif

Let's add...
...for those with a bad shoulder but still want to bow hunt..

[huntwriter]

First, regardless of personal opinions of some on this site, longbow/recurve/compound/crossbow are all bows and 100% legal for hunting in BC.

The benfit of a crossbow is that compared to a compound, you don't need to dedicate nearly as much time to be a proficient shot.

But spending alot of time shooting is part of the fun/



Good post. I shoot with a trad. longbow for fun and hunt with a compound and a crossbow. It's fun and adds variety. At the end of the day that is all that really matters. Having fun and enjoying hunting with whatever is legal.

[ElkMasterC]

Crossbows are for women ,limp wristed fellas and or the elderly......or for those that decide to become bowhunters the day before the season begins. OH: And people with bad shoulders that love to hunt
Does anyone else think Mickey Rourke looks like "The Lion King" in "The Wrestler", or is it just me?
Gosh he's sexy in that!

http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/images/smilies/nest.gif


Good post Will, well said.

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee12/sholesshs/Smileys/popcorn.gif

THAT one, ThunderHeart? lol

[Eagle1]

I shoot a compound, but any "archery hunting" is cool and a lot of fun.
You should go to the PSE site{pse-archery} and have a look at the new "Tac - 15" X-Bow, way cool, unfortunatly you can't bring it into Canada{AR-15 stock} but my rep says they are working on one for Canada.But still neat to look at.

[thunderheart]

Good post Will, well said.

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee12/sholesshs/Smileys/popcorn.gif

THAT one, ThunderHeart? lol

thats him ..lol where the hell you find them to post?

[ElkMasterC]

Do a search on what you want to see, for instance "popcorn smiley", and links come up. You right click, save the image to your PC, then upload it to photobucket, or wherever you want.
They're Freeware, so no copyright problems.
Also check sites like ForumAmmo.com for funny "De-Motivational" Posters, etc.

Sorry for the sidetrack ;-)

http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj313/Heliox18/smileyroadkill.gif

[pupper]

Crossbows are for women ,limp wristed fellas and or the elderly......or for those that decide to become bowhunters the day before the season begins. http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/images/smilies/nest.gif

agreed, well said. get a real bow!

[The Hermit]

I have two long bows and a recurve and prefer to hunt with them.... Why, see below.

I sold my compound bow because still hunting in thick stuff, and carrying it on long hikes was a pain in the ass. On one single day while crawling under some brush little twigs broke all three fiber optic bits off the sight, bent a pin, twigs got all caught up in the pulleys, the peep sight got all twisted numerous times and the elastic holding came off and got lost, and my release got caught on a branch. I also watched my longbow/recurve buddies toss their bows up the steep hill and climb up to it... of course I couldn't do that with the heavy and relatively vulnerable compound. FRUSTRATION... decided right then and there to sell it. BTW Compounds are pretty dam easy to learn to shoot accurately... not much harder than a xbow really... both have sights and triggers/releases.

I also own a crossbow. The crossbow is HEAVY compared to the long bow, compound and rifle. They are WAY more cumbersome. The crossbow would be great in a tree stand but is terrible in thick bush and on long hikes. I haven't shot it a lot yet but to be honest I am more accurate with the compound... the xbow seems crude compared to the technical elegance of the compound.

BTW - someone above said that crossbows are faster than compound bows... not always so. My 60lb compound shot arrows at about 240 fps and my 225lb xbow averages only 307 fps and there are lots of compound bows that are faster than that!!!