Dumb riflemans pointy stick feedback

[log_roller]

I took some advice and tried different stick shooters. remember this is coming fro a guy who know jack squat about bows and hunts with a rifle
crossbow

Pros/ very accurate
feels like I am holding a rifle (a familiar feeling)
I feel confident with only a couple of hours of use I truly believe I could quite easily and humanly take a deer on
cons/ reloading is slow for a follow up shot
I have a habit of curling my fingers around the barrel of a gun this probably gives the cross bow a bulky feeling I didn't much care for.

compound bow

When comparing a compound to a crossbow It had way faster followup shots but I not as accurate it took me alot longer to get on target but once I figured it out I was quit consistent and pleased with the results however I do not feel confident that I could humanly take a deer down with only a couple of hours of practice I Had alot more fun with the compound bow than I did with the crossbow as it had me thinking more and presented more of a challenge but I lost alot of arrows :(

re curve

I played with it for about an hour and found the shots were quite smooth but lots of my shots seemed to be falling short and I was not as consistent I'm obviously not a re curve guy but I still had fun an didn't loose any arrow:)

I am thinking about getting both a compound and a crossbow using the crossbow as a stepping stone until I feel confident enough to hunt with the compound no one warned me about the string I have some killer marks on my arm and as red as a cherry :mrgreen: thanks for the wisdom

[huntwriter]

Welcome to bowhunting. It's strictly a ONE Shot deal which makes shot placement the most critical aspect. Keep at it and good luck.

[Bigbear]

Don't be so Quick to put the Compound Bow aside for now. Take a Little more time to get your Confidence up. You will find that you will have a Whaaay better felling Harvesting an animal with it. Most Compound Bows that are out there now all shoot over 300 ftps, which is better than most basic Crossbows. Besides they are Lighter and easier:wink: to Pack LOL

[bsa30-06]

You said you had fun using the compound, dont be in such a rush to get out and fling arrows at something.It will take time and patience, and practice, and more practice to become efficient and the animals will still be there when you feel your ready.Till then enjoy practicing and maybe shoot a 3-D or two.I shoot a compound, havent harvested anything with it yet, but have alot of fun target shooting and shot a couple flat field 3-D's a burnaby lake that were alot of fun.

[Wild one]

If you enjoy shooting the compound I think you found your bow. With practice there is no reason you could not hunt with it by next season. With the cross bow if you only want it as a stepping stone I would not waste the money. If you want one because you enjoy shooting one go for it. When you start bow hunting with what ever you choose I wish you luck

[Ddog]

being a bowhunter myself , i use the compound and will soon use a recurve once i get the shooting down pat,
bowhunting is mostly a one shot deal however i have taken over 70 big game animals down with a bow and i have had at least 10x where i knocked a second arrow and hit the animal again, a few of these shots were liver shots and i can only assume the animals were in shock and never went more than a few feet from where i hit them originally. One shot was a good lung shot and the animal ran straight from the point of impact to the field and turned and when he walked passed me in slow motion i hit him again, the first shot was a kill but the follow up shot put him down in 15 yards.
so what i guess i am saying is just be confident in your ability of your chosen bow and practice as much as possible, be sure of the yardage you are shooting at as this makes all the difference in the world.
jmo.

[Bow Walker]

Good advice above here. 8-)

Shot placement is VERY critical (can't say that often enough) and it's so hard to do when you're excited and pulling down on an animal that you want in the freezer. :eek:

Along with shot placement is judging yardage. Not so critical when your projectile is travelling upwards of 2,300 fps - a small judgement error means almost nothing.

But, mis-judge an archery shot, when your projectile is doing less than 300 fps (as 90% of hunting arrows will do) and you could miss the animal entirely (which is not a bad thing) or, you could be responsible for a non-lethal hit and have a looong tracking/trailing job to recover the animal. :frown:

Successfully killing and bringing home your 'trophy' will mean much more to you with a compound than it will mean with a crossbow - IMHO of course, but I've done both (rifle and compound) and the compound bow feeling is incredible.

A crossbow is too close to a rifle...just my .02 :cool:

[Onesock]

Bow Walker---can u imagine the thrill with a stick bow? And I agree about the x-gun rifle comment!!!

[TyTy]

Atleast you didn't release the string on the compound before you were at full draw. Had a couple of buddies try my bow, didn't listen to instructions and let go before the let off arrived on the draw. They both punched themselves in the nose and had tears in their eyes! Quite hilarious

[Foxtail]

You said that you were less accurate with the compound then the crossbow... Keep in mind that a compound bow is VERY personal - draw length, draw weight, peep height, anchor point(at full draw a knuckle against the jaw, or a kisser button... this must be the same every shot for each shot to be accurate), fingers or release aid. If a bow is not set up for you personally then it will not shoot well for you... also even if a bow is set up for you correctly, it may still not shoot well for you. Don't let this discourage you though, once you find a "sweet shooting" bow, you'll know. try out as many bows as you can and choose the one that feels the best. Most reputable shops will let you test drive bows before you buy. With that in mind, almost all bows now are pretty exceptional products and most of them carry lifetime warrenties to the original owner, hence the difference in price between new and used.

Once you get "your" bow and start shooting, you can start working on your form. Proper form is what will make your shots really accurate(in my mind more accurate than a crossbow at longer range). Once you have practiced enough you don't have to concentrate on your form and it will come naturally. Making single shots at game a lot more instinctive than over thinking the shot.

Also, after the original purchase, shooting a bow is very inexpensive(compared to a rifle), as long as you don't lose arrows(use a backstop when practicing... with that now in mind, it is very addictive and you will soon discover it isn't much cheaper when you start seeing all the new stuff out every year.

Welcome to the addiction.

[Bow Walker]

Bow Walker---can u imagine the thrill with a stick bow? And I agree about the x-gun rifle comment!!!
Kirk - I'm looking forward to that particular thrill, maybe next year. I'd imagine that it's a bigger thrill - exponentially - than getting one with a compound.

[huntwriter]

Successfully killing and bringing home your 'trophy' will mean much more to you with a compound than it will mean with a crossbow - IMHO of course, but I've done both (rifle and compound) and the compound bow feeling is incredible.



Maybe it is special to you to kill a deer with a bow but not for everybody. Although I like bowhunting over other methods. The thrill however, is the same if I shoot a deer with the rifle, compound, - traditional, - or crossbow, or with the muzzleloader.

In my opinion, shaped by experience with different hunting tolls, there is nothing special about a bow. Not even the skill. Just different skills. As for comparing a crossbow to a rifle. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Using both rifle and crossbow I can assure you that other than the stock a crossbow is very different from a rifle, even the way it feels.

For a newcomer to bowhunting I would suggest to try different bows (compounds, traditional and crossbows) if possible, or at least get a feel of each in the store, and then go with what suit you. The bauty of bowhunting is that we are fortunate to accomodate many different styles.

[Bow Walker]

Maybe it is special to you to kill a deer with a bow but not for everybody. Although I like bowhunting over other methods. The thrill however, is the same if I shoot a deer with the rifle, compound, - traditional, - or crossbow, or with the muzzleloader.

In my opinion, shaped by experience with different hunting tolls, there is nothing special about a bow. Not even the skill. Just different skills. As for comparing a crossbow to a rifle. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Using both rifle and crossbow I can assure you that other than the stock a crossbow is very different from a rifle, even the way it feels.

For a newcomer to bowhunting I would suggest to try different bows (compounds, traditional and crossbows) if possible, or at least get a feel of each in the store, and then go with what suit you. The bauty of bowhunting is that we are fortunate to accomodate many different styles.

Wow! OK......

Everyone is entitled, as they say...

[greybark]

:-D Hey Huntwriter , I with Bow Walker on this one .
:???: I respect your right to write but feel your last post was off the mark and a bit of a ramble. I hunted a lot of years with rifle , compound and for the last 13 years with a traditional bow . I enjoyed hunting with all three but found a greater thrill and sence of accomplishment with the use of compound and still further thrill and sence of accomplishment with a traditional bow . How you equate all as equal is beyond me . It is not in any way a measure of a better hunter but only a degree of difficulty involved .
:-D Keep writing as you do a great service to the hunting community.
Cheers

[huntwriter]

:-D Hey Huntwriter , I with Bow Walker on this one .
:???: I respect your right to write but feel your last post was off the mark and a bit of a ramble. I hunted a lot of years with rifle , compound and for the last 13 years with a traditional bow . I enjoyed hunting with all three but found a greater thrill and sence of accomplishment with the use of compound and still further thrill and sence of accomplishment with a traditional bow . How you equate all as equal is beyond me . It is not in any way a measure of a better hunter but only a degree of difficulty involved .
:-D Keep writing as you do a great service to the hunting community.
Cheers

I am sorry if my comment in any way insulted you or BowWalker. It was not intended. For me personally it just does not make a dome of difference with what I hunt, although I do prefer the bow, as long as I can hunt. Neither do I feel that I need, as often implied, "special", as in in "better", skills to hunt with a bow or trad. muzzeloader than with any other weapon. It's just different skills to me. Some take longer to obtain than others. Maybe it comes from the fact that I like game at close range regadless for what tool and tactic I use. I get a thill shooting a deer at 25 yards or 50 yeards with a rifle.

The tone of my comment is likely shaped by the many posts I read on this and other forums about how much "nobler", "ethical" or "better skilled" a bowhunter is than a rifle hunter or a crossbow hunter and thus at times overreact a bit.

[Bow Walker]

Thanks HW, but to my knowledge no one on this site has ever touted archery as being "more noble" or that archers are in any way "better skiled than anyone else.

Some might think themselves better than others but aren't we all "legends-in-our-own-minds" :wink:

[greybark]

:-D Hey HW , no need to apologize . Keep up and good luck with your journalism goals .
Cheers

[The Hermit]

Thanks HW, but to my knowledge no one on this site has ever touted archery as being "more noble" or that archers are in any way "better skiled than anyone else.

True but bowhunters are regularly accused of this on HBC which is one reason why a number of people no longer visit here.

Some might think themselves better than others but aren't we all "legends-in-our-own-minds" :wink:

I'll preface these remarks by saying I don't have any problem with hunting with a crossbow and have owned one.

I agree that crossbows are more like a rifle than a bow in that they have the stock and same aiming process. With a xbow you don't have to draw and hold the bow at the moment of truth. The added movement of drawing the bow can give you away where simply lifting a X-bow aiming and pulling the trigger is more stealthy. Its a great cross-over tool for rifle hunters wanting to extend their hunting seasons and try their hand at bowhunting - the up close and personal challenge... :)

Given that hunting with a trad bow is usually the most challenging of the three methods being discussed it can provide a greater satisfaction when we are successful. Life has taught me that I cherish the things and successes that I really had to work for more than the things that came along by chance. We all like the easy girls but do we marry them? ;-)

That being said, everything is relative and in the right context each can be great in there own way... this year's moose hunt was one of my all time favorite trips and taking my moose with the rifle is something I'll never forget!

[Kudu]

Firstly - let me say Bow hunting if done properly, and used on big game - things that will bite you - horn you or simply sit on you - is quite different than than using a 416 double, and planting said game at 20 yards with the second back up at hand - and reload within 6 seconds.

When you facing down a two ton Buff, with a 90 lb bow - loaded with an arrow weighing in at 1000 grains - Tipped with German kinetics heads honed sharper than a razor blade - 30 arrows a day practise, every day - is the absolute minimum requirement.

I don't think you will have these issue over here - but let me tell you I will not set foot in the bush where Grizzlies are roaming without a 600 grain arrow and plenty of target experience.

Even the Black tail or mulie deserves our respect - if you can consistently hit the Target (50mm circle) from standing - siting - or kneeling positions at 20 - 25 an 30 yards then you may take your compound bow for a walk in the forests.

Why do I bow hunt? - for exactly the same reason I fly fish. I have simply killed too many animals with rifle and spinning rod in my life - The time came to put a little more skill in my sporting pursuits.

Do I think I or my bow hunting mates are elitist? Hell no we have just evolved into another type of hunter - next we might try and take them on with sharpened stick and knife only.


If you see this coming - it will be too late if you only carry a bow...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sn2eOYlMrg

[jimzuk]

Some good points Kudu.
I have not killed alot of animals with a rifle but I really enjoy the challenge of using a bow. There is much more to a successful hunt than killing something. Just being outdoors and seeing some animals makes it all worthwhile