Do you shoot a crossbow?

[ThorinNNY]

Does anyone here use a crossbow for hunting or target shooting? Did you buy it or make it?
A while back, there was a rumor that New York State was going to allow the use of crossbows for hunting.They finally allowed crossbows to be used for deer hunting - but don`t allow crossbows to be used during the BOWHUNTING season. They now are legal to hunt with during the regular firearms hunting and muzzleloading season-but there dosen`t seem to be any advantage to using a crossbow when you could use a rifle.
I did a little checking and it seems a crossbow that`s powerful and reliable enough to use for hunting -well, you could probably get a pretty decent rifle in the same price range. IIRC, the law specifies a 150 lb draw weight.
I think making one that met those guidelines might require a more skill than I possess. But I`d bet there probably are people at THR who have made their own crossbows, and used them successfully.Like to hear from you if you made your own or if you hunt with one.

 

[glistam]

I own an inexpensive ($100) recurve crossbow with a 180 lb draw weight. I have not hunted with it, but do like to target shoot at the local free archery range. I'm from Maryland so using one for hunting has been allowed for some time during regular bow season. This makes the use of a crossbow more or less a matter of preference to a vertical bow. Seems reasonably to me.

My bow is pretty junky so I don't know if I would hunt with it, but it does shoot straight on the range. Personally I got it because it is a takedown model.

I know a few local guys who make "historical crossbows," and even those sound a little tricky to make right and safely. I might take a crack at it some day, but most of them recommend you make your first under the mentorship of someone who knows what they are doing.

 

[wheelgunslinger]

It's a handicapped thing here. You can get a doc's note and hunt with one.
I still use a recurve, but have a number of friends and acquaintances who use them.

I built one crossbow because I was interested in the physics of it. The wood for a traditional crossbow requires that you really be selective because it's a comparable material with more force acting on it. So, breakage chance is high.

The reason you can spend so much on a good example is because of the material and engineering that goes into it. You can practically trip and fall and make a self bow from a springy piece of lumber store stock. Not so with a crossbow.

 

[ThorinNNY]

It used be to only someone severely handicapped( tetraplegic or quadriplegic) could use a crossbow to hunt in NYS. I believe they specified that the trigger release had to be a blow into the tube activated type thing.
Thanks for the input.glistam and wheelgunslinger.

 

[Tim37]

if you just want to build a bow go for it
if your wanting one to hunt with i dont really see any advantage over even a single shot h&R will give you much more range and dependablity
if you want to get in to bow shooting cross bows are to put it bluntly boring a good recurve or long bow is a blast to shoot and really not all that expensive i think i have right at 100 in my recure its a 60's bear
just my opinion

 

[Hamilton Felix]

Crossbows have been vilified as "unfair" by some Archers. But they're a tradeoff like everything else. More draw weight, but less length of draw. Not as easy to make quick repeat shots as a bow, but a person who knows how to shoot a shoulder arm can pick up a crossbow quickly, without needing to learn the skills of an Archer. The crossbow is awkward to carry through heavy brush.

When it comes to moving through the brush, my oldest son shoots a primitive bow that he sometime calls his "stick." When he unstrings it, the bow becomes a slender staff that's easy to carry through the woods and quick to restring when needed.

I like the crossbow's history as a weapon that a peasant could build and use to shoot through an obnoxious nobleman and his armor, when before this "devil's weapon," the nobleman was free to do as he wished with the peasant's daughter.

I'd like to see crossbows out there in Archery Season.

But then, I like to see ALL weapons out there.

 

[T.R.]

I've hunted with my crossbow since the 1990's. I still have an unhealed elbow fracture which makes drawing a recurve bow very painful. But I've never been attracted to compound bows so crossbow became my brightest option. At the time, a Dr. note and signature upon state form was req'd.

My crossbow is a HuntMaster Advantage but company changed the name to Ten Point awhile later. Parts are interchangeable with the new ones. In fact, I upgraded to faster limbs 3 years ago.

Crossbows are accurate and hit hard - highly recommended for tree stand hunting. These photos show some of whitetails I've taken within Maryland in recent years.

You don't need a spendy Ten Point to take deer at close range. Parker is a made in USA brand that is accurate and fast. My nephew hunts with a model named BuckBuster. He bought it new with warranty from eBay. It's a keeper!

TR

 

[theQman23]

Ten Point is one of the status name brands for sure, but they have a less expensive line called "wicked ridge". I bought the cheaper model for something like 450 bucks, and I've taken three deer with it this year. You don't need to spend big money, but you do need to spend 400 dollars minimum. Anything under that and you'll get either a plastic head, or plastic rail or both. You need at a minmum, a metal head, and then a fiber reinforced rail. Models like that shoot just fine for hunting and they start at again, right around 400$.
Enjoy

 

[MikeRussell]

I use a crossbow during archery season here in Louisiana. I picked it up a couple of years ago out of Cabela's Bargain Cave. It was a previous year's model Ten Point, cost about the same as a new Wicked Ridge. Very accurate, just heavy...as all crossbows are (compared to a compound bow).

 

[newbuckeye]

I have a Barnett quad 400 that has sight bars in the scope for out to 60 yards. I killed my first white tail this year with it at 25 yards. I went the cross bow route so my kids could shoot it also. Our bow season goes from the end of Sept to the first week of Feb, so we have lots of time to use it.