Considering the switch

After traipsing around the woods for 5 years now with a compound and having some success and some misses. I started doing the math on how many times the opportunity to draw back has presented itself, and it's overwhelmingly low. Where I hunt I journal about 1-2 deer every 10 sits. Some of those encounters vanished before ever materializing into an opportunity due to shot preparation, or swirling winds, and other times it's been an encounter where the chances of success would have been much greater with a crossbow, and thus I've started shopping.

When I started I was pretty adamant about using a compound, I love to shoot and practice. However with a growing family and time to be afield becoming exponentially harder to find I would like to be able to capitalize a little bit more frequently.

Anyone else gone through these feelings? Also what bows do you recommend? If anyone is looking to upgrade let me know what you have.

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Originally Posted by ride.lift.shoot

After traipsing around the woods for 5 years now with a compound and having some success and some misses. I started doing the math on how many times the opportunity to draw back has presented itself, and it's overwhelmingly low. Where I hunt I journal about 1-2 deer every 10 sits. Some of those encounters vanished before ever materializing into an opportunity due to shot preparation, or swirling winds, and other times it's been an encounter where the chances of success would have been much greater with a crossbow, and thus I've started shopping.

When I started I was pretty adamant about using a compound, I love to shoot and practice. However with a growing family and time to be afield becoming exponentially harder to find I would like to be able to capitalize a little bit more frequently.

Anyone else gone through these feelings? Also what bows do you recommend? If anyone is looking to upgrade let me know what you have.

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I own a crossbow ,compound and 3 traditional bows. I bought the crossbow for the same reason that you stated. It certainly does make it easier to get an arrow in a deer, by a huge margin.

That said, I haven't picked up the crossbow in years, for me it really took away a big part of the hunt. I generally stick with my compound late season but if I ever come across the time to get enough practice in I will certainly be out with my longbow.

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That's along the same line of thoughts I have, hunt with the compound until the late season and then utilize the xbow when the season is winding down.

Same as you, I made the switch after getting busted a couple of times and also after hitting a deer in the spine when it saw me draw and jumped the string when I released.

I just don't get enough chances at deer to wait for the next opportunity. I've logged around 100 man-hours on the deer stand this fall already and I've only seen the one deer that's in my freezer.

By far the best deals going are on the used Excalibur crossbows. They won't be a huge investment either if you decide to go back to mainly compound.

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If you want to still hunt with an X-bow, you will want one of the newer narrow ones (or a vertical one - seen some youtube videos on those).
I have an older excal and if your not on a trail, its awkward to carry in the brush.
Generally, I only hunt from stands, but have done a bit of bush walking and its not fun.

I have different thoughts than most, not sure... but if you're nothing but a meat hunter and don't have the time to put in at a range or target with either a compound or traditional bow than a crossbow is the way to go... However if you love the outdoors and enjoy the challenge of getting up close and personal to your quarry, to me hunting with a compound bow is the way to go. You've got to know your limitations regarding distance you feel comfortable with shooting at as well as a lot of other factors. It's always been about the hunt for me and not about the killing...

If I tag out that's a bonus, if I don't I've enjoyed my time in the stand and at the range...

I

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Originally Posted by Bo D

I have different thoughts than most, not sure... but if you're nothing but a meat hunter and don't have the time to put in at a range or target with either a compound or traditional bow than a crossbow is the way to go... However if you love the outdoors and enjoy the challenge of getting up close and personal to your quarry, to me hunting with a compound bow is the way to go. You've got to know your limitations regarding distance you feel comfortable with shooting at as well as a lot of other factors. It's always been about the hunt for me and not about the killing...

If I tag out that's a bonus, if I don't I've enjoyed my time in the stand and at the range...

I

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You would probably change your mind if you were always hunting down The South Road. LOL

I did the same thing this fall. I have a compound but love my new to me crossbow. Same model I sold years ago.
So much easier to point and shoot. Less movement than the compound.
It was a good move as I got a nice ten point on my second sit of the year.


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If you hunt with a vertical bow that is a fine choice. If you feel the need to switch to crossbow that is also a fine choice and we won't hold it against you... lol

I went straight to the crossbow after being a rifle hunter for years because it made the most sense for me... :)

I am currently hunting with a Scorpyd Deathstalker. It's a reverse draw compound that launches a 400gr arrow at 400fps. Strings can be adjusted and changed at home with a slave string or a screw driver. I wanted a bow with good speed and lot's of kinetic energy that I could by hand because cranks are a PITA... :)

You also can't go wrong with any of the Excalibur models. Amazing warranty and extremely accurate!

Cheers and let us know what you go with... :)

Got a couple irons in the fire on an exocet and a equinox at the moment. I missed out on a great deal on a Phoenix. They do seem to be selling quite quickly from the classifieds right now.

I'll probably be holding it against myself more than anyone else would be haha Nothing against hunting with that type of equipment at all, just wasn't the direction I originally intended to go. Yet, success with a vertical proves to be a far greater challenge than I perhaps anticipated.