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.

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Originally Posted by Gilroy

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

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Don't think so Gilroy, don't hunt with the bow up at the camp, primarily down south in the Port Perry area... Congrats on filling your tag this year up at your camp... Nice...

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Originally Posted by GW11

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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Ride,

I echo what GW said. I started with a compound bow in 1986, but after various deer encounters that did not work out, I bought an Excalibur crossbow in 1994 and have never looked back. I probably hunt deer from the ground as much or more than I do from a tree stand, and a big plus for me is that a crossbow allows me to tuck on at the base of tree, bush or boulder much the same way that turkey hunter would. This affords me tremendous flexibility, especially if I'm in new spot or if I have to improvise because of a shift in wind direction.

I put in more hours than most hunters I know, and I spend a lot of time watching deer that I can't shoot with an arrow, so when an opportunity to get a deer finally presents itself (which is not often), I like to make it count.

To me it came down to not enough time to practice enough to be comfortable taking a compound bow shot on a deer. Lots of people really enjoy the practice and make the time for it. That wasn't me. So I went with a crossbow.

Don't sell your bow, just get a crossbow and play with both for a while and you will decide all on your own. Whatever you could get for your used bow now, won't be much different in a year or two.

We use excaliburs,
From what I've seen the older models are better in my opinion.

You can find them online used for a couple hundred bucks. I got mine for 300 bucks, works like its new guy even gave me a bunch of bolts and tips with them all set up ready to go.

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If you plan on having an advantage over your compound. I would go for one of the faster models of xbow, if cost isn't too much of an issue. Scorpyd has the fastest crossbows in the market and (imho) the most reliable, never heard of a single complaint about them on any forums, no limb breaks, misfires, nothing. Some other good options are tenpoint (preferably) and ravin. Excal makes great crossbows but there are plenty of other xbows that are much cheaper, faster, and equally reliable. If you're insistant on getting an Excal, the micro series are great, because their fastest models are super expensive, have limb breaking/safety issues and are as wide as an umbrella.

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Originally Posted by Bowjob

We use excaliburs,
From what I've seen the older models are better in my opinion.

You can find them online used for a couple hundred bucks. I got mine for 300 bucks, works like its new guy even gave me a bunch of bolts and tips with them all set up ready to go.

Sent from my SM-G960W using Tapatalk

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I absolutely agree. Their older models are cult classics and what built their company. Ever since they broke that 400fps mark their limbs also started breaking coupled with safety issues. At the very least they were cumbersome, imagine walking in the woods holding a crossbow over 30" wide. However their micro series haven't missed a beat so far.

not sure how most guys carry their xbow to make it akward but I have a homemade sling that I will tilt the xbox so the limbs are vertical and the stock faces forwards and carry over one shoulder so that it does not go outside of my body profile which makes it better for walking through vegetation and stalking corn fields.

I have a compound but Im a meat hunter and will take my xbow every time because I have a higher chance of coming home with dinner compared to a compound, also the xbow gets 400 fps compared to around 320 on my compound. More IS better IMO.

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Originally Posted by ride.lift.shoot

Anyone else gone through these feelings?

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_Vh20RTJOA

Haha Classic
LBA - you went the other way didn't you? Compound to Re-Curve?

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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 feel pretty much the same. It's a little more gratifying with a compound let alone a traditional. Unfortunately my shoulders are telling me to go crossbow. I need an easy smooth drawing bow.

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Originally Posted by ride.lift.shoot

Haha Classic
LBA - you went the other way didn't you? Compound to Re-Curve?

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haha. Ya. But I get where you're coming from. If you only get couple opportunities on an animal in a season, you want the most effective tool to capitalize on that. Not everyone is as accustomed to the taste of tag soup as I am :-)

I also switched after a few years. Stopped practicing in the summer so went with a excalibur. No regrets, I love the confidence I have when I pull the trigger. Mind you I never became great with the compound or I'm sure I could have had the same confidence..

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I mostly hunt crossbow out of necessity, certainly not physical, I could pull a 70lb compound no problem. But living in the most southern portion of Ontario where I'd have to drive at least 1.5 hours just for a week of ML made gun hunting seem unreasonable for me. This also means I have to drive at least 40 minutes to even think about shooting a bow or crossbow. Even opportunities to zero in a crossbow is far and few between. I've never hunted any animal with anything other than a crossbow (apart from small game with recurve on outback trips for sustenance). I've shot both recurve and a compound at targets and it just never appealed to me. When I get the chance to shoot I'd rather not be caught on the draw, wound it because I couldn't practice enough, or have it out of range from me.

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Originally Posted by MihajloSimsic

If you plan on having an advantage over your compound. I would go for one of the faster models of xbow, if cost isn't too much of an issue. Scorpyd has the fastest crossbows in the market and (imho) the most reliable, never heard of a single complaint about them on any forums, no limb breaks, misfires, nothing. Some other good options are tenpoint (preferably) and ravin. Excal makes great crossbows but there are plenty of other xbows that are much cheaper, faster, and equally reliable. If you're insistant on getting an Excal, the micro series are great, because their fastest models are super expensive, have limb breaking/safety issues and are as wide as an umbrella.

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Always been an Excal guy (but not the new 300 lb+ suckers, scary and not into a crank) - but those Scorpyds do look pretty nice. Only issue i have heard of is the odd case of pre-mature serving wear but those seem very isolated.

I bought a excal micro and havent looked back.

Hitting a dime at 40. Cant get much better than that. Not to mention lifetime warrenty.

Ok.... maybe a quarter lol

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Originally Posted by Species8472

Always been an Excal guy (but not the new 300 lb+ suckers, scary and not into a crank) - but those Scorpyds do look pretty nice. Only issue i have heard of is the odd case of pre-mature serving wear but those seem very isolated.

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I completely agree. What gives any piece of archery speed is power stroke (draw length - brace height) with recurve limbs it's hard to get a long power stroke without making the limbs unreasonably wide. So excal packs on draw weight instead. However I like their micro series, it takes full advantage of the recurve design. Not super fast but light weight, compact, and reliable. I agree that the serving on the scorpyd strings wear down faster. My dad has had a excal paradox for 20 years and taken 60+ animals with it, only ever changed the string twice. I change my string out every two seasons or so, super easy, cheap, and quicker than any compound xbow. I spend more time and money rebuilding a mechanical BH than I would replacing the string. The limb cables are just fine however. But even if I had to replace the string every time I shot I would still go for it. The extra power, accuracy, and flat shooting has made a world's difference for me.

If that's what will work for you, then have at it.
Everyone has their different reasons for being out there.
On a second note, bow hunting was never meant to be easy. Rifle hunting is easy and I think the people making the transition over to bowhunting get frustrated because it isn't easy. Bow hunting is hard, but that's when the rewards can be the greatest.
Bow hunting is also how you'll learn the most about deer hunting. Paraphrasing Fred Bear, "a guy will learn more about deer hunting in a week with a bow than they will hunting with a rifle their entire life." Such a true statement!
One of the mistakes I think people make in transitioning from rifle hunting to bow hunting is they don't change their tactics. They hunt from the same box stand they do in the rifle season and over the same pile of apples and corn. That's why there's so much failure and why the majority of people want a crossbow. They are much, much easier to use, shoot, become proficient with and hunt with than a verticle bow.

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Originally Posted by Jeff Kavanagh

If that's what will work for you, then have at it.
Everyone has their different reasons for being out there.
On a second note, bow hunting was never meant to be easy. Rifle hunting is easy and I think the people making the transition over to bowhunting get frustrated because it isn't easy. Bow hunting is hard, but that's when the rewards can be the greatest.
Bow hunting is also how you'll learn the most about deer hunting. Paraphrasing Fred Bear, "a guy will learn more about deer hunting in a week with a bow than they will hunting with a rifle their entire life." Such a true statement!
One of the mistakes I think people make in transitioning from rifle hunting to bow hunting is they don't change their tactics. They hunt from the same box stand they do in the rifle season and over the same pile of apples and corn. That's why there's so much failure and why the majority of people want a crossbow. They are much, much easier to use, shoot, become proficient with and hunt with than a verticle bow.

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True words for sure.

I hunt with rifle and crossbow (gave up the vertical compound). I was a rifle hunter first. With a rifle, if you can see the deer you can kill it for the most part. Then when I added archery I spent a heck of A LOT of time observing deer that I could not shoot. As you said Jeff, the learning curve shot right up! That knowledge became very valuable for all forms of deer hunting.

Something I started this season was re-teaching myself at age 50 the way I had shot my deer in my early 20's: still-hunting, stalking and tracking. I'm doing that with a rifle/muzzleloader . How you do it with a traditional bow Jeff blows my mind! :)

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Originally Posted by LowbanksArcher

haha. Ya. But I get where you're coming from. If you only get couple opportunities on an animal in a season, you want the most effective tool to capitalize on that. Not everyone is as accustomed to the taste of tag soup as I am :-)

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Not to derail, but funniest comment I’ve read in awhile. Thanks for that.

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Originally Posted by FishHog

To me it came down to not enough time to practice enough to be comfortable taking a compound bow shot on a deer. Lots of people really enjoy the practice and make the time for it. That wasn't me. So I went with a crossbow.

Don't sell your bow, just get a crossbow and play with both for a while and you will decide all on your own. Whatever you could get for your used bow now, won't be much different in a year or two.

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That nails it for me too. Plus I was over 50 when I finally found time to hunt deer somewhat seriously.

I purchased a crossbow, I don't know that it has given me more opportunity to harvest an animal. I think that is has its place. I would much rather have my compound in the bush where branches could be an issue. I think It has slightly extended my range when in the open. I kept my compound and find I get bored of the crossbow sometimes. So I use both, you still have to practice patience and setup according to wind etc. A crossbow only really eliminates getting busted trying to draw but waiting for the right opportunity to draw back shouldn't get you busted all too often.

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Originally Posted by klums

I purchased a crossbow, I don't know that it has given me more opportunity to harvest an animal. I think that is has its place. I would much rather have my compound in the bush where branches could be an issue. I think It has slightly extended my range when in the open. I kept my compound and find I get bored of the crossbow sometimes. So I use both, you still have to practice patience and setup according to wind etc. A crossbow only really eliminates getting busted trying to draw but waiting for the right opportunity to draw back shouldn't get you busted all too often.

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Exactly my view. Drawing on deer is no more of a disadvantage than lifting your crossbow on a deer. Drawing on deer is only a recurve problem, not for compounds where you can have your pin on that deer at full draw for 5 minutes. The lack of drawing on a crossbow provides no advantage.

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Originally Posted by MihajloSimsic

Exactly my view. Drawing on deer is no more of a disadvantage than lifting your crossbow on a deer. Drawing on deer is only a recurve problem, not for compounds where you can have your pin on that deer at full draw for 5 minutes. The lack of drawing on a crossbow provides no advantage.

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Wow when I said that 15yrs back it was pure heresy.. I was drawn and quartered (figuratively) on this very forum. HaHa.

Nice to see guys have proven out that either bow is a great tool and has equally challenging pro and cons.

I went straight from a gun to a cross bow to take advantage of the longer deer season. Do I consider myself a bow hunter (eh....whatever)......I consider myself a guy that likes to take advantage of a longer season to enjoy his time in the woods.

Started 10yrs ago with a used Excalibur Equinox then switched over to the Excalibur Micro 335 about 2 years ago.

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Originally Posted by MihajloSimsic

Exactly my view. Drawing on deer is no more of a disadvantage than lifting your crossbow on a deer. Drawing on deer is only a recurve problem, not for compounds where you can have your pin on that deer at full draw for 5 minutes. The lack of drawing on a crossbow provides no advantage.

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With all due respect, I disagree. Holding a compound at full draw for 5 minutes... that's much easier said than done. A crossbow most certainly brings greater odds of loosing an arrow. In my case I hunt primarily out of a climber and there is an advantage to not having to stand up and draw back. Way less movement when you can stay seated and not have to draw.

On the properties I hunt the biggest challenge is having an encounter with a deer, so on the rare occasion that I do, I want to minimize the chances of it blowing out. As stated I love my compound, it's the only tool I've hunted with, and I will continue to shoot it and hunt with it, but when the season is winding down and I want meat in the freezer I will start start hunting with my newly acquired Equinox.

This wasn't intended to be a "what's easier to hunt with" thread.

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Originally Posted by ride.lift.shoot

I will start start hunting with my newly acquired Equinox.

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Congrats. That is a bomber crossbow that will provide many years of service. Arguably one of the most reliable/accurate crossbows ever made by Excalibur.

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Originally Posted by ride.lift.shoot

With all due respect, I disagree. Holding a compound at full draw for 5 minutes... that's much easier said than done. A crossbow most certainly brings greater odds of loosing an arrow. In my case I hunt primarily out of a climber and there is an advantage to not having to stand up and draw back. Way less movement when you can stay seated and not have to draw.

On the properties I hunt the biggest challenge is having an encounter with a deer, so on the rare occasion that I do, I want to minimize the chances of it blowing out. As stated I love my compound, it's the only tool I've hunted with, and I will continue to shoot it and hunt with it, but when the season is winding down and I want meat in the freezer I will start start hunting with my newly acquired Equinox.

This wasn't intended to be a "what's easier to hunt with" thread.

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I agree. The compound is definitely harder, but not that it really matters, that's not what this is about. I just feel guys over complicate the concept of drawing on an animal. The 5 minutes was definitely an exaggeration, it's closer to 2 minutes which is more than enough time, I usually don't lift my crossbow even that early. However I do love climbers, they're the most easy, safe and comfortable stand imho, but hard to stand up out of. But next time you sit in a stand with your compound I'd highly recommend a tree peg hanging stand or a tree saddle, requires no standing before shooting.

MS - I've looked into saddles a bunch and have been tempted to try. Have you used them? Pro's? Con's? Are they comfortable for long sits?
I recently got permission to a farm in 81A and covering the cut corn doesn't offer any suitable trees for the climber, so plan on hunting the ground a little bit more with xbow too.

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Originally Posted by ride.lift.shoot

MS - I've looked into saddles a bunch and have been tempted to try. Have you used them? Pro's? Con's? Are they comfortable for long sits?
I recently got permission to a farm in 81A and covering the cut corn doesn't offer any suitable trees for the climber, so plan on hunting the ground a little bit more with xbow too.

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Unfortunately cannot say I've tried one but I've looked into them for backpacking hunts where carrying a stand is inconcieveable. I've talked with people and they've all said they're comfortable and very compact. It really seems like a treestand someone designed for compound hunters.
Yeah that's my one issue with climbers, not a lot of options for trees and LOTS of cutting lol.
For farm field sits? I can say I've killed more deer from the ground by a field than a treestand by a field. A treestand definitely helps with those close encounters, but the one place I'd choose a ground sit is on a field.