Scorpyd Aculeus 460 most underrated crossbow

[GW11]

Honestly... how much "skill" does it take to make a 70 yard shot with a scope? That's pretty basic. Skill set doesn't really matter here. A deer doesn't even need to "jump the string" at 70 yards (yes it's a misnomer), it only has to decide to keep walking around the same time you decide to shoot and you're in trouble.

A relatively minor problem at 20 yards becomes a massive problem at 70, and it could be entirely out of your control. The deer moves at the wrong moment, you miss by a couple of inches at 20 yards, maybe a foot or more at 70. That much should be easily understood by anyone who hunts with a bow of any kind. Skills, string jump, noise of the bow and all else aside, the distance involved with a "slow" projectile makes it a risky shot. Yes... 460 fps is still slow.

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[hockeymjt]

This read is making me feel like a complete rookie, and/or is destroying my confidence.
I use a both an APA compound and an Excalibur Micro.
I practise ALOT and I do mean a lot, with both bows.
I would feel 150% comfortable shooting the xbow at 60 yards all day at a stationary TARGET, and I do it, and at that range I am within a toonie, going to 65 yards it becomes an orange, 70 a grapefruit.
With the compound I am good out to approx. 45 yards...
I have only ever shot my bow past 30 yards once, 37 to be exact, it was a quarter away and did double lung, quarter away allows me to a little more forgiving, too far back on entrance is going to be perfect on the exit..... With the xbow I have never shot anything further than 30-32 yards.
When I get in my tree for the first time each year and usually confirm a couple times a season,I will range landmarks for distances.
Last year I had an opportunity at a large buc, 10 point at 52 yards, I almost took the shot but when I raised my eye from the scope over the scope to the dear, I became confused which tree was 50 55 and 60, at the very last second I decided to pass on the deer in fear I was making a quess on the distance, due to confusion, as it turned out after he walked away I was correct in my marker but disappointed as I was I was happy that I did not take the shot and spend the next two days tracking and chasing.
This year, I had the perfect opportunity at an extremely large 8 point, biggest deer I have ever laid my eyes on in real life, he stood at 35 yards and it was the perfect set up, raised the bow, quartering away, ( I was drooling) and then noticed a small bush and was worried that one of the little branches may deflect my arrow, so I passed. He began to walk towards me on an angle, I stopped him at 22 yards, but when he stopped he side stepped and it was a quartering to me shot, I passed, I find that shot placement is too risky for error. too far back Ive hit guts or even worse that empty space where yes you may hit an artery but that makes it a walking bait pile for yotes....

I don't need to kill an animal, I don't need a trophy, I don't need the meat, what I do need is the time in the woods to get me away from the hazzles of the normal day, to relax, I love being in the bush and love hunting....I love eating venison and bear, just love those sunday lunches with a wild game sausage and a few pepperettes, or great bowl of chili after digging out of todays snowstorm, or a nice smoked roast dinner....But when I chew I don't need to be reminded that the animal I am eating went thru a horrific exit to life....That's me, and only me,,,,,,,,

Sir if you can with all the confidence in the world shoot a dear or any animal at 70 yards, my hat goes off to you,,,however I can not help but wonder if we would be reading your tales regarding a wounded animal....
If you have never lost an animal, you will one day, I think we all do, I have it is GUT wrenching, to me it would make it worse if it was a low percentage shot like a 70 yard shot....hell thinking about it I wont shot my shotgun past 100 yards and even to do that everything would be perfect.....
The problem with perfect is it only becomes the adjective when the results are what we want them to be...Perfect set up , perfect shot, why because the animal has been harvested ethically...and again everyone's ethics are different..
Ive have learned 70% of my hunting morales and ethics from these forums reading and learning form others, and I would caution you to not makes this a habit as eventually an animal is going to walk away with an arrow in its neck, or and that my friend is a sickening experience.
And if this has happened to you or it does happen to you and you are the type to just shrug their shoulders and think oh well, then not only myself but everyone here has just wasted their time and effort....

Why not challenge your self differently, you know you can do the 70 yard shot, why not set a goal and say you are not going to take a shot on any animal that is outside of 20 yards,...Enjoy archer hunting the way it is meant to be.....getting as close to the animal as you can....even if you don't shot an animal, or you get busted, the adrenaline rush from being that close is equally as exciting as taking the shot..
Congrats on the harvest,,,,enjoy!
In the future, I would caution you at making this a habit

[Gilroy]

And while we speak about ethics and people needing "lots to learn". Based on your past posts it appears you bait deer with carrots, now it's legal from what I know but it's a huge risk for spreading CWD and other diseases between deer (infact it's the main vessel of infection). Infact the MNR put out a notice warning hunters against baiting deer due to spreading CWD, which you either didn't know about (which I doubt) or you simply ignored it.

A little off topic here but I think you have to consider "where" you hunt and where other people hunt.Looking at your posts I believe your probably hunting in farm country where deer are being hunted over corn fields as so forth.You have lots of open area,s to see deer and less obstructions.But my point is your essentially hunting over a food plot either way and your deer population is extremely high compared to big woods deer hunting. So for us big deer hunters using bail piles brings up your success rate as you might only have a couple of deer for 100 acres.The hunting is much more challenging because of low numbers and for a bow hunter lots more obstructions.This I could only prove to you if you hunted a few days in the big woods up north.

[gbk]

This read is making me feel like a complete rookie, and/or is destroying my confidence.
I use a both an APA compound and an Excalibur Micro.
I practise ALOT and I do mean a lot, with both bows.
I would feel 150% comfortable shooting the xbow at 60 yards all day at a stationary TARGET, and I do it, and at that range I am within a toonie, going to 65 yards it becomes an orange, 70 a grapefruit.
With the compound I am good out to approx. 45 yards...
I have only ever shot my bow past 30 yards once, 37 to be exact, it was a quarter away and did double lung, quarter away allows me to a little more forgiving, too far back on entrance is going to be perfect on the exit..... With the xbow I have never shot anything further than 30-32 yards.
When I get in my tree for the first time each year and usually confirm a couple times a season,I will range landmarks for distances.
Last year I had an opportunity at a large buc, 10 point at 52 yards, I almost took the shot but when I raised my eye from the scope over the scope to the dear, I became confused which tree was 50 55 and 60, at the very last second I decided to pass on the deer in fear I was making a quess on the distance, due to confusion, as it turned out after he walked away I was correct in my marker but disappointed as I was I was happy that I did not take the shot and spend the next two days tracking and chasing.
This year, I had the perfect opportunity at an extremely large 8 point, biggest deer I have ever laid my eyes on in real life, he stood at 35 yards and it was the perfect set up, raised the bow, quartering away, ( I was drooling) and then noticed a small bush and was worried that one of the little branches may deflect my arrow, so I passed. He began to walk towards me on an angle, I stopped him at 22 yards, but when he stopped he side stepped and it was a quartering to me shot, I passed, I find that shot placement is too risky for error. too far back Ive hit guts or even worse that empty space where yes you may hit an artery but that makes it a walking bait pile for yotes....

I don't need to kill an animal, I don't need a trophy, I don't need the meat, what I do need is the time in the woods to get me away from the hazzles of the normal day, to relax, I love being in the bush and love hunting....I love eating venison and bear, just love those sunday lunches with a wild game sausage and a few pepperettes, or great bowl of chili after digging out of todays snowstorm, or a nice smoked roast dinner....But when I chew I don't need to be reminded that the animal I am eating went thru a horrific exit to life....That's me, and only me,,,,,,,,

Sir if you can with all the confidence in the world shoot a dear or any animal at 70 yards, my hat goes off to you,,,however I can not help but wonder if we would be reading your tales regarding a wounded animal....
If you have never lost an animal, you will one day, I think we all do, I have it is GUT wrenching, to me it would make it worse if it was a low percentage shot like a 70 yard shot....hell thinking about it I wont shot my shotgun past 100 yards and even to do that everything would be perfect.....
The problem with perfect is it only becomes the adjective when the results are what we want them to be...Perfect set up , perfect shot, why because the animal has been harvested ethically...and again everyone's ethics are different..
Ive have learned 70% of my hunting morales and ethics from these forums reading and learning form others, and I would caution you to not makes this a habit as eventually an animal is going to walk away with an arrow in its neck, or and that my friend is a sickening experience.
And if this has happened to you or it does happen to you and you are the type to just shrug their shoulders and think oh well, then not only myself but everyone here has just wasted their time and effort....

Why not challenge your self differently, you know you can do the 70 yard shot, why not set a goal and say you are not going to take a shot on any animal that is outside of 20 yards,...Enjoy archer hunting the way it is meant to be.....getting as close to the animal as you can....even if you don't shot an animal, or you get busted, the adrenaline rush from being that close is equally as exciting as taking the shot..
Congrats on the harvest,,,,enjoy!
In the future, I would caution you at making this a habit

One of the BEST, if not THE BEST post i ever set my eyes on ,on this forum.
Way to go!!!!

SIR ,You are a true Sportsman!

[MikePal]

x2 ... Nicely put hockymjt..

[DanO]

X3
Well thought out post! Some great logic in there.

[kk1]

Very well written post hockymjt!

Im sure in a few more years of hunting he will figure out what everyones trying to show/tell him. I just hope he doesn't learn the hard way by loosing an animal.

[LowbanksArcher]

X4
A very refreshing post of what bowhunting is supposed to be, hockeymjt.

[hockeymjt]

Thanks all but it is what I have learned from all of you and maybe just sugar coated a bit of the language....thank you for all being here to make us a little wiser

[bester]

Like others have said, CWD is very unlikely to spread into Ontario and I sure hope it doesn't. Locals up there have been feeding the deer throughout the winter for years to help them get through the tough winters. Infact, the ministry used to supplement landowners with deer food and put feeders out. And to clarify, I wasn't hunting over the carrots, just viewing. In our opinion when the deer get to this yard they have reached the finish line and deserve a break.