My first bow should be...

[Mr.Boiler]

So, getting back into hunting after a loooong time. Growing up I came from a family of hunters that were strictly riflemen. With the regulations now and the very short season for rifles I've been thinking bow hunting. Some WMUs that means a 3 month season not two weeks.
So from some of you more experienced bow hunters what would be a good first bow? Crossbow or compound? This would be based on overall cost, maintenance and effectiveness.
Thanks for any help!

[Lucas]

I did the same thing last year and I can tell you it was a good choice. I spent a lot of time looking into the pro's and con's of compound vs. crossbow and each has some good points. In the end I when with a compound bow. I like that if you miss you can get an new arrow ready with little movement and have a chance for a second shot. I feel safer knowing my bow has no chance of falling out of the tree and shooting me by accident. I also found that with crossbows they seem front heavy and holding it up for any length of time will reduce my aim (I am told there are some that don't feel front heavy).
The best thing will all ways be to just go to a place were you can tryout a bunch of different bow and see what feels and works best for you. I when to the store with a particular bow in mind but after shooting it and others I couldn't buy it. It didn't feel right in hand and the one I did get just seemed to fit me perfect. All the major bow manufactures make good bows so don't worry about who makes it and just make sure to get one that shoots well for you.

[buckluck_9pt]

well, you are going to have to put in some time shooting different bows.. I shot both and currently shoot an Excalibur crossbow.. I like both but can't do the compound after shoulder surgery, and I am fine with that... bow have advantages and disadvantages.. I know a lot of people who shoot and hunt with both.. compound for early season and crossbow once it gets cold and pulling a compound gets harder when you have multiple layers on... now that depend on what you want to spend.. I would say this though, spend a little extra cash and get a top quality bow.. you get what you pay for and when looking, review the bow company's customer service.. if and when something goes wrong, you want to make sure the company has your back.. you can find some top quality compounds and crossbows now a days.. don't let people tell you the crossbows are too heavy, Excalibur has a line of matrix and micro's that are compact, fast and deadly accurate.. best of luck and let us know what you decide on..

[buckluck_9pt]

[QUOTE=Lucas;918145] I feel safer knowing my bow has no chance of falling out of the tree and shooting me by accident.


you are kidding right?? if you hunt with a crossbow and have a bolt in the thing, always have your safety on... yes crossbows sometimes are front heavy ( mostly compound crossbows) but in terms of affecting your aim, you would have to be holding it up for some time.. the same could be said about holding a compound bow at full draw for 30 seconds or more.... I have shot both and I could hold a crossbow up in aim position and hold steady far far longer than I could hold my compound bow at full draw... just sayin

[Lucas]

No I'm not kidding about how I feel on safety. The safety on a crossbow or a gun is not a guaranty that the weapon will not ever have and accidental discharge. Take a quick look on online and you can see many examples of safety switches not stooping a weapon from shooting. Add to that a fall from a tree stand and a it is a very real possibility.

I'm not saying someone should never hunt with one I'm just saying that was one consideration when I was looking to buy. The op was looking for people to give their opinions to help him decide what to get. Your opinion and mine don't have to be the same.

[JUDGE]

Get an Excalibur crossbow . You will not be sorry.

[buckluck_9pt]

No I'm not kidding about how I feel on safety. The safety on a crossbow or a gun is not a guaranty that the weapon will not ever have and accidental discharge. Take a quick look on online and you can see many examples of safety switches not stooping a weapon from shooting. Add to that a fall from a tree stand and a it is a very real possibility.

I'm not saying someone should never hunt with one I'm just saying that was one consideration when I was looking to buy. The op was looking for people to give their opinions to help him decide what to get. Your opinion and mine don't have to be the same.

I did a search and not a single video I found of a crossbow safety not working. if it's an issue there is also an ADF ( anti dry fire) that could be added.. our opinions don't have to be the same, I am just saying that the , maybe less than 1% of incidents where a safety ( like I say, mostly guns as I have yet to see a crossbow safety issue) not working is definitely fixable, not a deterrent to someone buying a crossbow.. plus a possible drop of a crossbow from a stand , to get "shot" by it accidentally it would have to drop perfectly straight down hitting the butt end on the ground.. extremely highly unlikely.. like I say, we don't have to agree but to say that this is a safety concern ( getting shot by it falling out of the stand) is absolutely asinine

[buckluck_9pt]

Get an Excalibur crossbow . You will not be sorry.

I agree ... they are the #1 crossbow in the world for a reason...

[Mdiddi]

I went compound. I have healthy shoulders and back and like the idea I can fire a dozen in little time and go collect them. We do it as a family. Helps you to get good fast.

You can do the same thing with the crossbow just more time involved in putting the next arrow in. Depending on what time you have to practice that might be a factor in your decision as IMHO I believe a compound would take more time than a cross.

[buckluck_9pt]

I went compound. I have healthy shoulders and back and like the idea I can fire a dozen in little time and go collect them. We do it as a family. Helps you to get good fast.

You can do the same thing with the crossbow just more time involved in putting the next arrow in. Depending on what time you have to practice that might be a factor in your decision as IMHO I believe a compound would take more time than a cross.

yes, the compound takes far more time to shoot and be consistent than that of a crossbow.. I do miss shooting the compound, would shoot 200-300 arrows a week out of my hoyt.. but I like the scoped crossbow, far more accurate and consistent, especially over time.. having good shoulders and back will make compound shooting much more enjoyable..