New Bow, or Crossbow?

booniemon

booniemon

Member
Right now I gotta decent Darton Apache compound with a ton of upgrades. I'm looking at either upgrading to a a Hoyt, Matthews, or something of the sort. But now there's also the possibility of getting a crossbow, because Wisconsin passed the law that allows not just people with a doctors note, or over the age of 65, but everyone to hunt with a crossbow. I was looking at maybe a TenPoint or maybe a Barnett. So help me NS, what do I get? Don't just say crossbow cuz their cool, cuz I do like practicing with a compound, and the skill required.
 
Zing_Toys_Z-Curve_Bow___Arrow_SetxfyStandard.jpg
 
Go with a Hoyt. As an avid bowhunter, I will tell you that a crossbow is NOT bowhunting. Not in any way. A crossgun is a much more apt name for it. You aim it, pull the trigger, and the bolt flies. You can even put a scope on it. Bows, even modern compound bows, require practice, proper form, and a solid mental game. Crossguns have no place in the bow season, even if they are legal.

I shoot Hoyt but honestly bows from all major manufacturers these days are really good. Hoyt, Matthews, PSE, whatever works for you. If you have a decent bow that is tuned well with good accessories, why not put the money into something else like a nice Lone Wolf treestand? Remember that people have been killing deer with bows for thousands of years. The earliest Jennings compound got the job done just fine, and traditional bows continue to be elegant killing tools.
 
I agree with you, though crossbows are cool and all, but I really enjoy shooting. Im lookin at selling my Darton, and paying the difference for a nicer bow. Not that I need a new bow, or the specs don't work for me, but based on how much I've got into bow hunting, I want something better. What kind of Hoyt setup do you got?
 
My Hoyt was bought new a fair number of years ago. I see no need to upgrade as it performs as well now as when I bought it. Just make sure to wax the string, replace the tubing on the peep sight, etc. I'm shooting a standard setup - stabilizer, release, 3-pin sight, etc. I used to be really into shooting and practiced every day but that, along with hunting, have been largely replaced by other interests recently. I do hope to start shooting more and hunt next season.
 
I have a tenpoint, I'm not going to start arguing if people think crossbows are real bow hunting or not. I myself would much rather hunt with a crossbow than a gun because they are fun as hell to shoot and doesn't take as much skill as a compound.
 
agree with iflip, seriously, if youre gonna hunt with a crossbow, just get a gun.

real bows take so much more skill and practise, a way better achievement in the end.
 
agree with iflip, seriously, if youre gonna hunt with a crossbow, just get a gun.

real bows take so much more skill and practise, a way better achievement in the end.
 
When I was deciding over a bow for hunting I ended up getting a Samick recurve. If I'm using a bow to hunt it's because I want the full experience of traditional bow hunting. Otherwise I'd just use one of my guns. So far I can't complain at all. While I've never used a compound or crossbow to hunt, I just couldn't imagine the feeling being quite the same. Plus I decided if I was to get really good with a bow it would be with a traditional bow of some sort. Now a compound would come super easy if I ever decide to get one. Maybe consider a traditional bow?
 
although I've only hunted small game (with terrible luck with the bow, but always a great time), so my opinion might change once I take my bow out deer hunting.
 
I agree with the fact that hoyts are good bows but I went from a hoyt (model is escaping me at the moment) to a Bowtech Guardian and I felt a HUGE difference in how much more smooth my Bowtech was. I will probably never sell this bow since I love it so much.

But to each his own. Just do your research and find what is the best for your price range but you really can't go wrong with any of the bows listed so far. And please do not get a crossbow that doesn't even count as a bow.
 
Find a price range and go shoot them. They are like rifles, if you stay with the big manufacturers you really won't find a "bad" bow necessarily. 2 weeks of muzzleloader here though just started. If it's brown it's down!
 
It's only 45 lbs pull so not that bad. I've never had to keep it drawn for too long small game hunting though
 
If you want to actually archery hunt don't get a crossbow. The way I look at it is if you can physically draw a bow then you better use a how to hunt. If you can't then get a crossbow, but you probably can so get a bow. I am a pretty avid hunter and right now I have a Parker, but next year I'm going to look at a Hoyt. Don't get a crossbow.
 
Get a longbow! I tried shooting compounds for awhile and while yes it takes skill, I felt like I should just be shooting a gun. Picked up a good longbow and it's the most satisfying thing to shoot, especially when you can consistantly shoot accurately
 
Youre a noob but i actually do hunt with my ak. Well, hunt isnt the right word, its more like kill and leave dead on bumfuck desert roads. Im really good at it. Bunnies go bye bye
 
Crossbows are so much fun. I got a barnett and I dont even hunt. But I play with it all the time. Might hunt in the future but its free to shoot and is like 320 fps
 
I eat cotton tails...the other ones just get left there. Its fun, i dont care if its fucked up or not. Those things are rats
 
Yup, they're rodents that happen to look cute. My parents have a shot ton of them burrowing under their house fucking shit up. Every time I visit I bring my bow or guns and go to town.
 
You're a piece of shit for just shooting for the kill and leaving them there. Fur and meat wasted. People like you give a bad name to hunters.

Plus there are probably laws in your state about wasting meat.

Either way. You're a piece of shit.
 
I prefer a compound bow for hunting if I'm not using my 3006 but crossbows are really fun to just mess around with
 


Its still meat though. The bunnies i leave are garbage. The more of them i kill the better the weaker, but tastier, will be
 
Since your probably a bitch, I would recommend a crossbow. Geoffrey uses one, and you two are probably very similar.
 
There's a difference when you're killing animals that are invasive and destroying an ecosystem vs animals that play a very important role in the ecosystem.
 
What pound recurve are you using?? I have like a 40# I think. I doubt I'd ever use it to deer hunt but I have also thought about taking it bird or small game hunting. Also what are you using for tips?? Blunts? Field points?? Something new and crazy I've never heard of??

To OP, I'd agree with what most others are saying. Buy a new Bow. I'd never get into crossbows myself. Just wouldn't feel like archery.
 
it's 45 pounds. pretty minimal for deer, but still doable. Legally you need minimum 40 for deer here. I'd say pretty perfect for small game.

I use a Judo point for game. Would definitely recommend them. They make finding an arrow a million times easier than using a field point and do give a bit more room for error on something like a grouse. If you graze one with a field point it's flying away and long gone. If you graze one with a judo point you might still be successful. Although I've been told grouse can sometimes fly away with an arrow still stuck in them. Dunno if I believe that though.
 
huh never seen a judo point, looked it up and they are quite interesting.

https://caprasoutdoors.com/archery/archery-arrows-accessories/archery-smallgamearrowheads/g5-small-game-head-3-pack.html

these also look pretty interesting.

I might have to pick up a few small game tips and try it next year.

I could totally see a grouse flying off with an arrow in it. It's our state bird here in PA and they are a pretty burly little animal that's for sure. I've heard stories of them taking a poor shotgun shot and just leaving the scene, feathers flying and all.

thanks for the answer man. What state you hunting anyway?
 
Those tips look pretty good. More lethal than the judo's and don't look too easy to get buried under grass either. Maybe I'll pick some up.

I'm in eastern Ontario. Unfortunately in an area where I couldn't justify taking out any other small game than grouse or rabbit/hare. Deer are plentiful though.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top