Use whatever you want. I love it all. Each tool has it own pros and cons. Check out the Excalibur GRZ 2 with msrp $549. Or watch Cabela's as they sell refurbished excaliburs. Excalibur lifetime warranty comes with the refurbished ones. I have several crossbows and have come to completely trust Excalibur. I shoot the micro 335 and 355 now.

Picked up a centerpoint sniper 370 today. Cabelas had them on sale for $249. Cheapest I could find online was $232 but it wasn't assembled. They have a cheaper Barnett jackal on sale for $209 right now, which is what I went to get, and the archery manager, who surprisingly, seemed very knowledgeable for a cabelas employee talked me into the centerpoint. I read literally hundreds of reviews today since I bought it to make sure I didn't want to take it back, and every single review was positive.

Good choice on the Sniper 370, IMO a much better bow than the Jackal

What are some good budget sub $200 set ups?

Based on a ton of research I did, there isn't one. Unless you find a $300 used bow for sale for $200.

The Barnett Recruit gets good reviews and it is under $200.

Crossbow hunting is not bowhunting. It can still be very fun but it's NOT bowhunting or archery. And yep I'm old school

Actually recurves and longbows Is real bowhunting all them wheelie bows is cheating!
Just kidding. Enjoy what you shoot! As far as extended ranges. Meh...

Very true, Compound bows when they were introduced got the same complaints as crossbows do these days.

If it is legal and gets more out hunting all is good. Crossbows predate compounds by about 2000 years.

Whats funny is most of those that talk down crossbows shoot a compound bow.
Most recurve archers I've known couldn't care less what anyone shoots...They just love the sport.

Was in a shop and heard one guy saying don't get a crossbow it is cheating. I ask the young guy why he considered it cheating and he went into the usual spill, then I ask what bow he uses and ofcourse he said Mathews. I walked over and picked up a recurve and handed it to him and said do not call it cheating unless you shoot a mans bow to which hhe said nobody uses those things. When I said I do his Dad burst out laughing at him son's stuttering

The main difference that was always argued was that the crossbow was cheating because you don't have to draw and be detected by the game, but that argument doesn't quite hold up anymore with the modern compounds that are out there now.
With a super light weight compound that lets off at 80% you can draw before the deer enters your shooting lane, and if the buck freezes you can just brace the bow at full draw against your knee and take the weight off your arms until he decides to move.....Been there, done it, with the older style heavier compounds.
I started bowhunting traditional in my teens, before compounds came onto the scene, and yes I'm that old, and jumped onto the compound bandwagon for several decades, and as shoulder problems and old age took over, I went to the crossbow.
I've now come full circle, and back to where it started with the recurve, having taken game with all three of them too numerous to count.

Compounds and crossbows are both cheating. Using a compound is cheating less, though.

How old school? Hmm

There is written history about the crossbow dating back to the 4th Century BC. I would consider that pretty old school.

Crossbow is not bow hunting you don't have to draw it and it has a scope on it just prop it up on some shooting sticks aim and pull the trigger no different then a rifle except they have to be closer !

Do you use a compound or Traditional bow?

I have both. A couple of years ago I was going to invest in a new bow, but then decided to use that money and buy a nice compound setup.

Back several years ago I spent time every evening practicing with my bow, most evenings shooting 30+ arrows from different positions and stations. With work and kids I just can't devote that time to practice right now. Yeah, there are times I feel that I am cheating by not devoting as much time to practice, but I still want to be in the field on October 1 as opposed to November 1, so I use the compound where I can be proficient and more ethical. Shooting a deer with my compound without adequate+ practice is not a good option for me.

It is a shortcut, I agree, but legal and ethical, so I choose to use for now. When time allows, I will probably go buy a new compound and restart my practice regiment.

I'm not against any of them. That said I agree with P&Y on the cross bow. If you choose to go that way then I think it's great you're in the woods hunting. I would rather you shoot a cross bow accurately than a compound or traditional bow inaccurately. But just like my rifle kills don't mean the same to me as my compound kills my traditional kills mean more to me than the compound kills. I just have to be better and work harder to do it right. But it doesn't make anyone less of a hunter or a human than I am just because I choose a different tool to hunt with.

When I first started bowhunting back in the mid 1980's, I hunted with a Bear whitetail eccentric wheeled bow. I would climb up a mesquite tree in my treebark camo to hide. I had no sights and shot my deer by "gun barreling" the arrow at the deer at less than 20 yards. I killed many deer in my first 10 years hunting like this. NOW, hunters have the BEST bows with the best sites hiding in the best pop up ground blinds. Wouldn't this be considered cheating? Crossbows, to me, make it easier to lift and shoot. Also, you can hunt earlier and later during low light hours because of a good cross hair scope. I now hunt with a crossbow and prefer to sit in a tree or ladder stand. I like to sit up high and be out in the open and not in a ground pop-up blind.

Just ordered my first bow of any sort and it's a crossbow. I was leaning towards a Compound bow because of the string breakage issue on crossbows. But with the Ravin having great reviews and some slight tissue damage on my left arm the decision was made for me.

I may still pick up a compound to fart around at the lease but can't seriously practice. I used to be a once a week golfer and have given that up to.

Quit judging so much. Need to be more inclusive in this community as we have enough people trying to shut us down. Sure I judge people too but I try to nurture everyone I meet when they're learning the sport.

im a bow guy... not a crossbow guy...

I purchased a crossbow when it was finally legal to use a few years ago. But I still went with my compound bow, with the exception of last year. When I decided to leave the bow at home and just hunt with the crossbow. Even though I practiced with xbow, I still messed up a 30 yard shot on my target buck. Ended up sticking him high and to the rear in the backstrap. I was disgusted as I know that 99.9% of the time I would have nailed him with my bow. This year, I'm leaving the xbow just for guests and hunting with the compound.

I love the novelty of the crossbow, but the bow is now my go to. Good luck!

I purchased a crossbow when it was finally legal to use a few years ago. But I still went with my compound bow, with the exception of last year. When I decided to leave the bow at home and just hunt with the crossbow. Even though I practiced with xbow, I still messed up a 30 yard shot on my target buck. Ended up sticking him high and to the rear in the backstrap. I was disgusted as I know that 99.9% of the time I would have nailed him with my bow. This year, I'm leaving the xbow just for guests and hunting with the compound.

I love the novelty of the crossbow, but the bow is now my go to. Good luck!

I have a compound bow and crossbow. I can use my compound bow til it gets cold then its time for the crossbow due to my rebuilt shoulder. I cant do much with my shoulder when it gets below 50 for extended periods of time.