Nice Buck Angus, would love to the shot or at least entrance on that guy. Looks like you got him in the butt with that pic.

Someone sitting in a blacked-out cube with a compound with pins isn't the same as a person stalking with a trad bow, by that reasoning.

What do you call a guy that hunts with an AR vs bolt action or single shot? What about a guy that hunts wearing camo vs one in a white t shirt and Bahama shorts on? Or one using cover scent vs one that just covers his scent by "passing gas". I have two words for it, "who cares".....

True story. Would rather to hear about a clean kill with a crossbow than to hear about the deer wounded by a novice with a bow, that did not put in the hours

Ok I will play along:
txtrophy, Where does it stop? Isn’t your compound with pins the same to my recurves shot instinctively? I’m not the archery Nazi and don’t want to be but, Buzz was on point. If the seasons for all legal means started and stopped on the same dates, I believe crossbow usage would dwindle significantly. My opinion only but with the exception of physical disability, the vast majority of crossbow hunters would be rifle hunting if the seasons ran concurrently and firearms are legal in their hunting area. On MLD properties where they do run concurrently, I still see numerous hunters that choose to deer hunt with bows instead of firearms. I do not see the same with crossbows. As long as both are legal, I say scratch your itch the way that feels best. My perception is one of a fundamental difference in the two groups motivation for participating.

My honest opinion is that crossbow hunting is not the same as bow hunting. Whether it is archery or not i don’t really care, if “they” deem it acceptable to hunters with crossbows during bow season I think it is fan freaking tastic and I hope it extends your season and puts venison on your table.

I really don’t feel like I give anything up to a crossbow with my compound. It pushes a 454-455 grain arrow 329 feet per second and my broadheads hit with my field points at 60 yards. I can easily shoot 50 yards without a ton of effort or even a LRF.

So what is the difference between that and a crossbow? To me, the main difference is my kid can shoot a crossbow. Or anyone else not blessed with almost 31” of draw, or ability to shoot 90+ pounds. I bet there are a lot of dudes using a cross bow that are way better hunters than I am for that matter. I am happy for them

From a bow hunting perspective, I hunt with my crossbow the same way my son hunts with his compound. We have the same range cut offs for distances shot, we both need strict scent and movement discipline, we both need to be slow to move and have other deer in "danger close" range in order to get the shot done. We also both deal with dink bucks chasing doe around and not giving a good clean shot opportunity most of october, november and december, and we both have the opportunity to make good hits or bad hits of which either can lead to long tracking jobs.

So aside from the draw cycle, how is a crossbow not bow hunting? I always say if the deer know where the shot came from, i didn't do my job right as a hunter. So if I am doing my job, whether I raise a crossbow or pull back on a string, the deer shouldn't know I am there until too late...

My

I have always admired that good archers developed and maintained the strength and muscle control to draw and hold the draw while accurately shooting. The archer has to posses the horsepower to smoothly draw the poundage he shoots at the right time. The archer also at times needs to be able to hold the bow at full draw until the shot materializes. Crossbow, none of that is required. Omitting the draw cycle and hold is a rather large advantage that removes the aspect of physicality. To overlook that is comparing the two through rose colored glasses. There in lies the reasoning behind many, including myself as viewing the two as being vastly different. In today’s world that admiration of physicality is referred to as toxic masculinity by soft people.
I’m not anti crossbow. I just don’t view hunting with them as requiring nearly the skill level or strength required to hunt with a bow.

I might use a crossbow next year. I still won’t call it archery. You can, it doesn’t bother me what you choose or what you call it within the limits of the law

I respect the physicality of true bowhunters also, although I am not one. I also think the guys that really try the old, traditional stuff, long bows, etcetera, are exploring a really cool history.

That being said...I have a neighbor that, according to his ranch's Facebook page, is "strictly" a bowhunter. He's not too much younger than me. But man, he sure loves posting a lot of pictures of himself in a tshirt. (There's one or two like that on here. ) I occasionally check to see if I've seen any of his buck kills on my place. I consider myself a "sponsor", since some of his kills have eaten my protein.

Yes he was walking at 40 yards quarting away. Was aiming for shoulder shot but 2 steps it went in front of the hip and came out just behind the offside shoulder. The bolt hit everything vital for a dead deer. Was the first one I've shot with an arrorw/bolt and it's not over until you can put your hands on them.

with todays let off and softer draw cycles, compounds arent that intrusive. I held this year for over 3 mins, squared off with a big bull. Now grant it 8-20lbs isnt zero, but pulling 75 and holding 11lbs isnt a miracle feat either.

With that said hat tip to anyone wanting to carry one of those crossbows in mountains… thats new level of dedication. I say that if thats only way i could hunt buggling bulls i guess I would

Unfortunately the loud crossbow causes a lot of jumping the string with Texas whitetails resulting in bad hits.

Why not? Crossbows go clear back to the days of King Henry V which is a whole lot longer than the modern compound bow with a 75% let off.

Great question!

As to where it stops, I'm not sure. The states actually created this debacle themselves by calling it an "archery" season. By definition, a crossbow is a form of archery. When many states initiated an archery only season, Compounds didn't exist or had only existed for a short time, as did modern crossbows. Many crossbows of that era had recurve limbs.

And I agree, that many if not most crossbow hunters would be rifle hunters if we just went to a "one season for every weapon" system.


My solution would be this: If a state has a special weapons season, limit the use of optics. A modern inline muzzleloader and an old percussion cap Hawken have about the same effective range when both are wearing open sights, same with a compound and a crossbow both shooting pin sights. I like that Colorado has an open sight only rule for Muzzleloaders.....some of the rifles I see shooting now are nothing more than a single shot centerfire that you have to push a bullet down the barrel.


I'm not the archery Nazi either, but there is a point where there is a Distinct advantage between weapon types and when it comes to the Compound vs. Crossbow debate, the distinct advantage is the optics that most modern crossbows are topped with.


I don't want to get into sitting in a blind vs. stalking as the two fall under the method category. When archery seasons started it was considered very unsportsmanlike in many northern states to sit in a tree to hunt deer, it was only sportsmanlike to hunt from the ground. Now everyone and their brothers are using climbing stands and saddles in places that actually have trees.


I have no issues with anyone using a crossbow, but I think the barrier to entry in terms of skill needed to be able to proficiently kill an animal with a scoped crossbow is significantly lower than that of even a compound bow. An archer using a recurve or longbow is handicapped even further compared to a compound bow, due to the weapons limited range, even by archery standards.



I went to hunt this past spring in Argentina during a "bow only" week they ran prior to the general rifle season. In our two groups there was a mix of Compound shooters and Crossbow shooters. Two of the Crossbow shooters were shooting Raven Crossbows, supported by bog pods wearing 4x scopes. Although our effective range was about the same ( I can shoot a compound bow pretty dang far ) there was no question it was much, much easier to execute an accurate shot with the crossbow than a vertical bow. So much easier, I would have been fine with them using a rifle.

Interesting to read people's opinions but it doesn't really matter "what kind of hunting" we all think it is. Call it what you like. The only thing that really matters is what it is by law so that you know when the season is open for hunting with a crossbow.

I hunted with a crossbow for one season after shoulder surgery prevented me from using my compound. The scope, gunstock, weight and fact that there was no need to draw at the last second (often got busted drawing my compound when a shot presented itself) made it feel very different to the type of archery I was used to even if the distance at which I was prepared to take a shot with either was the same and so, at the same time, I also found it similar to hunting with a compound. Archery or not? Certainly propels an arrow using a string but not sure. Whatever the law says in this case.

Exactly right, in this day and age when the anti's are trying to end hunting all together who cares how you hunt as long as it is legal. If you are one of those people who say xyz isnt abc, then you are part of the problem....not the solution!

Go pick up your participation trophy. That knife cuts both ways.

Archery hunting? Yes.
Bow hunting? No.
Crossbow hunting? Yes