I Tried Twice

[Muley Hunter]

Ok, i'm done with crossbows. The 2nd one I bought was a high end xbow that everyone praised. I got it last night. Put it together, fooled with it. Sold it this morning.

I'll stick to muzzleloaders. Recoil and all.

 

[CatamountRob]

Crossbows bore me, I’m not sure why. I love to go in the backyard and shoot a bow, it’s both fun and relaxing. I’ll go to the range anytime and shoot guns, doesn’t matter what, anything from .22’s to high powered rifles to clay target games with shotguns to muzzleloaders. I’ve got a crossbow for deer hunting and I’ll shoot it to make sure it’s sighted in and that’s it, I don’t find them fun or interesting.

 

[deermanok]

I hunt with a crossbow only because I can't operate a vertical bow anymore. Shoulder pain too much to pull back the bow. I do miss my Mathews alot.
I truly love shooting my new 45 caliber rifle though. It's fast becoming my favorite piece.

 

[quake]

Ok, i'm done with crossbows. The 2nd one I bought was a high end xbow that everyone praised. I got it last night. Put it together, fooled with it. Sold it this morning.

I'll stick to muzzleloaders. Recoil and all.

When is the Renegade getting delivered?

 

[Pathfinder60]

Ok, i'm done with crossbows. The 2nd one I bought was a high end xbow that everyone praised. I got it last night. Put it together, fooled with it. Sold it this morning.

I'll stick to muzzleloaders. Recoil and all.

If you don't mind me asking, what were the 2 crossbows you tried?

 

[eekjellander]

Crossbows bore me, I’m not sure why. I love to go in the backyard and shoot a bow, it’s both fun and relaxing. I’ll go to the range anytime and shoot guns, doesn’t matter what, anything from .22’s to high powered rifles to clay target games with shotguns to muzzleloaders. I’ve got a crossbow for deer hunting and I’ll shoot it to make sure it’s sighted in and that’s it, I don’t find them fun or interesting.

I hunt too with bows needing training wheels but next week I start making a hickory self bow , the white oak requires a 1-2yrs drying period . I got enough of both to make a screw up or 3 .See what happens watching youtube , at least the poundage/draw length is up to the guy swinging the axe ./Ed

 

[fishhawk2700]

Crossbows bore me, I’m not sure why. I love to go in the backyard and shoot a bow, it’s both fun and relaxing. I’ll go to the range anytime and shoot guns, doesn’t matter what, anything from .22’s to high powered rifles to clay target games with shotguns to muzzleloaders. I’ve got a crossbow for deer hunting and I’ll shoot it to make sure it’s sighted in and that’s it, I don’t find them fun or interesting.

Three years ago I wound up with a frozen shoulder and I could no longer draw my Mathews. Well, as much as I disliked crossbows I broke down and bought one. After hunting with it for two years all I can say is I HATE IT. I've made up my mind that if I can't draw my Mathews, I will not bow hunt. IMO, the biggest mistake the MDNR made was making crossbows legal the general public. It is all about the money.

 

[Muley Hunter]

If you don't mind me asking, what were the 2 crossbows you tried?

I actually owned 4 but just two recently. The two recent ones were a Excalibur Mag 340. That's the one that turned out to be illegal in Colorado. Draw length was 13" and Colorado has a 14' minimum. The one I just bought and sold right away was a Ravin R10. I can give you a long list of what I didn't like about it but it's not important. It's such a popular bow it was easy to sell and I didn't lose any money.

I did hunt with the two crossbows I had a couple of years ago. I just remembered I had 3 before, so 5 all together. Another Excalibur, Barnett, and a Wicked Ridge. Most guys who use a crossbow will use a ground blind or tree stand. I'm a still hunter no matter what the weapon is. Still hunting with a crossbow is really a pain. They're bulky and heavy. Don't ask me why I kept buying them because I don't know. The Ravin is about as good as you can get and I hated it. The R10 is the lowest price model they make and it was $1500. I didn't find the quality any better than a $400 one. Actually, some of it was worse. However it was fast and that's all crossbow hunter care about. It's silly because no matter how fast a crossbow is you still need to know exactly what yardage the target/game is. 10 yds off and you'll miss. Even a slow muzzleloader is a flat shooting weapon compared to a crossbow.

 

[Muley Hunter]

When is the Renegade getting delivered?

Renegade?

 

[JIMYJAC]

Still shooting compound bow. Bought an Elite last year it is more forgiving an does not want to jerk out of my hand if i creep. I do have an Ecal 310 for backup because my neck will freeze up once in a while from an old injury. But I find the xbow cumbersome. Will shoot my muzzleloaders and bow as long as the good Lord enables me to.
Ah the golden years!

 

[quake]

Renegade?

I meant Hawken, my mistake. You still have a Hawken being shipped to you, correct?

 

[Muley Hunter]

It came and went back right away. It was over 10 lbs.

My back was happy to see it go.

 

[quake]

It came and went back right away. It was over 10 lbs.

My back was happy to see it go.

Yeah I wondered if it would be too heavy. Too bad because they are nice rifles. Oh well you will find something that works for you.

 

[Muley Hunter]

I'm considering a Knight UL with open sights. Just use light loads to keep down the recoil and hunt for just muley's. It sure would be a joy to carry in the mountains and to shoulder it. I could wear a shoulder pad to make the LOP longer.

I know if I use a weapon that's too heavy it's not going to work. No matter how much I grit my teeth and try to make it work.

 

[dbowling]

Why not just buy a White shoot a 460 gr conical with 65/70 gr of powder, will shoot to the other side of a elk more then likely at any distance your going to shoot..

 

[Muley Hunter]

70 gr of powder and a 250gr bullet sounds better.

 

[dbowling]

sabot has more/sharper recoil then a conical to me, conical with that small amount of powder is more like a push. But your the one doing the shooting, hopefully you have it figured out by hunting season

 

[Auto-5]

You are right!!! Crossbows are clumsy, unattractive, and downright dangerous!
But, I can no longer endure the practice a vertical bow requires to be an ethical hunter.
I‘m older, accept my limitations and made the crossbow my friend.
This gets me 6 weeks hunting, most of it just before or during the rut.
Worth it!

 

[Pathfinder60]

Well, it seems you are up against the wall here. I hear what you're saying about the crossbow. They have their limitations...as everything does. And since you seem to be unwilling to adapt your hunting style to it and your physical limitations that narrows your choices even further. Change is a harder thing for some than others to accept. But it is a constant that we can't escape. I wish you well in your quest.

 

[Muley Hunter]

I can't change my style of hunting. It's all I know. Sitting and waiting for the game to come to me is............well.........not hunting. What skill is involved? The ability to not fall asleep?