A few questions about crossbows?

[kpr]

Hello, new guy here from Nova Scotia.
I am a hunter with both rifle and bow, and soon to be crossbow.
I would like to get some info from users of crossbows to share with other hunters in Nova Scotia.

Some info....
Presently crossbows are illegal to possess in a wildlife habitat in NS.
It has been put to DNR by out Hunters and Anglers Federation to allow hunting with one in the General Open Rifle Season.(This is simply a recommendation so far...)

We have been discussing this on our local hunting forum some feel they should be in the early bow season/some don't...bowhunters assoc. especially.
Presently there is no Assoc. representing crossbows in the province and no experienced users to give us info, to get that info...here I am.
This has become a very "heated" discussion on our board I'm sure by reading here that you have experienced before.
Some examples...
Not a bow...
Manufacturers want them in archery season to sell more....
Very little practice needed/buy one in the morning hunt in the afternoon...
50+yds with scopes...
If put in archery season kill rates will rise and season will be shortened...
Landowners will post land no crossbows or no hunting...
Far more hunting accidents...
and on and on.....

So my questions....

What is the effective/ethical kill range of a bear or deer?

"I" realize that it is up to the individual but,
How long does it take to become proficient enough to be hunting big game with a crossbow?
("shooting bulls @ 50yds inside a 1/2 hr out of the box" is one comment against)

Can you fire offhand or does the bow need to be rested?

In Canada is it required to register a crossbow as it is with firearms but not bows?

kpr

[Dunn14]

kill range depends on the hunter 30 yards is my max for whitetail.
I don't know about firing offhand, I haven't tried.
you do not have to register crossbows.you don't need a PAL or POL either, I bought one and I'm 14.

[kpr]

Thanks Dunn14

That is also one of the yea/pro side arguments that having crossbows that may go unregistered the same as vertical bows quite possibly it may help with dwindling hunter numbers.
When registration came along I believe we lost quite a few to it as they didn't want the bother.

Would you be hunting now if you had to go through registration and stuff to hunt with a firearm?

Another question....

The Bowhunters Assoc. has "recommended" that the Bow Instructors have no part in instructing the safety/hunters course for crossbows, therefore having the Firearms safety instructors teaching the course.
The reasoning behind this is to distance crossbow from bow season as far as possible...I.E. no relation between the two whatsoever.

As crossbow hunters which do you feel would be better for teaching this course...Bow instructors or firearm instructors?

[Cossack]

Kill distance depends on individaul, of course. I feel fconfident at 30 yards although I practice out to 50. Not likely I'd take a shot that far.
While I could shoot to 20 yards in a relatively short time, I did have some residual efect from having been a bow hunter. I practice daily most of the summer. I preder to shoot offhand and practice so I feel confident about my skills.
I'm from Minnesota where a permit is required based on dr. certification re not being able to repeatedly pull vertical bow. However this year the DNR changed regs to allow X bow during rifle season for anyone.
It's a shame that archers tend to line up against one another on this issue. Many vertical bow hunters shoot out to 70 yards and shoot bows with 85% let off so can be held relatively long. That's a far cry from early bows, yet they want it to themselves and not allow others (even those who are incapable of pulling a bow) the opportunity to hunt.
I had to give up regular bows long time ago due to injured shoulders. I migrated to handguns and muzzleloaders but it's not the same. The X bow is a godsend which enables me to enjoy hunting "up close".

[OneShot]

Kpr

This is a good time to post an ethical hunting topic, especialy this "not true archery " statement.

I have always asked these bow hunters,

Does your bow have cams?

So what let off is it to let you hold your aim longer?

Do you use fibre optic sights?

How about an arrow rest?

And your arrows , are they wood , aluminum or carbon?

Many more question can be aimed at these so called traditional hunters.

If they could say any of these modern improvements are used; how can they say that they hunt traditionally?

My response is ; let "Us" hunters argue with the anti's not among oursellves.

We have enough hunters quiting because of governemnt and anti harrassament!

Oneshot......

[Pydpiper]

I shoot a compound and a crossbow, Crossbow is fun to shoot (a lot of fun!) but the compound is faster, quieter and capable of shooting farther and flatter. Doesn't take a whole lot of thought to realize that regardless of what launches the arrow it is still just an arrow, a crossbow doesn't have a magical way of keeping an arrow in flight, as a matter of fact it is quite the opposite, a crossbow arrow loses steam much faster than a compound.
Your best bet is to get a crossbow and shoot it, then you wont have to wonder about the small stuff like who teaches the courses, how far they shoot or how long it takes to learn to shoot it. The "buy it in the morning and hunt in the afternoon" thing is true with all weapons, those people are called slobs and it happens with every weapon. I rank those people right up there with the ones who think crossbows are more like a gun than a bow. It is unfortunate we live in a world of ignorance, but a fact all the same.
If you shoot a bow then go buy a crossbow, you will enjoy it, I promise. Before you know it you will be able to hunt with one where you live, progress is an unwavering force, and a crossbow is just a bow, like any other.
Welcome to the forum, stick around for a bit.. Don't let the anti's get you down or think you are discussing a sport that is anything but bowhunting, the arrow needs to hit the same spot from the same distance, in any form of archery it is what is between your ears that makes you a bow hunter, not what is in your hands.

[kpr]

Actually the ones kind of "leading the charge" against having them in archery season are in fact Trad hunters.

The ethical question I did ask concerning this is when they mention range finding scopes and stuff comparing a crossbow to a rifle....

Why not?
If you can help to ensure a quick ethical kill with less room for error that is something we as hunters should all strive for.

I can tell you at first I was a "fence sitter" on this issue but after reading the propaganda these guys are posting against crossbows and bringing fwd no credible info other than heresay...well, here I am...lol.
I love new challenges and to me hunting with a crossbow would be a new challenge.

Piper...
Unfortunately it is illegal to posses a crossbow in a game habitat.
I think 98% of NS is game habitat, the rest is inside city/town limits.
Where I live and practice with my compound is definately game habitat.
I will call DNR tomorrow and do some checking into it though as this info comes from what I have heard from...the "other" side.

[wabi]

Just my on the subject.

I've shot and hunted with traditional (longbow & recurve), compound, and crossbow. They are all just a way to launch arrows, and it's the arrow that does the killing. All bows have severe limitations, and though some are more efficient at transferring the energy put into their limbs by the user's muscles, overall they all are very similar in range, accuracy, and effectiveness. The compound and crossbow may have a shorter "learning curve" for many users, but it is really up to the individuals abilities and dedication to practice that determines how good he/she is with any of them.

[Grizzly Adam]

Welcome to the forum, KPR ... a place where people have their heads screwed on straight about crossbows!

The antis are nuts.

Crossbows compared to a rifle? What a joke!

The most ballistically inefficient rifle with a looping rainbow trajectory shoots like a laser compared to the fastest crossbow!

As for scopes, any used on a crossbow need to be very low power, or else they're a disadvantage in the field, in actual hunting situations.

The comparison to compounds is apples to apples, trajectory and performance-wise. Crossbows are bows ... very short-limbed, stout bows affixed horizontally to a stock ... thus the term "bow."

I don't think crossbows offer much advantage over a compound, unless something prevents you from using a compound. They're heavy, awkward, slow to load, and very noisy. When outfitted with a quiver and especially with the much-hyped rangefinder and bipod, etc., they are incredibly bulky compared to a compound. The vertical bow feels like a wand in your hand by comparison!

That being said, crossbows do what they do well. They eliminate all the troublesome hand and wrist torque associated with the draw on vertical bows. They also eliminate nock-travel problems, and virtually eliminate fish-tailing and porpoising of the arrow.

All rules of good rifle shooting apply to shooting the crossbow because of it's being on a stock:

Proper hold and cheek weld
Proper sight picture
Proper breathing
Proper trigger squeeze
Proper follow-through (especially so compared to a rifle)

So ... you see that the crossbow is a bow, which performs like a bow, that you shoot like a rifle.

It's no big deal. It''s no big threat.

All the controversy is one huge bunch of bull.

It's one of those "me, me, me" arguments ... all about them having it their way. What a bunch of babies.

Statistics, common sense and experience prove that crossbows haven't hurt a thing in areas where they've been legalized.

Just hold on. The day of the ancient crossbow has come. You'll be able to use one legally soon enough.

[VixChix]

A bit off topic, but I just wanted to jump in with a woman`s perspective: The crossbow makes it much easier for a woman to bowhunt in our cold Canadian weather. I`m a woman who loves winter but has trouble staying warm - I couldn`t sit out for hours in the cold and then still be able to draw and hold and still shoot accurately. In shooting a vertical bow I had trouble with the bulky too-long sleeves of my jackets (I`m wearing men`s jackets - good luck trying to find any decent-fitting, warm, and affordable women`s sized hunting clothing!) I also found it tough to draw and shoot wearing gloves - they interfered with the release.

After one very short season of trying to hunt with a vert. I switched to xbow because I felt I owed it to the animal to be as accurate, efficient and expedient as possible. The xbow helped eliminate many of the problems I struggled with, and it lets me hunt longer in the colder weather.

[Grizzly Adam]

Yeah ... I'm sure the crossbow is easier for everyone in cold-weather climes, because it can be tough for a strong man to draw a hunting weight bow after sitting in the cold for hours! In that sense the crossbow would be especially good for kids, women, smaller and weaker guys, and the injured or disabled. I'm glad they're available and legal for you Canucks!

[awshucks]

Xbow use in the USA has expanded from 3 states to something like 11 just in the past few years. It's a complex situation, most allow them for disabled, some others allow them during gun seasons, all constantly changing for the better. In no state that has allowed them have any seasons been shortened or bag limits decreased. The telling fact for most is that in the states that keep track, the harvest stats are nearly identical, w/in a per cent or two for xbows and verticle bows. IOW, no net advantage to either. A few states have allowed them for aging hunters [WI and MD] and have had huge increases in license sales.

[BigTiny]

Another question....

The Bowhunters Assoc. has "recommended" that the Bow Instructors have no part in instructing the safety/hunters course for crossbows, therefore having the Firearms safety instructors teaching the course.
The reasoning behind this is to distance crossbow from bow season as far as possible...I.E. no relation between the two whatsoever.

As crossbow hunters which do you feel would be better for teaching this course...Bow instructors or firearm instructors?

I think they have firearms instructors teaching the crossbow course because the mechanics of carrying and shooting the crossbow are more similar to firearms. It makes sense to me. As far as any political agenda for the decision, who knows? The recommendation coming from the Bowhunters Assoc. could be a clue, or it could be they think bow instructors wouldn't be competent enough to teach the course for crossbows.

[kpr]

Myself I kinda thought it would be alot better for a bowhunter to teach the course.
They themselves would be taught by experienced instructors from away and probably pass on more understanding of the importance of precise shot placement and distance restrictions/tracking being bow hunters.
There is no shooting involved on our firearms course where as there is in the bowhunters course.
Logisticaly economicaly and ballisticaly alot easier to setup for bows than rifle

Is it practical/possible to spot and stalk with a crossbow?
Is the bolt held effectively on the rail for walking/stalking?


Great answers/info so far guys..and girls.
Thanks.

[BigTiny]

I think spot and stalk would be just as effective with a xbow as it is with a vert bow. It is harder to navigate brush with the xbow. I haven't done any spot and stalk with the xbow because it's been too dry here and the leaves are too crunchy. I carry my bow out with me when I check the feeders and the bolt has never even come out of contact with the string, so I wouldn't worry about it being secure to the rail. I have come to the realization that these bows are engineered very well.