Looking for some insight on buying a crossbow. Due to a nagging injury to my shoulder that I have been fighting with for the past 3 years and hoping it would get better I finally gave in and realized it was time to hangup by compound bow. After the last couple of years just watching deer and not taking any shots due to not being able to hold my bow steady when I went to full draw. This last year I went out west to Wyoming for the first time, something I've always wanted to do. Went after Mule Deer in the Big Horn Mountains. I have not told any of my hunting buddies of my problems I had been struggling with. On four different occasions while up in the mountains I had easy 40 yards or under shots at some really nice bucks and due to my problems I did not take any shots. Finally I had to spill the beans to the guys. Funny thing is just about all of the guys I hunt with I got them started in bow hunting some 25 to 30 years ago.
My hunting buddies are the one's that told me about crossbow hunting and through my doctor I applied for a permit to hunt in Minnesota and was accepted. I still finished the bowhunting season here in Minnesota up to 12/31/07 even though I knew I would not be able to stick a deer - guess it was just to be out there.
So I have been reading up on crossbows and looking at web sites trying to learn as much as I can before I go out and buy one. I have narrowed my search down to Excalibur or Tenpoint crossbows - but have not shot anyone yet. Any words of wisdom on what is best - or what to stay away from? Your knowledge and past experience's would be great to hear, no one knows better about this than the hunters who use it.
New to Crossbows
Moderator: Excalibur Marketing Dude
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MNDeerHunter
- Posts: 80
- Joined: Mon Feb 11, 2008 8:04 pm
- Location: Central Minnesota
Welcome to the site MNDeerHunter.
Lots of guys here shoot all kinds of crossbows, compound bows, traditional bows etc. I think both Excalibur and Ten Point are excellent choices.
The big advantage of Excalibur is you can change the string yourself with a recurve crossbow. With the Ten Point, you have to bring it into a bow shop to change the string with all the pulleys. Think about it, less moving parts = more reliability.
I use a hand pull cocking aid to cock my bow, it cuts the draw weight in half. If your shoulder is really bad you might want to get one of the Crankaroo cocking cranks.
Good Luck, let us know which one you pick.
Lots of guys here shoot all kinds of crossbows, compound bows, traditional bows etc. I think both Excalibur and Ten Point are excellent choices.
The big advantage of Excalibur is you can change the string yourself with a recurve crossbow. With the Ten Point, you have to bring it into a bow shop to change the string with all the pulleys. Think about it, less moving parts = more reliability.
I use a hand pull cocking aid to cock my bow, it cuts the draw weight in half. If your shoulder is really bad you might want to get one of the Crankaroo cocking cranks.
Good Luck, let us know which one you pick.
Last edited by Partikle on Sat Feb 16, 2008 4:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Population Control Specialist
00 Buck - Licensed to kill
00 Buck - Licensed to kill
Welcome to the forum. You almost sound like you're ashamed to go to a crossbow but you shouldn't be! Nothing wrong with a crossbow and you'll find that the challenges you faced will still be there when you use one. Nothing easy about hunting with a crossbow you still have to get real close and sloppy shooting results in the same thing that a compound does.
As far as your choice is a bow you've narrowed it down to the 2 best bows around. The single biggest difference between the two is that a Excal will probably never have to see the bow shop once its in your hands. The Ten Point will with predictability unless you own a bow press. Certainly any maintenance can be done in the field with an Excal.
Start looking and look hard at the Exocet 200 or the Vortex. You will have some long shots where you are hunting so you need something relatively fast and flat. The Exomax and Equinox are faster but the Exocet is tons easier to cock. If you find the Max easy enough that you wouldn't mind smacking some targets then go for it.
All this and more when you go for the Excalibur and you don't have to spend crazy money for a Ten Point.
You'll be getting more advice soon I'm sure.
As far as your choice is a bow you've narrowed it down to the 2 best bows around. The single biggest difference between the two is that a Excal will probably never have to see the bow shop once its in your hands. The Ten Point will with predictability unless you own a bow press. Certainly any maintenance can be done in the field with an Excal.
Start looking and look hard at the Exocet 200 or the Vortex. You will have some long shots where you are hunting so you need something relatively fast and flat. The Exomax and Equinox are faster but the Exocet is tons easier to cock. If you find the Max easy enough that you wouldn't mind smacking some targets then go for it.
All this and more when you go for the Excalibur and you don't have to spend crazy money for a Ten Point.
You'll be getting more advice soon I'm sure.
Some people just like stepping on rakes
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MNDeerHunter
- Posts: 80
- Joined: Mon Feb 11, 2008 8:04 pm
- Location: Central Minnesota
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MNDeerHunter
- Posts: 80
- Joined: Mon Feb 11, 2008 8:04 pm
- Location: Central Minnesota
Thanks Boo
I just took a lot of pride in my abilities to hunt with my bow. I am looking forward to the new challenge of using a crossbow and going back to Wyoming next fall and get one of those nice bucks I passed up on last year. I will have plenty more questions for you guys - that's for sure!
There are only a few places nearby that carry Excalibur bows but I will be checking them out real soon.
I just took a lot of pride in my abilities to hunt with my bow. I am looking forward to the new challenge of using a crossbow and going back to Wyoming next fall and get one of those nice bucks I passed up on last year. I will have plenty more questions for you guys - that's for sure!
There are only a few places nearby that carry Excalibur bows but I will be checking them out real soon.
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Grizzly Adam
- Posts: 5701
- Joined: Fri Aug 04, 2006 8:36 pm
- Location: Decatur County, Indiana
I don't know what bow you were shooting but there's much more noise than my Hoyt Vulcan. Crossbows are way too inefficient with it's energy compared to compounds. The resultant wasted energy equals noise. You can make them more quiet which may be of some use to you considering what you are hunting out west. Some here have never heard a crossbow that has been worked on for silence and it is a relative thing. But again, I doubt a crossbow will be as quiet as a silenced vert bow.
And yup you will have some new challenges but a great part of crossbows is not having to buy expensive releases, arrows, string sets, etc.
And yup you will have some new challenges but a great part of crossbows is not having to buy expensive releases, arrows, string sets, etc.
Last edited by Boo on Sat Feb 16, 2008 1:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Some people just like stepping on rakes
First, Welcome to the forum!!!!!!!!
It sounds like you have reached the point in your life many of us here have already passed - admitting our body is showing the signs of age and/or abuse.
No need to mentally beat yourself up, it's all part of the aging process, and if we live long enough we all face it.
As for switching to a crossbow, I did years ago and I had the same guilt-ridden feelings you have apparently been "programmed" to feel, too.
I don't know why the vert-bow archers want us to feel guilty when we pick up a crossbow, but that seems to be the trend of thought today, although it is slowly vanishing. We've been preached to that picking up a crossbow is cheating, and only a slob or physically inferior individual would even think of using one!
As I said, I switched years ago, and over those years of shooting and hunting with a crossbow I've learned one important lesson. It isn't cheating, and I'm not a wimp or slob!!!!!!!!! The crossbow is simply a different method of launching an arrow and the needed skills for hunting are very similar and/or the same as with any other bow! Those 40 yard shots are still "pushing the limit" for range, and I much prefer shots under 20 yards. It doesn't matter what I have in my hands as far as a bow, if I can get within 20 yards of a deer I'm a "hunter", so why should I be less proud of my accomplishment when I kill a deer?
I shouldn't feel ashamed - and I don't!
I'm hunting with a legal, ethical, and for me practical choice of bow, and I still had to get close and put the broadhead in a very small target while avoiding detection by one of the wariest creatures alive.
I'm still able to do some limited shooting with my trad bows or compound, but my shoulder makes the duration and accuracy of my shooting questionable with those bows, so for hunting I pick the crossbow and am proud to say that I am being ethical. I'd much rather shoot and kill a deer quickly with an arrow from my crossbow, than make a poor shot with a vert bow and send one of God's creatures off to die a slow miserable death just so I could feel "macho"!
Now, off the old soapbox and to your question about which bow.
I look at purchasing a hunting crossbow from a (what I feel, anyway) practical point of view. There are a lot of good crossbows on the market, and a lot of options from manufacturers of the different brands. It's a matter of picking the best choice for you. For me the choice is easy. I want a crossbow with plenty of power and accuracy to get the job done on the largest game I hunt (whitetail deer), and the Excalibur Phoenix does it as well or better than any other choice at the lowest price! Not rocket science to make a selection.
Excalibur is at the top of the list when it comes to:
Accuracy
Simplicity (which translates to durability)
Customer service and warranty
Reasonable price
It sounds like you have reached the point in your life many of us here have already passed - admitting our body is showing the signs of age and/or abuse.
No need to mentally beat yourself up, it's all part of the aging process, and if we live long enough we all face it.
As for switching to a crossbow, I did years ago and I had the same guilt-ridden feelings you have apparently been "programmed" to feel, too.
I don't know why the vert-bow archers want us to feel guilty when we pick up a crossbow, but that seems to be the trend of thought today, although it is slowly vanishing. We've been preached to that picking up a crossbow is cheating, and only a slob or physically inferior individual would even think of using one!
As I said, I switched years ago, and over those years of shooting and hunting with a crossbow I've learned one important lesson. It isn't cheating, and I'm not a wimp or slob!!!!!!!!! The crossbow is simply a different method of launching an arrow and the needed skills for hunting are very similar and/or the same as with any other bow! Those 40 yard shots are still "pushing the limit" for range, and I much prefer shots under 20 yards. It doesn't matter what I have in my hands as far as a bow, if I can get within 20 yards of a deer I'm a "hunter", so why should I be less proud of my accomplishment when I kill a deer?
I shouldn't feel ashamed - and I don't!
I'm hunting with a legal, ethical, and for me practical choice of bow, and I still had to get close and put the broadhead in a very small target while avoiding detection by one of the wariest creatures alive.
I'm still able to do some limited shooting with my trad bows or compound, but my shoulder makes the duration and accuracy of my shooting questionable with those bows, so for hunting I pick the crossbow and am proud to say that I am being ethical. I'd much rather shoot and kill a deer quickly with an arrow from my crossbow, than make a poor shot with a vert bow and send one of God's creatures off to die a slow miserable death just so I could feel "macho"!
Now, off the old soapbox and to your question about which bow.
I look at purchasing a hunting crossbow from a (what I feel, anyway) practical point of view. There are a lot of good crossbows on the market, and a lot of options from manufacturers of the different brands. It's a matter of picking the best choice for you. For me the choice is easy. I want a crossbow with plenty of power and accuracy to get the job done on the largest game I hunt (whitetail deer), and the Excalibur Phoenix does it as well or better than any other choice at the lowest price! Not rocket science to make a selection.
Excalibur is at the top of the list when it comes to:
Accuracy
Simplicity (which translates to durability)
Customer service and warranty
Reasonable price
wabi
I have an ExoMax and it makes much more noise then a compound bow but at 350 FPS it is not an issue. There is no string jump out to 30 yards. Like the others are saying, you have many of the same challenges. One addition challenge is you have limbs sticking out to the sides so it is wider and you have to be careful not to hit anyting with a limb when you are shooting or you might be ejected backwards out of your stand.
Perhaps you could check out a bowshop in your area and try target shooting a few models to see what you like?
Perhaps you could check out a bowshop in your area and try target shooting a few models to see what you like?
Population Control Specialist
00 Buck - Licensed to kill
00 Buck - Licensed to kill
WELCOME !! to the forum , you will be very pleased with an Excalibur crossbow they are very high quality and very dependable , yes go to a bow shop and shoot a couple diff. Excaliburs to see which one feels the best for you . Feel free to ask any questions you may have , there is alot of knowledge & experience with the people on this forum & very friendly . you can also find out alot on diff. things buy doing a serach on topics that you have a concern with or need info on. Dave.
As the other members of the Excal Family have said...
...Welcome Aboard!!!...
You will not be in better hands then with this group of Archers.... Yep, I said Archers!!!... Because that is what they are... Archers that simply use another form of archery equipment... As archers they still have to get the bow set up right, still have to practice, still have the same imitations of all bow hunting and still shoot arrows....I used to be very biased against x-bows, but that's because I was "ignorant" (Not being derogatory here, it simply means I didn't know) and it wasn't until I actually got to shoot this type of archery tackle that I learned that there is a lot more to it then we've been lead to believe
So clear your mind that using a crossbow is somehow LESS than using a vertical bow (Vert-bow).... Once you start shooting one you'll quickly see that they have as much challenge as Vert-bows and in many ways even more of a challenge.....
Excalibur and Ten-point are perhaps the best crossbow manufacturers. I have both.. Great bows.... We prefer Excals but remember even if you decide to shoot a Ten-Point you are still welcome here. There's really a lot to learn about crossbows from these folks.......
So stay tuned and again ....
.....Welcome aboard!!!......
...Welcome Aboard!!!...
You will not be in better hands then with this group of Archers.... Yep, I said Archers!!!... Because that is what they are... Archers that simply use another form of archery equipment... As archers they still have to get the bow set up right, still have to practice, still have the same imitations of all bow hunting and still shoot arrows....I used to be very biased against x-bows, but that's because I was "ignorant" (Not being derogatory here, it simply means I didn't know) and it wasn't until I actually got to shoot this type of archery tackle that I learned that there is a lot more to it then we've been lead to believe
So clear your mind that using a crossbow is somehow LESS than using a vertical bow (Vert-bow).... Once you start shooting one you'll quickly see that they have as much challenge as Vert-bows and in many ways even more of a challenge.....
Excalibur and Ten-point are perhaps the best crossbow manufacturers. I have both.. Great bows.... We prefer Excals but remember even if you decide to shoot a Ten-Point you are still welcome here. There's really a lot to learn about crossbows from these folks.......
So stay tuned and again ....
.....Welcome aboard!!!......
welcome
Glad to have you on!! 
I have three Excal's, have owned two other Excal's. I believe them to be the best.
I also hunted with others that use Ten Point's. They are also very good at killing Game.
In my opinion, try to find a Exomag 200. I believe this to be the best bow produced by them. I was foolish enough to sell mine on here, and wish I had not now. I am trying to get one back to finish my closet again. So if you find one, and decide you don't want it, you can sell it to me and get another. Just kidding.
Welcome on Board!!
John
I have three Excal's, have owned two other Excal's. I believe them to be the best.
I also hunted with others that use Ten Point's. They are also very good at killing Game. In my opinion, try to find a Exomag 200. I believe this to be the best bow produced by them. I was foolish enough to sell mine on here, and wish I had not now. I am trying to get one back to finish my closet again. So if you find one, and decide you don't want it, you can sell it to me and get another. Just kidding.
Welcome on Board!!
John
Phoenix - 375 gr. BEE's (babyneilsons)
Micro 315 - 410 gr. Zombies/Lumenoks
Micro 355. - Punisher-Zombies/Lumenoks
Arrowmaker - Retired
[email protected]
Micro 315 - 410 gr. Zombies/Lumenoks
Micro 355. - Punisher-Zombies/Lumenoks
Arrowmaker - Retired
[email protected]
Welcome, to a great sport.
At 67 with both wings compromised I can't pull even a kid's vetical bow. X bows have given me a new lease on a sport I love. Yes, they are louder and don't shoot much further accurately than a top verical bow. You usually get only one shot at a deer. You still have to get close. I started thinking they are an unfair advantage. Quickly changed my mind. It seems to me that with all of the advancements to modern verticals lately, THEY have the advantage.
At 67 with both wings compromised I can't pull even a kid's vetical bow. X bows have given me a new lease on a sport I love. Yes, they are louder and don't shoot much further accurately than a top verical bow. You usually get only one shot at a deer. You still have to get close. I started thinking they are an unfair advantage. Quickly changed my mind. It seems to me that with all of the advancements to modern verticals lately, THEY have the advantage.
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dick195252
- Posts: 3084
- Joined: Sat Aug 04, 2007 1:57 am
- Location: McEwen Tennessee
Welcome Aboard 
I too had to go to a crossbow because of a Bad shoulder 
after a lot of investigation and searching i decided on the Excaliber {Exocet 200} and just love it no regrets This year i shot my first deer with it 
and i was just like a kid when i shot my very First Deer it was such a great feeling to know i could harvest a nice deer again. {I love venison} I did get the Crankaroo cocking device and will never be without one it allows me to practice a couple hours a week without any pain or fatigue Good Luck in your selection This is the nicest bunch of people you will find to help you in your transition to the Crossbow and allso as a Family and Friends
I too had to go to a crossbow because of a Bad shoulder after a lot of investigation and searching i decided on the Excaliber {Exocet 200} and just love it no regrets This year i shot my first deer with it and i was just like a kid when i shot my very First Deer it was such a great feeling to know i could harvest a nice deer again. {I love venison} I did get the Crankaroo cocking device and will never be without one it allows me to practice a couple hours a week without any pain or fatigue Good Luck in your selection This is the nicest bunch of people you will find to help you in your transition to the Crossbow and allso as a Family and Friends Welcome Home...
Several years ago I realized that Hunting and Taxes have alot in common.
I pay the least amount of taxes the law allows. I hunt with a crossbow because of the more consistant accuracy with better results hunting in a an Urban Archery Only enviroment. Your new family can provide the knowledge and tools to quickly get you up to speed!
Several years ago I realized that Hunting and Taxes have alot in common.
I pay the least amount of taxes the law allows. I hunt with a crossbow because of the more consistant accuracy with better results hunting in a an Urban Archery Only enviroment. Your new family can provide the knowledge and tools to quickly get you up to speed!