Vixen II

Crossbow Hunting

Moderator: Excalibur Marketing Dude

Post Reply
seabee401
Posts: 229
Joined: Sat Jun 04, 2011 10:32 pm
Location: New Jersey

Vixen II

Post by seabee401 »

Anyone hunt deer and bear with this model. Seems a little light, but looking for an easy to cock backup bow. Anyone have experience , good or bad with it? I can pick one up as a pkg. Brand new for $489 but wasn't sure of it's power.
Thanks Tom
Phoenix I, Phoenix II, Excocet 200, Vortex, Matrix 350Se, Matrix 330, Matrix 310
Ekkie
Posts: 119
Joined: Fri Dec 16, 2011 10:44 am

Re: Vixen II

Post by Ekkie »

Plenty of power for deer. For bear... it would still work, but I'd suggest a very heavy arrow, a cut-on-contact fixed blade broadhead, and a choosey shot.

Try to shoulder it before buying it. It's got a shorter length of pull and it might feel a little too small if you're a bigger guy.

Good luck,
~E
longbow joe
Posts: 4246
Joined: Sat Jun 06, 2015 9:55 pm
Location: south eastern pa (bucks county)

Re: Vixen II

Post by longbow joe »

I have killed 4 doe and 2 buck with my vixen 2. Using a 430 grain bolt and spitfire expandable .The bolt went thru every one.At 260 ft per second .lts a "slow" crossbow but the compounds of the 80s and 90s that we grew up with and hunted deer bear and everything else with were not even that fast.so figure for yourself. Great bullet proof bow.
Vixen 2, metal ibex,Phoenix,sapphire,matrix 330 ,matrix 355 ,vortex and baby grand piano y25 relayer.
Trigger tecs,leupold crossbones and nikon bolts.
Zombie slayers and mostly swat broadheads.
User avatar
Carnivorous
Posts: 3740
Joined: Sun Dec 25, 2005 12:56 pm
Location: Belleriver Ontario

Re: Vixen II

Post by Carnivorous »

Before the Matrix then Micro came along I used a Black Vixen II. Great little bow and I think it's current owner is still using it for deer with ease!!
A touch of frost has heightened your awareness and your heart steadily beats in anticipation. Your senses are suddenly alert to the movement on the forest floor and you realize that the moment of truth is at hand.
longbow joe
Posts: 4246
Joined: Sat Jun 06, 2015 9:55 pm
Location: south eastern pa (bucks county)

Re: Vixen II

Post by longbow joe »

When l go bear hunting l choose my 330 or 355 but if l only had the vixen l wouldnt hesitate to use it on bear with patient shot placement.
Vixen 2, metal ibex,Phoenix,sapphire,matrix 330 ,matrix 355 ,vortex and baby grand piano y25 relayer.
Trigger tecs,leupold crossbones and nikon bolts.
Zombie slayers and mostly swat broadheads.
User avatar
galamb
Posts: 554
Joined: Mon Nov 14, 2011 8:09 pm
Location: Inverary, Ontario

Re: Vixen II

Post by galamb »

I have been deer hunting with a Vixen II for almost 10 years now. It is both ethical and deadly. Yes, it is “slow” by today’s standards but would have been the fastest bow on the market not so many years back. It is the demands and expectations of hunters that have changed, deer have not got any tougher to kill in that time.

I have also taken two “incidental” black bears with it – some are present where I deer hunt so I always carry a tag – I prefer bear meat to deer so I take the opportunity when presented.

Also, having taken a cow moose with my 51 lb recurve (@ 15 yards) I would not hesitate to use the Vix when moose hunting provided I was disciplined to keep the shot, similarly, “very close”.

With my set-up, currently a 394 grain combination (previously 406 grains), I am barely retaining 60 lbs of KE @ 20 yards (58.somthing lbs). That means that when used for anything other than deer only the perfect shot should be taken and at somewhat less than 30 yards . That does reduce the advertised 285 fps (with a 325 grain minimum) to a measured, 272 fps, but the deer and a couple bears have never seemed to notice.

If I wanted a crossbow dedicated for hunting animals larger and tougher skinned then deer, given the current options available, the Vix II would not be my first choice. But 25 years ago I would have “wished” for a crossbow with that much killing power – it is all “perspective”.
In over 4 decades of deer hunting I have never had to shoot further than 27 yards regardless of whether I had a rifle, shotgun or bow or some description in my hands – so the Vix suits “ME” perfectly.

Additionally I like to shoot a lot. I have a 35 yard range in my back yard. Using the cocking aid I can pull the 75 lbs needed to cock close to 100 times in an afternoon before my arms really start screaming at me – pulling a 130 or so pounds would probably reduce my shooting duration for sure and possibly the frequency.

My last deer taken with the bow was last October. At 21 yards the arrow passed completely through – a broadside double lung hit. The arrow after exiting impacted a rock about 5 feet behind the deer. The impact nearly disintegrated the arrow. That tells me there was more than “enough power” as used – no worries there.

If you have a need to shoot out to further distances or will routinely use the bow for larger animals, then maybe it’s not the best choice given today’s options. But if you can live within it’s limitations it is more than ethical and lethal enough.

Last note - I am 6'1" tall and tip the scales at a few pounds over 200. I draw a 31" arrow on my vertical bow so I am not a "small guy" by any definition. I do not find the (compactness) of this bow as a hindrance. In fact, I am considering buying a 308 short, which is even smaller, because it's even smaller size would be beneficial in some of the stands that I hunt.
Graham

Micro 340TD, 17" Gold Tip Ballistics (180 gr inserts) - 125 gr Iron Will/VPA/TOTA (504 grains total/21.6% FOC) @ 301 FPS
RexKay
Posts: 873
Joined: Sun Jan 16, 2011 3:57 pm
Location: Out past Yale,Mich

Re: Vixen II

Post by RexKay »

:D That black Vixen has put spitfires thru 3 big nannies with complete blow thrus! 2 were spitfire maxx, and 1 broke 2 ribs. Same carnage as my matrix 😀
I like things with strings.....
4 Guitars
8 Excals
1 Scorpyd
PSE Tac Elite
13 Grayling Bears
And 2 Hoyts
User avatar
maine hunter
Posts: 2346
Joined: Thu Apr 19, 2012 6:23 pm
Location: maine
Contact:

Re: Vixen II

Post by maine hunter »

Years ago a record moose was taken in Canada with a vixen.😊😊
355 matrix, big johns arrows- zombieslayers, g5 montecs, strikers. Vortex big johns arrows- zombieslayers g5 montecs 125. Lumenoks.
User avatar
bigbowman
Posts: 769
Joined: Wed Sep 15, 2010 10:04 am
Location: Ripon, WI

Re: Vixen II

Post by bigbowman »

My Vixen II blew right through every deer that I’ve shot out to 30 yards! 😉
Burky247365 Custom Scorpyd Orion Extreme
TPM
Posts: 2102
Joined: Fri Jul 28, 2006 1:48 pm
Location: Kitchener, Ontario

Re: Vixen II

Post by TPM »

Great bow but I wouldn't be too quick to jump on it at that price.
The most important blood trail leads to the Cross...

Phoenix
HHA Optimizer
Hawke scope
Boo strings
Boo tuned trigger
Froghunter
Posts: 31
Joined: Tue Nov 28, 2017 8:22 am
Location: Clayton, Delaware

Re: Vixen II

Post by Froghunter »

I purchased the older model Vixen (It was used) to keep me in the deer hunting woods. With shoulder issues the slug shooting shotgun was painful and I wasn’t comfortable or confident with the accuracy of it to harvest a deer at 30 yards! After getting the deerhide brown vixen and shooting it, I was impressed with the firing cycle/feel and recoil of the vixen. It renewed my faith in a deer hunting tool. I purchased the scope rail and rings for it, added a weaver 2.5 power scope and Excalibur Diablo arrows. After getting everything fitted, tighten, and checked I started shooting this gem. The first and only groups (two three arrow groups) I shot into my block target all three arrows where touching and I had damaged one of the vanes! Confidence building...this xbow was shooting better groups than the Mossberg slug gun was at 30 yard! I haven’t hunted deer or harvested any whitetail deer with it, but come September I know I will be in a tree stand or ground blind looking to bleed one out!

I’m putting my faith in the vixen to harvest whitetail deer at 30 yards and under and like many on the the forum members have stated “It is up for the task” and I believe them!

Enjoy and Be Safe!

Froghunter
Deerhide Brown Vixen, Vari Zone Scope, Flemish String,
GT Swift Pro 18”, 110 Grain Insert

Silent Night (308 Short), Dead Zone Scope, Flemish String, B.E. Zombie Slayers 15”, 110 Grain Insert

😎
Post Reply