The advantage of the crossbow

[smj]

It dawns on me that this is a pro-crossbow posting for crossbow shooters... I appologize for ever even stepping in to this conversation! For the record, I have nothing against crossbows at all. They just seem more like proto-type rifles to me than they do bows. At this point, I will refrain from further comment. Sorry if I got under anyones hide! I will try to behave myself in the future.

[BT]

VERY NICE !.

Thats a pretty good live and let live outlook on the subject.

As my mentor would have said....

We don't have to share our women in order to love 'em

[deadeye]

I don't know how to do the fancy boxed quote of a previous post but Michi.... you had to go all the way to the wall in left field for that statement. According to you, none of us (all) that drive a vehicle, have electricity, TV gas heat etc should be bowhunting. We should be hunting with a firearm... after all, that is the easy way out.

The title of this thread is the advantage of the crossbow. The average person will find the crossbow much easier to shoot accurately in a shorter period of time than a compound. How can you argue that?

You cannot guarantee how it would affect hunting opportunities as each state is different.

Yes the compound is easier than traditional bows and the kill rates have risen dramatically with their improvements and popularity as a result.

And I do respect your opinion even if it differs with mine.

[deadeye]

Well after my last post I went back and saw smj's post. I didn't know it was pro crossbow. Guess I should have realized that when I felt like the Lone Ranger and Tonto wasn't at my side.

I guess you know my feelings about them in the general archery season. smj is right, they are more like guns that bows.

With that I'll bow out. Peace, love, bows...whatever turns you on

[BT]

LOL! ~ No problem deadeye

I like debate !.....as long as it goes somewhere.

What Michi was saying is that there are alot of things that have made the same process easier and yet we still continue on with the process.

The same argument that you make against the crossbow were echoed about the compound 30 years back and yet the game remains the same with no one suffering ill effect.

[vonottoexperience]

I've seen a gadget that holds a compound @ full draw. This thing is illegal in my state but it is out there and someone somewhere is using it. I still down see a problem with X bows it's still archery {I guess }. If not in the archery season most definitely in the gun/muzzle-loader season.

[michihunter]

I think maybe I should clarify my position on crossbows. I personally do not use one to hunt with. But where it is legal to do so, I have no problem with them whatsoever.

[BT]

My point Michi.

The legal crossbow isn't going to have me swapping out my trad and compounds for one but thats me.

If someone else wants to do it I think there is plenty of reason to allow it in as a primitive short range weapon.

[shaman]

I was not anti-crossbow either in my stance or presentation.
Only that I classify the crossbow as another type of firearm.

The first motorized vehicles were motorcyles, does that make cars the child of motorcycles? no.
The Motorcyle is a derivative of the horse, and the Car a derivative of the Carriage.
Regardless that they both use combustion engines as their means of motivating their chassis.

That is how I feel about bows and crossbows.
Even though they both use limbs and strings as their propellant;
- bow (stick/recurve/compound) are bows, with evolution being stick, recurve, and compound.
- firearms (crossbow, muzzleloader, center/rimfire) are firearms, with evolution being limbs, muzzleloader, cartridge.

Here in Maine people want the crossbow to hunt.
They were given that right with the stipulation that they attend a crossbow/archery safety course (to teach about broadhhead safety and the more limited distances) in addition to regular hunters safety course, and that they hunt in firearm season.

Few people have taken the state up on the offer.
Why? Anecdotally, because people were 'hoping' for no additional requirements (since they already knew how to shoot a gun and the crossbow is like a gun) and they wanted to get extra hunting time in during ARCHERY season. They wont give up their guns during gun season, they wanted to be able to hunt during Archery season without having to learn how to shoot a bow.
And yes, I have had people tell me that to my face.

Take that for what you will.

[michihunter]

The standard difference you are missing here is that the projectile of a firearm is engaged by a "fire" or "combustion of some sort. Hence the name "firearm". The crossbow engages the projectile with a string and wholly mechanical parts without the aid of a chemical reaction or combustion. That is the main difference in my opinion. The drawlok can be used on a compound bow basically enabling it to be a vertical crossbow. In some states it legal. The bottom line is that no projectile can be fired much in excess of 350fps out of a crossbow but there isn't a firearm being mfg'd that will drop even close to that.