Crossbows can be controversial, especially among bowhunters. A person can purchase a crossbow kit, complete with arrows and a scope, practice for a week and become proficient enough to hunt whitetail deer at close range. Most traditional and compound shooters will need months to reach such proficiency and for that reason, it doesn’t seem fair.
Just Like a Rifle
I literally wrote the book on crossbow hunting, “The Ultimate Guide to Crossbow Hunting,” and devoted a full chapter to this myth. Crossbows have similar parts as rifles such as a stock, trigger, scope, and forend, yet that’s where any similarity ends. Crossbows have a very limited range, about 50 yards and many would say 40 yards.
Much of my book was written for general hunting, because crossbow hunting is so similar to compound and even rifle hunting for whitetail deer and elk. With gun or bow, you must beat buck fever, know where to aim, how to use a tree stand, practice scent elimination, scout for funnels and pinch-points, and a host of other skills that are common to deer success regardless of hunting method.
Get People Involved
Most young people think that crossbows are cool and that’s a good thing for shooting and hunting. A crossbow quickly allows a young person or anyone new to shooting to become proficient at archery. “This is Fun! Who Knew?”
Hunters are a significant minority among the American population and it’s important that sporting men and women look at the big picture. There’s also a not-so-silent minority of anti-hunters that are well-funded and want hunting to be illegal. These are people driven by emotion and have no consideration for your rights or conservation principles.
The Big Picture
Sometimes hunters seem to be their own worst enemies. We squabble about the use of gear, seasons, game laws, etc. Division among the ranks plays into the hands of anti-hunters and adds credence to their ploys. As long as you hunt within the law and ethically, we should support each other.
Crossbows have become an important segment of the hunting community and a benefit to the industry. Read this post from the Realtree Website and then buy my book. It had a 5-star rating on Amazon the last time I checked and makes a great holiday gift.
