May have to go to the Crossbow...
 

Recently I have been thinking of shooting a bow again... 10 years ago I was at`one` with my thunderbolt :love: 9 years ago I had to get glasses to see:( no matter how much I tried I could not get the same accuracy with my glasses on. Contacts were no good... frustrated I sold my bow.

Flash forward I just had my left I laserd(long story short it was my worse eye). Dr. talked me into getting only the one eye(left) done with the theory that my right eye would be for reading and my left eye is corrected for distance (this should prevent my from needing reading glasses for a few years). Just found out last week that my uncorrected eye(right) is dominant and when I pulled my first bow(at Bass Pro last Sunday) in ten years... I suddenly realized that I can`t see distance on my right(peep) eye:confused:

Only way I can see is through a scope with my right eye:mad:

So my choices are as far as I can see... no pun intended is:

A) get my right eye laserd ($1600.00) and need reading glasses in the near future (I am 40 yrs) or

B) stick to riffle hunting

C) by a Crossbow and use the scope....

I`m on my third scotch right now :sick:

DB

Get a traditional bow and shoot without sights
:)

Pete

or put a scope on your bow

Saying you want to bow hunt and then going to a crossbow is like saying your strait but you chase dudes. Im with petew, get a recurve and shoot instinctively. You did say you wanted to bow hunt right?:D

Yeah I bought a recurve around the same time as my thunderbolt, it was a Bear 60# With a lot of practice I could only hit a broadside of a barn out to 25 yards:lol: Not something I personaly could get confident with considering I am becomming interested in bear hunting lately:ashamed:. But thanks for suggestion.

DB

Do whatever it takes, to get out and hunt with the rest of us.

I like to hunt with crossbow wearing my bright orange Viking helmet and leather kilt, but that is just me. :)

Buy an Excalibur. Simple recurve limbs, very nice fit/finish, and great customer service/support. On top of that, they are made in Canada.

:) Starting to learn traditional shooting with 60# was your problem. Far to heavy to learn on. Try a 45# and things will be better. Also get some help matching arrows and tuning it.
Pete

Sorry to hear your troubles
 

A good crossbow will cost you close to 1600 bucks I say learn traditional archery shooting with instinctive aiming or just put 1600 into your other eye.

Don't by a cross bow. Waste of money in my opinion.

Cheers,

I have a friend that shoots RH with his bow but shoots with his left eye as its dominant....he learnt and no one ever corrected him, so now he just shoots like that. Truly not amazing form but it works.

Not the best situation but would save you from just dropping the bow and picking up a crossbow if you really want to shoot a bow.

:huh: sigh..... you gotta be one the uninformed who thinks a crossbow is a 100 yards laser guided heat seeking death machine where a vertical bow is how the true hunters do it. search the thread "what is the effective range of a crossbow" and learn something from guys who have shot them.

Ain't that the truth! Crossbows are no more effective than archery tackle. On another note you can only use them during rifle season so why not just use a rifle...unless you want to use a crossbow. What ever you wanna use have at her and have fun ...in the end its all hunting.

If the guy wants a crossbow why not help him out with some tips and pointers rather than tell him to shoot a long bow?Maybe he should just buy a Weatherby:rolleye2::rolleye2:

Yeah your right... I actually just looked through the 2009 regs and might as well just buy a rifle. Actually... having thought some more about it this uncorrected dominant eye thing and thinking about some things that I love to do or would love to 'try' in my life, I might as well get the eye corrected. I mean for christsakes I can't even shoot a shot gun at geese...

Everyday I find some other reason that having poor vision in my dominat eye sucks and am leaning towards getting it fixed.

Thanks for all suggestions. I think I have my answer.

DB

I dont know a whole lot about crossbows and the poundage and all that but from what I understand is not the force required to cock and lock the string back quite significant? Id say if a person is able bodied enough to pull back a crossbow and set it, they ought to be strong and able enough to shoot a compound. I do side with those guys though that do have a physical disability and cant pull a compound;I cant even imagine my life in such a way and being limited to do the things I love, we all deserve to get out and experience this great country and sport of ours. But if a person wants to get a crossbow just to get one and hunt with it thats another thing.

http://www.rudyssporting.com/xcart/c...cope-lens.html
check this out coop.

If it's '' BOW " hunting you love, then I would try going to a long bow, or get corrective surgery on your right eye. With new technological advancements contact lenses and glasses have come a long way as well. You could also get a magnifier put in your peep, or sight, that might help, clear things up for you!

If you enjoy the bow, I would try to do whatever it takes to be able to hunt with a bow. Shooting a crossbow , would allow you to hunt, but not feel the same excitement that a bow offers. Archers shoot vertical bows only!!



I have tried both , and maybe effective range on a crossbow might not be 100 yards, it still is more than a bow. The crossbow only shares a common similarity to a bow because of the string, but we shouldn't associate the two. The crossbows cousin is the rifle not the bow.

Illustrated by my 5 yr old nephew who can effectively shoot a crossbow , but lacks the strength and stability to shoot a bow yet. Shooting a crossbow would be a huge let down for anyone who is an avid Bow hunter.

"and maybe effective range on a crossbow might not be 100 yards, it still is more than a bow."
I don't know about that one. I'm not saying your wrong but last year my uncle bought an excaliber cross bow. We were set up at 60 yards and shooting into a solid foam taget(common density). I shoot a switchback 60#, 30" draw with 300 grain arrows 100gr feild tip. I know my arrows are moving around 285fps, don't know anything about the cross bow. Everytime we shoot my arrow wound penatrate the target at least 2 inches farther...FACT. Even if you think about it like a bullet and it's bullistic coeficient an arrow has to be better than a bolt from a cross bow? I just don't understand how a cross bow, down range, can out do todays compound bows. Not to mention my switchback is hardly the best bow(for speed and power) to compair to a top of the line cross bow. I guess i could be wrong... it's happened before.

To many diffrent variables, to conclude that what you are saying is accurate. When I say effective range ,I don't mean max hunting distance. So maximum distance really has nothing to do with determining your weapon's "effective hunting range". An effective hunting range is the maximum distance that you can reliably use your weapon to accurately, humanely, and ethically harvest big-game. The answer isn't absolute , as shooter skill-level and hunting conditions must be factored-in as well. It takes archers years to perfect their, form confidence and accuracy out to certain distances. A crossbow effectively can turn even the most inexpirenced hunter into a accurate killing machine to 60 yards, effortlessly.

The reason why i was unimpressed with the cross bow was because of the ineffectivness of it's penetration in comparison with my bow. As far as years of practice at 60 yards if your bow is set up proporly and fits you the way it's suppose to it's no harder than lineing up the sights. I've seen lots of guys shooting 3" groups at 20 yards thier first night out. With proper basic form and a comfortable bow it's not much diffrent than the old 30-30 with open sights at sixty yards. I've been shooting a bow for years but the way their set up now it doesn't take years to master any more. Now i stick bow on the other hand..... Don't take this the wrong way, i'm not triing to be a smart azz, this is just a comparison i've done and thats how it turned out.

Since this thread seems to be turning into another bow vs. crossbow thread, I guess I'll throw my 2 cents in.

As far as I'm concerned. I could give a rats azz about the effective range. They are somewhat compareable......what is not is the fact that you can sit or walk or what ever with a crossbow cocked and locked and a scope on it, in comparison to a bow. No one can argue that that is not a large advantage to a crossbow and makes it more similar to a rifle than an actual bow.

That being said, I think crossbows are coooool. I dont think i will ever own one except maybe for fun but they are cool.

I would rather bow hunt. And when I try something new I would probably try a ML over a CB.

JMO.

why not try both? they are all fun. anyone who thinks you can effortlessly become accurate with a crossbow to 60 yards clearly has little to no experience with them. the advantage has been explained. you can walk around (or sit) with it cocked ready to go. that means decreased movement when it is time to shoot. thats it. as for range, it is the same as a vertical bow. the average guy will top out around 40 yards, and some guys who practice lots will be able to shoot confidently to 60. many more will be limited to 30. guess what.....JUST LIKE ANY OTHER BOW. as for the scope...they make em for vertical bows too.
seriously, get some experience with them before claiming to be an expert.
i have shot both. my preference actually happens to be the vertical bow...my current rig is a mathews reezen. i am comfortable to 60 because of a lot of practice. the bow has the kinetic energy to kill at 100, but should i? that damn crossbow had such a wild arc to it, i wouldnt shoot at a deer past 30. with enough practice i could have gotten better, but i found i preferred the vertical bow.

Ishootbambi, unfortunatly there are more advantages to a Xbow than being able to hold it for an infinite time amount.

-Infinite hold capabilities
-Rest shooting capabilities
-Transferable ( meaning I can sight in to 60 yards and tell a 5 yr old ,point and shoot with no problems)
-Range extension ( due to higher kinetic energy)
-Higher poaching capabilities ( silent killer, able to shoot from inside of a cab of a truck with no sound)
-Mechanical draw back capabilities
-Top of line scope mounting capabilities

I have no problem with Xbows as long as we designate them for what they are: A cousin to a Rifle, and nothing like a Bow.

ill say it again....get some experience with it before judging. they are nowhere near as accurate as you seem to belive. yes you could sight it in at 60 and tell someone else to shoot it and they could. but if it was sighted in at 60 you would miss a deer completely at 40. if they have not done the practice and gotten familiar with it, they wouldnt hit anything at any range but 60. i dont see the advantage in that. as for holding it...yes we already agreed there. using a rest...ok. range extension because of kinetic energy, nope you are wrong there. vertical bows have a higher kinetic energy as the range gets extreme...like out to 100 where really next to noone can be truly accurate with either weapon without an extreme amount of practice. mechanical drawing...yes they do and that is why they are a great option for those who are handicapped. top of the line scopes? there has already been a link provided for scopes for vertical bows....didnt you see it? either way, a scope is just another sight mechanism. the scope does not equal accuracy...only practice does. and dont forget with the arc of an arrow from any bow, most scopes are actually a handicap vs pins.
and i hope this was just a typo....but you say that higher poaching capabilities are an ADVANTAGE of a crossbow????:huh::huh::huh: i dont think i want to get into that discussion.
your opinion of crossbows is just that...an opinion. you are entitled to it, but based on the facts surrounding a crossbow i believe you are misinformed.

I am speaking from experiments and expirence,Definatly the wrong person to be talking to about hunting issues and misinformed. As far as the poaching say what you want, again the last 2 morons I reported were doing just that!!!

I know what i'm talking about, it's my opinion, and my facts, and I share with numerous bow hunters.Xbows do notrhing to help our sport!!!( that my opinion)

werent you the guy who told me you have hunted 2 years? tell me about your crossbow experience. id like to know the brand and model you have experience and experimented with. about the sighting device on it and what you could hit where. the info you are trying to convince me with just doesnt add up to what i have seen so i am really having a hard time believing you. like i said, a crossbow sighted in at 60 will hit nowhere near a deer sized target at 40. i know where it would hit....do you? i do believe that many other bowhunters share your views, and i do believe they are equally misinformed.

Stop blabbing, Ishootbambi. Misinformed this, misinformed that. I dont think you have a sniff. You ever bow hunt?? Can you shoot a bow?? If so, how competent are you with it?? Untill youve established that you arent just a Joe Boy with a "misinformed opinion", thats exactly the way you will appear.

Two years...lol...Maybe do your due diligence before you talk....Are you the only person who doesn't know who I am!!!! Stop pertending that you are some who knows everything about hunting and equipement.....I'll back up everything I've said. BUT I believe I asked you to do the same first SO were all waiting ....

What type of equipment do you shoot? If you use a compound, what would your response be to those that say a compound bow ruined traditional archery hunting? I'm sure that their are plenty that make this argument. Would you agree.

Many of the complaints you make of a crossbow could be said of the transition from traditional archery to the compound bow. (Peeps, sights, letoff all could be said to have ruined traditional archery).

I personally don't care but it seems that you are making an argument that could have be used against compound bows.

To me it's innovation. Learn to live with it or live a very sheltered life.

I shoot a bow, a compound bow and a traditional bow have the same fundementals and basic structure to each other, much like a musket and a rifle do. A Xbow bow is a hybred, that's a down grade from a rifle, related to a rifle, not a bow.

I would be very intrested how I'm making an argument against compounds, when technically they are the same. Xbows are nothing like either, but I'm willing to hear you out!

Would you agree that there is a % of the archery population that feel that compound bows and traditional bows are nowhere near the same thing? I have no idea what that percentage is but I'm sure there are plenty that think that way. I see the arguement on here all the time that aboriginals want to continue their year round hunting they should do so with a stick and string. No compounds or rifles.

To me, outside of the string technological advancements leave very little that is similar. Limbs, cams, letoff etc.

I was really saying that all your arguments could have been twisted a number of years ago to make an arguement against compund bows. Answer this question for me. What would your response be to those that say that Compound bows due to the technoloical advancements should not be considered archery? Afterall if it were not for compound bows there is a large % of the archery popoulation that would not be competent enough to take animals with true stick and string.

I don't have the will to debate it further, I just think X numbers of years ago traditionals bow hunters might have been saying similar things about compounds.

I'm sure that an arguement could be made for what your are saying. But , a traditional bow transition to compound bow is a natural evolution in the archery field, much like the model t to the new age in trucks. Technological advancements are a part of our culture , we as a society desire improving our lives. The one constant in trucks, guns or archery is that the fundamentals have not changed drastically.

Both types of archery tackle still require the use of 2 arms, muscle strength, draw specific draw lengths, Vertical risers, un aided hold capabilities.Both bows are also safe loaded and require being pulled to be dangerous. etc....

My arguement here that I maintain is that, Xbows are more closely related to rifles, and not bows. They would have more of a right to be used in a primitive weapon season, rathar than use them in an Archery only season.
I don't have a problem with them as long as they are designated in the right catagory, and that's NOT in Archery.