Why do people look down on you if you use a crossbow.

[Country Boy]

I'm handi-caped and must use one, anybody with real knowledge knows it is just a bow turned sideways. It has no real advantage in range or accuracy.
   I shoot an old titan tenpoint from when they first came out, how does the ten point compare to the boys of today ?
     

[dukkillr]

I suspect that this question cannot be answered in this forum... All opinions allowed in this forum must be pro-xbow (as defined somewhat arbitrarily by the moderator).  If you'd actually like someone to answer this question you should post it in a place where differing opinions are tolerated.

I would add that I certainly have no problem with the laws of either Kansas or Missouri (my primary bowhunting states) allowing xbows for people with disabilities. 

[SHOOTALL]

I had a shoulder problem and a doctor that signed the paperwork that allowed me to use a crossbow . today i don't need the permission slip it is legal in my state to hunt with the crossbow !
to answer your ? i feel it is people not understanding the bow in general and crossbow in particular ! I used any comments made to me as an opportunity to educate , one time i was told it was a poachers tool , after letting the guy shoot mine he realized there were many more suitable tools for the poacher ! he said he was going to get one he enjoyed mine so much !
Anytime someone tries a new way or brings back an old way of doing something it will attract a certain number of people that look for fault , if no one criticized we wouldn't know what to think now would we ?
I guess what i am saying is if they are looking , forget the down part and strut your stuff just maybe you will convert a new bow hunter !

[Davemuzz]

You do ask an excellent question. Maybe not on the right forum, but still a darn good question.

I'm probably one of "those guys" who could get the ticket to use a X-bow. I can't pull back my compound if it's set on the heaviest setting, but the lightest setting works just fine, and it will run an arrow thru a deer at the 35 yard mark with no problem. (Just ask the last 8 point I shot....the opposite front leg bone got broke).

Now, I have picked up, cranked, loaded the arrow (yeah, I know it's not called an arrow) and shot the X-bow. I've even slogged 'em around in the woods just to see what it would be like to hunt with one. But I gotta tell ya, I honestly think a compound bow is easier to haul around, maneuver, shoot, and "reload" (for lack of a better word) than any X-bow out there.

I use a compound bow "sling" to carry my bow as I can't carry it for long distances with my left hand, as my right hand is busy with a walking stick.

So, to me, I really don't see any advantage to a X-bow vs a compound bow. Actually, I think a compound bow has the upper hand. Lighter, easier to maneuver, and much easier to get a second shot off if you have that kind of luck.

So, IMHO, you guys are at a disadvantage to the compound bow hunter. I really see no advantage in using a X-bow.

Dave

[Casull]

I don't see any problem with the crossbow.  I find it humorous when some of the compound guys get their panties in a bunch over it.  Especially when you look at their "bows".  I mean they do everything possible to eliminate the archery aspect from their shooting (i.e. mechanical releases, 80% letoff, peep sights, multiple pin sights, stabilizers, etc., etc.).  I started hunting with a recurve, went to a compound device (shooting fingers btw) and eventually moved on to the longbow (which I made myself).  I find using a bow much more satisfying than a compound machine.  But, to each his own.  Just wish the compound guys felt the same about the xbow guys. 

[SHOOTALL]

Dave you are right about power and ease of carry !
when i used one i could not draw and hold on target due to a shoulder injury ( i tried ) the crossbow is at the advantage for holding and aiming if you have an injury !

[Digger]

We have been able to use a xbow in Ontario in archery season for 30 years, same as Ohio.
I have hunted with a xbow since 1991 and I've heard a people few bad mouth xbows, but there is nothing they can do since its a legal hunting weapon here. I have 5  Excaliburs and a 2004 Ten Point Titan that shoots very accurately, they are a great xbow and as good as any out there.

[mountainman_66]

plain ole snobbery , imho.

like it was stated before, with all the cams, pulleys, sights, arrow rests and mega buck releases, no 'modern' compound bow is really that different from a crossbow.
i suppose you dont have to hold at full draw, but thats less of an issue with the bows that have the let off set so its like holding 15 vesus 60 pounds......

[Dee]

I don't see any problem with the crossbow.  I find it humorous when some of the compound guys get their panties in a bunch over it.  Especially when you look at their "bows".  I mean they do everything possible to eliminate the archery aspect from their shooting (i.e. mechanical releases, 80% letoff, peep sights, multiple pin sights, stabilizers, etc., etc.).  I started hunting with a recurve, went to a compound device (shooting fingers btw) and eventually moved on to the longbow (which I made myself).  I find using a bow much more satisfying than a compound machine.  But, to each his own.  Just wish the compound guys felt the same about the xbow guys. 

I started hunting with a recurve in 1956, at the age of 6. There was not a rabbit,  squirrel, bird or anything else safe where I lived. Went from the 20lb bow to a 30lb fiberglass recurve made by of all people COLT in the early 60s.. I still have that bow, and my boys learned to hunt with it. I now use a laminate recurve in the 45lb class, and wouldn't have one of those compound machines. One of my son's has one he has sunk over $1000.00 in, and although he wins tounaments with it, he still cannot beat me on target with my no frills AT ALL recurve.

[Casull]

I started hunting with a recurve in 1956, at the age of 6. There was not a rabbit,  squirrel, bird or anything else safe where I lived. Went from the 20lb bow to a 30lb fiberglass recurve made by of all people COLT in the early 60s.. I still have that bow, and my boys learned to hunt with it. I now use a laminate recurve in the 45lb class, and wouldn't have one of those compound machines. One of my son's has one he has sunk over $1000.00 in, and although he wins tounaments with it, he still cannot beat me on target with my no frills AT ALL recurve.

Dee, I'll bet you can also get off two or three good shots by the time he has attached his release, set his arrow in the whisker rest, drawn and lined up his peep and multiple pin sight, and "fired" his compound device.   

[jh45gun]

To get back to the origional question it is mostly about greed. Many bow hunters fear that crosbows will open up more hunting oportunities for folks that maybe would not use a bow and put more folks in the woods spawning competition which they do not want. This is pure foolishness as most crossbow hunters today are former bow hunters who for one reason or an other cannot use  their bows any more. Yes it may put some new folks into the woods which I see as a good thing since hunters are down in numbers. Crossbows would also allow women and kids who cannot pull back heavy bows be able to hunt also. Crossbows have their own issues as being bulky ect but they still behave like a bow does as far as range and the way the arrow reacts. No one should fear their use no more then they should a recurve or compound bow.

[kid_couteau]

Welllll back in the day the pope called the x-bow the devils engine.  Maybe that has something to do with it.

I mean its not like we still have outdated fears today.

No one fears switchblades

No one fears short barreled shotguns

No one fears people having handguns

So I guess we should not have that ingrained fear that only a barbarian would use a x-bow.

Glad I am not superstitious.  I like x-bows 

Kid

[jh45gun]

Kid  back in the Day the Pope called them that because the more powerful crossbows the ones you cocked with a lever or winch could launch a bolt that would penetrate the Knights Armor which of course the Pope thought was not fair. What is interesting the hunting crossbows of today use arrows that are like what a bow uses but shorter. Back in the day they were short and heavy and some were made out ofon or steel. Today's hunting crossbows are a far cry from what those old war crossbows were like. Yet there are those that still refer to them being evil which is pretty foolish. 

[SHOOTALL]

they look down at you because you are sitting down by the big deer you just shot having pictures taken and they are standing around wishing they had got it !

[jh45gun]

 

[Lives2hunt]

They are just jealous.    Its true that the compounds can be elaborate and can have advantages & that some  people look down on them or think they should be outlawed too.  I'd prefer to use a compound or recurve but I also have a shoulder problem and I get to  use an Excalibur Exocet. The biggest complaint I have with it is its so heavy & feels awkward compared to other archery methods.

[jh45gun]

That maybe so but from what I have seen the excals are lighter then a lot of the Compound xbows. I got a friend that has a ten point and another that has a Horton and both of them weigh a lot more than my Wolverine does.

[awshucks]

Welllll back in the day the pope called the x-bow the devils engine.  Maybe that has something to do with it.

I mean its not like we still have outdated fears today.

No one fears switchblades

No one fears short barreled shotguns

No one fears people having handguns

So I guess we should not have that ingrained fear that only a barbarian would use a x-bow.

Glad I am not superstitious.  I like x-bows 

Kid

Actually, the Pope you are referring to only objected if xbows were used against "Christians"  all others were fair game!!

[Redhawk1]

In my opinion the crossbow is at a disadvantage over a compound bow. The bolt of a crossbow is shorter than a standard arrow, there for it looses it's velocity faster than an arrow launched by a compound bow. A crossbow is a lot bulkier than a compound bow and is a pain to carry in the woods compared to a compound bow. I can get a second arrow nocked and ready for a follow up shot a lot quicker with a compound bow than I can get a crossbow re-cocked and a bolt placed.

I happen to own both a Mathews compound bow and a Horton crossbow. I got my crossbow when I had 2 surgeries on my shoulder and got a letter from my doctor stating I could not pull my bow back and I got a permit to use the crossbow for archery season.  I would much rather carry my compound bow over my crossbow for the reasons stated above.

But to answer your question, it is because like other have stated, they don't want the woods saturated with more bowhunters. And for some strange reason they think there is an advantage with a crossbow over a compound bow. But there is not, it is just plain ignorance.

I like the fact that crossbows are being used more by kids, woman and older people that otherwise would miss out on a great sport. I say yes to crossbow hunters. JMHO. 

[SHOOTALL]

redhawh , good post !

[crow_feather]

People don't like crossbows cause only the bad guys used them.  Ever watch Robin Hood on TV?  Good guys use the long bow, bad guys use the cross bow.

Simple logic.

[SHOOTALL]

so do we start hunting with 3 round burst  AR's now ? the good guys use them !

[Redhawk1]

so do we start hunting with 3 round burst  AR's now ? the good guys use them !

How about a 3 round burst crossbow, LOL 

[Davemuzz]

How about a 3 round burst crossbow, LOL 

LOL....Oh man.....I can hear the purist now!!!

Dave

[jh45gun]

Well that is not too far off base the Chinese invented a crossbow that was a repeater the arrows were in a box and every time they cocked it it had a cocking device  a arrow would automatically line up ready to shoot.

[SHOOTALL]

now that would be a cross bow to have ! maybe norinco will import them !

[Davemuzz]

I dunno, maybe I don't get it because I'm no engineer, but it would seem to me that with the technology they have today in compound bows, they could make a cross bow that you could cock easy (without one of those 1914 Ford engine cranks---you know....just use something like a compound bow release), be lighter in weight and easier to handle than the heavy monsters they are putting out right now. Maybe I'm in La-La land with this one.

Dave

[SHOOTALL]

the limbs are short and store less energy than a reg. bow so they have a heavier draw weight 120 -150 pound range some maybe more , also the bolt is less than the arrow in alot of cases ! they have a device that holds a reg. bow at full draw ( like a cross bow ) might be the best of both worlds !

[Davemuzz]

Yeah, I hear ya. Again, I'm no engineer...but I gotta think....I dunno....a little longer on the limbs.....a littler larger on the cams?  I know they have those gizmo's for the compounds. In fact, the reason I don't use a crossbow is I find them much harder to use than a compound bow. Because of my physical limitations, I have my compound set at the lightest setting. I cannot pull back a compound bow that is set up for 53lbs with a 60 or 70 % let off.

Consequently, my effective shooting range for deer is limited to 35 yards. (I'm sure I could shoot at one further, but the energy level of the arrow at say 45 yards may be enough to wound 'em and not give a clean kill).

But for me to haul around an X-bow....I'd rather haul around a concrete block on a 5\16" chain. That's how clumsy I find the X-bows. It just seems to me they could make one that could come in at the 4lb mark and not need the crank 'n all.

Wake me up when that happens.

But I'm tell'n ya....the first company that has one of these will sell 'em like hot cakes!!!

Dave.

[SHOOTALL]

yea i messed up my neck and used one for a couple years and gave it up , after carrying it thru. the woods , my hats off to a buck with a big rack !
back then a doctor had to sign a paper to allow you to use one , i got tons of negative comments !