negative This same Amish guy missed him last year with a compound bow. So this year he bought a crossbow and didn’t miss him. He claims the buck had a bigger rack last year. So he was going downhill. Prolly because of the bad teeth?
Unpopular opinion: I don't think crossbows qualify as archery anymore. At a minimum they need to take the glass off them for archery season...put the glass back on if you have a couple felonies and want to hunt during firearm season.
A now deceased neighbor used a crossbow for his last few years. The last deer he harvested you could see where the dart passed directly through the heart. We paced it out and it was 80 yards from where he was standing to point of impact. I was a doubter of crossbows until that day!
Amish family near me has a bulldozer and a bobcat mini excavator with thumb. Saw him in the pasture one day holding a tree with it while he was whittling away at it with a chainsaw. Pretty bad when the Amish guy has it easier than you do
I don't disagree with you, but I used to bow hunt with a compound bow. I don't have the time for that now. If I were to take up bow hunting again, I 'd buy a crossbow because I'd be more efficient with it. I got a number deer with my old browning interceptor, and I'm in better physical shape than when I used to bow hunt. But the time I have I want to eliminate some of the issues that can arise. A cross bow is more efficient.
A 50 yard crossbow shot is nothing. With a compound bow most will say it's one that shouldn't be taken.
That's kinda my point. Archery isn't about efficiency...it's about the process. Putting in the hard work before and during the hunt to be able to get a deer close enough, and being proficient enough with a bow to make the shot. I don't have much spare time, but I still am able to keep my archery skills up year round. You just have to want to, and you can. It only takes 30 minutes or less a week to be hunt-ready.
I got a xbow to try to save my shoulders. I probably enjoy target shooting with my compound even more than I do hunting with it. My shoulders over the past few years have been reminding me of how much use they have gotten. The reminders have been coming more frequnently. I'm still able to draw and shoot fine, but I do not know how many more years I will be able to say that confidently.
It showed 68 lbs on the draw scale at the shop after last re-string. I think it is able to be let down a little. With my shoulders it's not so much they hurt after heavy stuff, just usage generally speaking can cause some infamation/discomfort. God forbid I sleep wrong on one of them. It's not an every day thing but often enough to get my attention. Of all the health concerns I should have, at this point my joints are what I try to protect. I got one of those 'trick' knees now too, sometimes.
I highly recommend yall drop the weight if you're hurting. I used to shoot a lot of 4-H etc archery, really enjoyed it. Bow hunted as well, no issues shooting with ppl around etc. Im 20s and 30s, didn't shoot consistently for quite a while. Aftet getting married the wife got a bow, got back into shooting, then I got a new bow. It just wasn't the same. I didn't want to shoot with anyone around. Over the years I developed I guess target panic or something...and I just didn't enjoy it anymore. Was quite down on it and just didn't know what was going on. Daughter got into shooting this spring with 4h and used the club bow. So we pulled ours back out. Pain in my left shoulder when I shot, still not fun. Did some google-ing. Found out there is a real thing called target panic. Decided to swallow pride, took bow to shop and said turn it way down, went from 65 down to 45. Started shooting, felt good. Watched vids on target panic, bought a new thumb release. What do you know, I enjoyed it and started shooting better than I had in years. I got to bow hunt a bit this year, but didn't get a shot. But you don't need 70 lbs to kill a deer. Sorry so long. Maybe will help someone else do the anti high-poundage thing and enjoy it more...
I only chased speed with a bow one time, bought the latest greatest fastest at the time. I could shoot it fine but never really liked that bow. Bought a long, much slower compound to shoot with fingers just like when I started bowhunting and love shooting it. Killed many deer with it no problem. As I am getting older my shoulders aren't great either, currently set to 62# and will likely back it down towards 50-55# for next season. No hate to crossbow users, I can see I may need to go that route at some point.
I had a "speed bow" and really liked it. It wasn't any harder on the body than my current bow, but it was a lot less forgiving with form mistakes. If you messed up the shot a little, your POI was off quite a bit. Having 1 pin that you could hunt 0-40 yards with was nice. My current bow isn't slow, but it is a lot easier to consistently shoot well. When you shoot 30" draw and 70lbs they're all fast. If my draw was shorter I'd probably want a little more draw weight, a little less arrow weight, or a faster bow to flatten out the trajectory though.
