I would like to try crossbow deer hunting next year as it will allow me more flexible time to hunt versus the 2 weekends of gun season in Illinois. Any suggestions on a crossbow for deer?
I would like to try crossbow deer hunting next year as it will allow me more flexible time to hunt versus the 2 weekends of gun season in Illinois. Any suggestions on a crossbow for deer?
Enjoying life in Southern Illinois
depending on your price point, there are a ton of different ones out there. Everyone has different preferences so go to a local pro shop and look around and read up on the reviews of the ones that fit you and pick from there. But if I had to tell you a brand, I would have to say ten point, Excalibur, Ravin, and Parker.
Switched from a compound to crossbow many years ago and would never go back. Our urban deer season (does only) here in VA lets us hunt from the 1st weekend in Sept to the end of March with normal bow & gun season Oct-Jan so I get to kill allot of deer and many of them with the Xbow. I passed down my Barnett Predator 375 FPS to my son and upgraded to a Barnett Ghost 410 six years ago. Never any issues with either one. Allot of great quality crossbows out there now days. Your selection depends on how much $$$$ you want to spend on the gear. Keep in mind the ancillary support stuff will almost add up to the cost of the bow itself by the time your done.
Items of note:
Xbow with quality lit reticle optic. *I have had a Hawk on both of mine. Set the scope for the bow speed. Sight in at 20. All the other stadium lines out to 60 yards line up. The lit reticle is a must have.
Always get a spare set of cables and strings. If one frays or breaks (unlikely) then you can find a shop to restring it. *They WILL NOT have the cables/strings for your Xbow! Change out every two years. BPS bow shop will do it for $10.00 while you wait. Archery shops will be $30.00 while you wait for a week+.
You will need a quality xbow target that will stop the bolts. I use a Block with a replaceable core made for Xbows.
Consistency is the key to everything crossbow. Everything must be the same. No mix/matching heads/bolts/strings, etc... Do this from the start and save yourself some grief. A new set of cables/strings must be "shot in" which equates to 30+ shots till it settles down.
I buy the Lumen Arrows and keep 12 spares with broad heads in an arrow case. No screwing around with nocks/bolts/heads as they are all identical.
The broad head selection for an xbow is hot topic with anyone that shoots these things. I bought enough Tru-Fire Switchblades 5 years ago along with the matching practice tips to last my son and I the rest of our lives and they don't make them anymore. It appears the dominate mechanical head now is the NAP Spitfire and Barnett recommends it for there crossbows. http://www.newarchery.com/product/sp...-for-crossbow/
Having killed lots of deer/elk over the years, I will say I would rather take two shots to the body with a .45 vs one with broadhead equipped crossbow bolt.
Very good comments Mike, I live in VA too but we have VERY few places for urban Archery down my way
If you can handle the draw weight go with a recurve model. Less parts to break and the cables should last longer. I am a compound bow guy but crossbows are great for those with bad shoulders or cannot handle a bow anymore.
Tom they just added Stafford county to the urban program this year. Great move for those of us that have acreage. I was able to get double the DCAP tags and had no problem filling the 1st batch well before the rut.
I have no physical restrictions. I just like killing them with the crossbow allot more than the compound bow.
I am sure, bet that freezer is full....lol
I put two elk in the freezer with tuna steaks. I give the acorns rats away.
Agree that price is the issue. There are a lot that will work but for me I like simplicity not gimmicks. I spend a lot of effort ad $$$ and when I travel to hunt I want NO failures. For me its Excalibur for many reasons. 1st is that its quality and very rugged and accurate. This is the only bow that can be dri-fired and not blow to pieces. Also its very easy to tune and repair in the field. Change a cut or frayed string in a min or to. I would not own a wheeled crossbow as the are two difficult to maintain shall you need to. you need a press on many. Been a bowunter since early 1980's and have taken many with crossbow some near 300lbs (KS). Agree that the NAP Spit is best BH as well. The thing to remember is that just because you can hit a tennis ball at 60y from a bench does not mean you can In a tree an IMO past 30y is risky due to the noise that these Xbows make (Xbow 400fps and sound 1100fps) which many times will cause a buck to jump. Many will say they have but IMO its two risky. For the record I too have hunted VA for my entre carrier and in Fairfax for over 20 years and ran clubs hunting the NOVA parks that were put in place to basically eradicate them.
2008 ChampioN 198 / 225 Opti ProXS! 1999 187 DC Elite / Merc 175 efi & 1989 184 DCR /Merc 175 xri
If you don’t wanna spend alot till your sure you like it, you can pick up a centerpoint sniper 370 for a little over 200 bucks. All I would do is get better bolts than what comes with it. I’ve been hunting withone now for three years and havent had a problem yet. Its plenty fast and according to a mag review I read, the quietest tested against even the big brands.
While you can kill a deer with a 250 fps recurve bow, additional speed in the 375 fps+ with a crossbow has benefits. Bolt is there faster reducing string jumping and your effective range increases. All of these crossbow are loud but not gunshot loud.
At 410 fps I consider my effective range 45 yards. I have killed a couple at 60 to say I did it, but I have allot of years behind the bow. Never had a string or cable give me any issues and I shoot allot. Get them changed every two years. Spend what you can afford and don't look back.
Stryker by Bowtech hard to beat!
2016 Lowe FS 1710
2016 Mercury Pro XS 115
I went to a crossbow this year after 40 years with a compound. Bad shoulder last few years and simply couldn’t do the compound any longer. I went with the Ravin R10 and couldn’t be happier. Actually love shooting the crossbow. Amazingly accurate, quiet and compact. Killed two bucks this year on the same day with it; 5 point in the morning at 45 yards and really nice 8 point that evening at 72 yards. Both deer double lung shots. Both were shot from rest in my enclosed blind. These new breed of crossbows are extremely accurate and very lethal, especially when shot from a fixed rest or support. JMHO. RR
"Never argue with an idiot; He will beat you to death with stupidity"
72 yards?
I have never shot one but the ravens are suppose to be wicked bows. I have seen claims of 100 yard shots.Originally Posted by mikesxpress
I had an opportunity to kill a doe at 60 yards a few years ago with my 375 fps Barnett Predator crossbow. Broadside. Not spooky. Feeding in an open area with no canopy coverage to deflect a high trajectory shot. Bow was on a Bog rest and no wind. The shot was true to the mark with the exception that the deer turned 180 degrees by the time the bolt got there and went thru her from the opposite side I had aimed at. Yep, I still take credit for killing one at 60 yards!!!
Yes. RR
"Never argue with an idiot; He will beat you to death with stupidity"
Shooting at those distances at a target is fine.the bows will do it no problem. Shooting at a live animal at that distance is totally unacceptable. Completely unethical.. if you cant set up to get a closer shot you need to work on your hunting skills, not your distance shooting. Even the fastest of crossbows are still slow compared to deer reaction speeds. Coming on a forum and bragging just shows the immaturity of the poster. Pathetic excuse of a hunter... truly
And I would say that you need to stick to your business. Didn’t come on here to brag; just simply stating what the bow will do. I dare say that my hunting skills far exceed yours brother. You must be a true keyboard bad ass to come on here and prove to be an ass!! Please call me and we will be glad to discuss hunting with you or possibly meet up for a face to face discussion. 870-520-8282. Oh yea, your evident hunting skills are protruding forward but you aren’t skilled enough to fill out your profile so we can capitalize on your knowledge.
Last edited by GhostComanche; 01-20-2019 at 10:12 AM.
"Never argue with an idiot; He will beat you to death with stupidity"
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