Compound vs crossbow

[rookieforever33]

Broadheads are all they share? Either limbs, string, shaft, and fletching don’t count or you are a teensy bit biased.

Lets not forget the cams. Modern crossbows are just compounds mounted sideways on a stick

 

[Q_Sertorius]

Lets not forget the cams. Modern crossbows are just compounds mounted sideways on a stick

Amen.

The ancient crossbow, which was widely used for hunting in Roman Gaul, was a self bow mounted on a stick with a simple trigger. It still required a lot of muscular strength to draw and cock it. It wasn’t any more precise or accurate than a traditional self bow, but it didn’t require a quick draw, aim, release.

Medieval crossbows added winches to decrease the force required to draw the bow, but remained self bows mounted on sticks with simple triggers.

Modern compound bows are in no way primitive. They take advantage of hundreds of additional years of scientific progress in nearly every aspect.

Modern crossbows are compound bows mounted on sticks with excellent triggers. They represent an enormous improvement in precision and accuracy, while increasing range somewhere between 50 and 100% for a skilled user. That assumes that a skilled compound bow user has a maximum of 40-50 yards and an equally skilled crossbow user with a good rest has 60-100 yards maximum range. Which puts them from traditional smoothbore muzzleloader range into traditional rifled muzzleloader range for hunting purposes.

All of which pale in comparison with modern muzzleloaders, which can capably take deer at 300 yards in the hands of a skilled user with an adequate support.

I don’t really care what people use for hunting, but to pretend that compound bows, modern crossbows, and modern muzzleloaders are primitive weapons is patently absurd.

If the idea is to use traditional methods, then use traditional methods. Not space age ones like compound bows, modern crossbows, and inline muzzleloaders.

If the idea is to get more hunters into the woods killing deer - and that’s what car insurance companies want - then get them out there with the most precise and accurate weapon that is relatively safe to use in today’s crowded world. For a ton of reasons, that’s a crossbow.

Stop envying what others use and what they kill. If it’s legal, then pat yourself on the back for using a method that is harder, and requires more skill, effort, and training.

Edit - I don’t have a direct interest in this fight. I hunt big game with centerfire rifles. A few years ago, I used a crossbow to kill a doe in my brother’s suburban backyard, but it didn’t feel like “hunting”, so I will probably never do that again unless I get really hard up for meat. But that had more to do with the location than the weapon.

 

[HunterGatherer]

Lets not forget the cams. Modern crossbows are just compounds mounted sideways on a stick

Let’s also not forget the buttstock, trigger and safety mechanisms, and the scope. Modern crossbows are just arrow guns

 

[KBC]

Hey guys, I think we found the xbow shooters

Seriously though, I wouldn’t want to share a campfire with some of you. Way too serious and unable to joke about yourself.

 

[HunterGatherer]

This is also “just a bow” because it shoots a projectile with a broadhead. Can’t wait for archery season !

 

[Q_Sertorius]

This is also “just a bow” because it shoots a projectile with a broadhead. Can’t wait for archery season !

View attachment 1088109

It uses gunpowder for propulsion? Looks like a firearm to me. And a pretty modern one at that.

 

[HunterGatherer]

It uses gunpowder for propulsion? Looks like a firearm to me. And a pretty modern one at that.

You can get semi autos that use compressed air if the gunpowder is an issue. Just imagine putting a half dozen arrows through an animal at 150yds without reloading ! ( don’t forget your dope chart).

 

[Q_Sertorius]

You can get semi autos that use compressed air if the gunpowder is an issue. Just imagine putting a half dozen arrows through an animal at 150yds without reloading ! ( don’t forget your dope chart).

So, an air rifle?

 

[HunterGatherer]

So, an air rifle?

No, it shoots arrows so it’s a bow

 

[StupidLightweight]

Hey guys, I think we found the xbow shooters

Seriously though, I wouldn’t want to share a campfire with some of you. Way too serious and unable to joke about yourself.

We get it. As crushed as I am to miss out on your enlightening opinions around a campfire, I find it necessary to be the adult here and let you know that accusing a bunch of guys you don’t know of being gay based on the hunting implement they use won’t gain you respect online, in hunting camp, or life.

 

[StupidLightweight]

It uses gunpowder for propulsion? Looks like a firearm to me. And a pretty modern one at that.

With the arrow gun thingy, HunterGatherer was mocking the ridiculous take that crossbows and compounds only share a broadhead. I found it hilarious.

On a related note, I once played around with a 10/22 arrow-firing barrel sold by LaRue Tactical. You’d load a standard crossbow bolt, insert a .22 LR blank into the 10/22 action, and then fire. I was blown away by how fast and accurate it was. Gave me a ton of respect for gunpowder, because I’d put that rimfire arrow gun up against any modern crossbow.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

With the arrow gun thingy, HunterGatherer was mocking the ridiculous take that crossbows and compounds only share a broadhead. I found it hilarious.

On a related note, I once played around with a 10/22 arrow-firing barrel sold by LaRue Tactical. You’d load a standard crossbow bolt, insert a .22 LR blank into the 10/22 action, and then fire. I was blown away by how fast and accurate it was. Gave me a ton of respect for gunpowder, because I’d put that rimfire arrow gun up against any modern crossbow.

I know what he was mocking. And it was a valid thing to mock.

It’s the propulsion system that differentiates missile weapons.

My point is that self bows and compound bows aren’t the same. They use different propulsion methods. Self bows (whether simple, composite, long, steel, etc.) use stored energy in the elastic property of the bow material.

Self bows and compound bows are more different than self bows and ancient crossbows or compound bows and modern crossbows.

The people acting like purists because they use a complex mechanical pulley and cable system to launch an arrow are being a bit silly, in my opinion.

If you want to hunt with a compound bow, go for it. Hell, if you want to hunt with a torsion catapult or trebuchet, go for it. But don’t act like you are superior due to the tool you use. That just makes you overly identify with your tool. Which makes you a tool.

 

[LongWayAround]

We get it. As crushed as I am to miss out on your enlightening opinions around a campfire, I find it necessary to be the adult here and let you know that accusing a bunch of guys you don’t know of being gay based on the hunting implement they use won’t gain you respect online, in hunting camp, or life.

A friend of mine once said "It's only gay if your balls touch." Context was slightly different and we weren't really adults...

 

[HunterGatherer]

We get it. As crushed as I am to miss out on your enlightening opinions around a campfire, I find it necessary to be the adult here and let you know that accusing a bunch of guys you don’t know of being gay based on the hunting implement they use won’t gain you respect online, in hunting camp, or life.

Dude, the trad guys have been calling the compound shooters gay for over 40 years now (“take the training wheels off”). If you want to be part of the arrow shooting community, you have to be able to take some good natured teasing.

For the record, I have absolutely zero problem with guys who want to shoot crossbows. I just don’t think they belong in western archery seasons. Deer are more of a nuisance back east so I can see why the management agencies are being very liberal with their equipment restrictions for any given season but I still think crossbow should be its own season or be included in another “short range weapon” season, if for no other reason than to keep the harvest data separate from archery.

And I am not a “purist” or “elitist”. I still kill stuff with a rifle from time to time if I need the meat. I’m also not at all opposed to the idea of separating trad bow season from compound season - especially if the success rates of archery hunters are exceeding management objectives (harvest rate). Some states already do this. The high harvest rates of archery hunters now are inflated by the fact that many hunts are either sex. Go ahead and take that part of the data set away and you’ll see that success rates on bucks and bulls are not that high for archery hunters. Maybe only the trad guys should be allowed to take does and cows in the west. Or maybe it’s time for some updated equipment restrictions on compounds if they really have gotten that much more effective. I would argue that it’s not as much of an equipment thing as it is a skill thing. What we now know about bow tuning, arrow building, ballistics, etc has made much more of a difference in my harvest rate over the years than any new bow specific technology advancements.

And as to all of the absurd reductionist statements like “ shut up unless you’re shooting a self made bow with stone tips”. Go ahead and shut up unless you’re only killing big game with Jiu Jitsu. And you’re not really a traditional hunter if you have a jet boil stove and load lifters on your pack

 

[StupidLightweight]

For the record, I have absolutely zero problem with guys who want to shoot crossbows. I just don’t think they belong in western archery seasons.

Besides my beloved Wyoming, do any western states allows them during archery season?

 

[HunterGatherer]

Besides my beloved Wyoming, do any western states allows them during archery season?

Like I was saying, areas where whitetails are a nuisance have much more liberal crossbow regs…

 

[KBC]

We get it. As crushed as I am to miss out on your enlightening opinions around a campfire, I find it necessary to be the adult here and let you know that accusing a bunch of guys you don’t know of being gay based on the hunting implement they use won’t gain you respect online, in hunting camp, or life.

being an adult is overrated. Learn to have some fun man, life is short and it would suck to sit around a campfire with you being so serious.
The trad guys think I’m a loser for shooting a compound but I just think it’s funny because I don’t care.
But seriously, to be an adult here, lighten up man.

 

[StupidLightweight]

In person, mess with me all you want. I take it and give it as well as anyone. Digitally, I just get sick of the infighting. We're all hunters. Be legal, be safe, and do everything in your power to ensure hunting is around for our grandchildren's generation.

 

[fulldraw1972]

When I started bowhunting in 1987 I shot a compound my parents bought me for Christmas.
I had no sites and no release. I shot it just like a traditional bow.
Back then it was easy to get permission to archery hunt private land. To get permission to gun hunt that was a different story.

In 2023 MN legalized crossbows for archery season. In 3 years crossbows surpassed bows in harvest.
It has added roughly 8,600 hunters to the landscape during archery season.
I will leave out the private land side but it definitely contributes to more pressure on public lands.

The point creep in certain Iowa zones is pretty bad for archery tags. Could you imagine how bad it would get if crossbows were to be legalized for archery season there?
BTW hunters can use crossbows during gun season in Iowa.
Zone 5 archery will more than likely creep to 6 points next year. Zone 5 gun tag can be had with 1 point.

For us in the Midwest that have seen crossbows added to archery season. I personally wish they would have left them in the gun seasons or for those that can’t pull a bow back.

 

[StupidLightweight]

For us in the Midwest that have seen crossbows added to archery season. I personally wish they would have left them in the gun seasons or for those that can’t pull a bow back.

I understand and respect this point of view. In fact, I largely agree with it. But where legal, I see no reason not to use them. Crossbows suck to carry. I'll never get over that. However, using a rest and an optical sight allows for better shot placement and thus less wounding of game. Obviously, people can and do shoot further than they should with every implement, but you can't legislate ethics.