What's up with the Garmin Xero Bow Sight

[gf99-99]

So I have been out of the archery game for 8+ years (literally have not looked at anything archery related since then so I am still catching up on lost time with the progression of archery technologies) and really want to get back into it. As I was shopping around for a new bow I came across the Garmin Xero sights. Wow since when did archer become so fancy? But at the same time I am kind of a gear nerd and the concept of it has really intrigued me. I was wondering what are others thoughts are on these? Do they work as well as advertised?

 

[Westhunt]

They're pretty cool, they work great for tree stand or ground blind type hunting. The only caution is that a lot of states are starting to ban them.

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[gf99-99]

The only caution is that a lot of states are starting to ban them.

Oh wow! then I am assuming they work pretty well then if states are actually banning them.

I am in AZ and from the quick google search it appears they are not banned but that is just on non "official" websites. I could not find anything the actual .gov AZ fish & game site.

 

[Wilderlife]

Bits of grass or brush in front of them are still problematic. A mate of mine has one and he's had a problem getting good ranges on critters at times. Having said that, I saw him stand in one spot and shoot three pigs in the space of about 30 seconds once, without having to get his rangefinder out for any of them. It was just draw, sight, shoot. That was cool to see.

 

[Shooter Mike]

They work very well and are super easy to use and setup. They’re a bit on the heavy side, but you get used to it. I’ve used them on a few different bows with great success, but realized that nearly all of tue shots I’ve taken with it are under 20 yards. I did have one shot at 35 yards at last light, and it nailed it. I’ve never had any issues with it ranging incorrectly


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[Blowdowner]

I’m a big fan. If you haven’t shot in awhile you should get one because the reticle will show you how much you are torquing the grip. It will get you to shoot more like a robot. In a good way.

I’m horrible at guessing the difference between 20 and 30 and the that’s the distance where you can spook deer with the extra step of aiming a normal rangefinder.

 

[NMJM]

Like everything they have their advantages and disadvantages. They do not range quite as good as a stand alone range finder. The huge advantage is being able to range at full draw. A big reason they are not more popular is Garmin does not pay influencers to use them.

 

[Szwampdonkey]

Archery got “fancy” when they attracted all the rifle hunters to archery season by allowing crossbows for all during archery season. That’s why i got a recurve and tabled my compound. Archery needs to stay archery as long as possible before it’s lost forever in the coming decades.

I realize i’m a dying soon to be extinct breed.

I hear they have semi automatic crossbows now with fancy scopes. Yep, that’s definitely bow hunting.

 

[Shooter Mike]

Archery got “fancy” when they attracted all the rifle hunters to archery season by allowing crossbows for all during archery season. That’s why i got a recurve and tabled my compound. Archery needs to stay archery as long as possible before it’s lost forever in the coming decades.

I realize i’m a dying soon to be extinct breed.

I hear they have semi automatic crossbows now with fancy scopes. Yep, that’s definitely bow hunting.

What someone else chooses to use for gear, that adds fulfillment to their hobby, has no bearing on you. Why let it bother you?

You don’t get to define what archery is for other people, by your standards, just as no one else does that for you.

It’s opinions like yours that put limitations on people, and push them away from archery. To this point, more compound bowhunters exist than recurve bowhunters, which is an indicator that the desire for technology in archery is actually helping growth. Your opinion is that archery is dying as a result of tech. You’re clearly wrong.

Live and let live and you’ll be much happier.


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[BBob]

I am in AZ and from the quick google search it appears they are not banned but that is just on non "official" websites. I could not find anything the actual .gov AZ fish & game site.

They are legal in AZ. As long as you are not projecting a visible light on the target electronic sights are legal.

What is prohibited with the exceptions listed ARS code Section R12-4-303 - Unlawful Activities, Ammunition, Devices, and Methods:

d. Electronic night vision equipment, electronically enhanced light-gathering devices, thermal imaging devices or laser sights projecting a visible light; except for devices such as laser range finders projecting a non-visible light, scopes with self-illuminating reticles, and fiber optic sights with self-illuminating sights or pins that do not project a visible light onto an animal.

States Where Garmin Xero is Legal:

Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
Connecticut
Delaware
Georgia
Hawaii
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey

States Where Garmin Xero is Illegal:

Alabama
California
Colorado
Florida
Idaho
Kansas
Montana
North Dakota
Oregon
South Dakota
Washington

 

[Shooter Mike]

They are legal in AZ. As long as you are not projecting a visible light on the target electronic sights are legal.

States Where Garmin Xero is Legal:

Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
Connecticut
Delaware
Georgia
Hawaii
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey

States Where Garmin Xero is Illegal:

Alabama
California
Colorado
Florida
Idaho
Kansas
Montana
North Dakota
Oregon
South Dakota
Washington

Legal in Virginia


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[Szwampdonkey]

What someone else chooses to use for gear, that adds fulfillment to their hobby, has no bearing on you. Why let it bother you?

You don’t get to define what archery is for other people, by your standards, just as no one else does that for you.

It’s opinions like yours that put limitations on people, and push them away from archery. To this point, more compound bowhunters exist than recurve bowhunters, which is an indicator that the desire for technology in archery is actually helping growth. Your opinion is that archery is dying as a result of tech. You’re clearly wrong.

Live and let live and you’ll be much happier.


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Cry to someone else crossbow and scopes have no place in archery, period. You’re not changing my mind or the millions like me out there.

And don’t tell me it has “no impact” on me. WI went the crossbow route and now there are ten times the “bow” hunters in the woods there were prior. And they bring the Elmer Fudd urbanite gun hunter mentality with them. Crossbow kills surpass bow kills now by a wide margin. It is essentially killing archery. So yeah, it absolutely has an effect on me.

And if you’re a crossbow guy yourself just know the laws are starting to catch up and they ARE being banned during archery season. That’s a good thing. Cell cams also. Guys that need that stuff to kill deer can go back to rifle season where they came from.

 

[Szwampdonkey]

What someone else chooses to use for gear, that adds fulfillment to their hobby, has no bearing on you. Why let it bother you?

You don’t get to define what archery is for other people, by your standards, just as no one else does that for you.

It’s opinions like yours that put limitations on people, and push them away from archery. To this point, more compound bowhunters exist than recurve bowhunters, which is an indicator that the desire for technology in archery is actually helping growth. Your opinion is that archery is dying as a result of tech. You’re clearly wrong.

Live and let live and you’ll be much happier.


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Btw, i didn’t define archery it’s already been defined in the dictionary,

Archery:

“the art, practice, or skill of shooting with bow and arrow”

Nowhere does crossbow, scope, or bolt show up in that definition. I mean, you can try to argue differently but you’re only lying/justifying to yourself cause no one that totes a bow is buying any of it.

 

[Beendare]

I had about 10 buddies that got them right out of the gate....now only one guy still uses it. Multiple reasons for dumping it.

My guess is you can find one cheap in the classifieds

 

[Shooter Mike]

Cry to someone else crossbow and scopes have no place in archery, period. You’re not changing my mind or the millions like me out there.

And don’t tell me it has “no impact” on me. WI went the crossbow route and now there are ten times the “bow” hunters in the woods there were prior. And they bring the Elmer Fudd urbanite gun hunter mentality with them. Crossbow kills surpass bow kills now by a wide margin. It is essentially killing archery. So yeah, it absolutely has an effect on me.

And if you’re a crossbow guy yourself just know the laws are starting to catch up and they ARE being banned during archery season. That’s a good thing. Cell cams also. Guys that need that stuff to kill deer can go back to rifle season where they came from.

Doesn’t seem like I’m the one crying, here.

Hunter numbers are shrinking each year. Show me the numbers for your state that prove that crossbow kills surpass bow kills by a wide margin. I’m thinking you’re going to come up short on that.

And what have been your first-hand experiences that there is a certain mentality being brought in by hunters using crossbows.

And when did this conversation change to crossbows? I thought we were talking about the Garmin Xero sight, and how its use has no affect on you. I’d rather someone use a Garmin Xero and hit dead on, than make a bad shot and wound an animal.

While you’re looking up statistics for Wisconsin, see if you can find how many deer are un-recovered by recurve/traditional bow hunters, compared to compound and crossbow. I don’t know if those statistics are maintained, but have a sneaking suspicion which way the stats weigh heaviest.

So you say that there are “10 times the number of bowhunters” out there, since Wisconsin legalized. Can you prove that? So am I mistaken, or are you just upset that you don’t have the whole woods to yourself? You said before that archery is dying, but then you turned right around and said there’s 10 times the number of bowhunters. Crossbows have been around since roughly 6 B.C. By that fact, you should be more concerned then, with gun hunters invading your “private public land”.

So you’ve got some more competition in the woods over the last 8 years, so what. I think your emotions are letting you make a bigger deal out of it than it actually is. I highly doubt that crossbows outnumber vertical bows by the 10:1 margin you suggest. Nor do I believe that crossbow kills have a wider margin on harvest rates than vertical bows. I’d be willing to bet there are far more vertical bow hunters than crossbows hunters in Wisconsin. I think you - if you - see one or two people with a crossbow, you assume there is a hundred behind them. You’re letting your emotions cause you to make irrational claims. Facts, my friend, find the facts before you make the bold claims.

Take a look at website activity. Compare the activity on the crossbow sections to the activity on the vertical bow sections. The activity difference is in terms of millions.

Ever been to an ASA shoot? How many vertical bows compared to Crossbows? Just guessing here, I’d say 1000:1.

Stop letting what others do steal your joy. Live your life your way and stop thinking you have a right to control what other people choose to legally do. It’s not with your heartache.


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[NMJM]

It also really depends on the type of hunting you do. If you use a blind or tree stand and have a lot of time to range objects before an animal comes in, not too big of an advantage If you do more spot and stalk in wide open areas they are a huge advantage.

 

[Blowdowner]

Doesn’t seem like I’m the one crying, here.

Hunter numbers are shrinking each year. Show me the numbers for your state that prove that crossbow kills surpass bow kills by a wide margin. I’m thinking you’re going to come up short on that.

And what have been your first-hand experiences that there is a certain mentality being brought in by hunters using crossbows.

And when did this conversation change to crossbows? I thought we were talking about the Garmin Xero sight, and how its use has no affect on you. I’d rather someone use a Garmin Xero and hit dead on, than make a bad shot and wound an animal.

While you’re looking up statistics for Wisconsin, see if you can find how many deer are un-recovered by recurve/traditional bow hunters, compared to compound and crossbow. I don’t know if those statistics are maintained, but have a sneaking suspicion which way the stats weigh heaviest.

So you say that there are “10 times the number of bowhunters” out there, since Wisconsin legalized. Can you prove that? So am I mistaken, or are you just upset that you don’t have the whole woods to yourself? You said before that archery is dying, …..

You make quite an effort here but it’s an argument for crossbows during general season or perhaps a bow > crossbow > rifle progression. For all your typing you can’t defeat the fact that every dictionary defines archery as bow and arrow.

Also, no one asked for your psychoanalysis of their emotional state and the secret subconsciously buried motivations why they think archery should be bow as the dictionary and common sense will tell you.

Your mommy was obviously disappointed with you when you promised you were going to get her a deer that was “this big” and when you failed and she gave you that disappointed look you obviously started to look for other ways to make her happy including convincing yourself that archery could include trebuchet, ballista and crossbow.

Please don’t respond unless it’s to apologize to the other guy.

 

[Shooter Mike]

You make quite an effort here but it’s an argument for crossbows during general season or perhaps a bow > crossbow > rifle progression. For all your typing you can’t defeat the fact that every dictionary defines archery as bow and arrow.

Also, no one asked for your psychoanalysis of their emotional state and the secret subconsciously buried motivations why they think archery should be bow as the dictionary and common sense will tell you.

Your mommy was obviously disappointed with you when you promised you were going to get her a deer that was “this big” and when you failed and she gave you that disappointed look you obviously started to look for other ways to make her happy including convincing yourself that archery could include trebuchet, ballista and crossbow.

Please don’t respond unless it’s to apologize to the other guy.

Archery = bow and arrow
Crossbow = bow across a stock.

And no one asked for your opinion either. And no one asked for the other guys opinion on crossbows in a thread that’s about the Garmin Xero sight.

My guess is that you’re one of those hunters who sucks so bad, that you have to blame other people for why you eat tag soup every year. You’re projecting your failures at crossbow hunters, when you probably need to just learn to hunt better. I’d be glad to offer you the tutelage you likely need.

Your attempt at humor with my “mommy promises” was a big swing and miss. You have provided yet another reason why this forum needs age verification. Do your parents even know you’re on the internet unsupervised? I’ll be sure to let your mom know when I see here later.


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[Blowdowner]

Archery = bow and arrow
Crossbow = bow across a stock.

And no one asked for your opinion either. And no one asked for the other guys opinion on crossbows in a thread that’s about the Garmin Xero sight.

My guess is that you’re one of those hunters who sucks so bad, that you have to blame other people for why you eat tag soup every year. You’re projecting your failures at crossbow hunters, when you probably need to just learn to hunt better. I’d be glad to offer you the tutelage you likely need.

Your attempt at humor with my “mommy promises” was a big swing and miss. You have provided yet another reason why this forum needs age verification. Do your parents even know you’re on the internet unsupervised? I’ll be sure to let your mom know when I see here later.


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You 100% started this completely unprovoked. Yeah maybe he shouldn’t have mentioned crossbows but you started saying he was letting emotions get the best of him with a completely undeserved implication that you can see straight into his soul and also know better. My guess is since there’s a Garmin crossbow sight he thought that’s what we’re talking bout. EITHER way that’s just an off topic remark not an invitation for you to claim he’s motivated by emotion. Dictionary definition is the only explanation necessary for why crossbows are not archery.

You’ve proven nothing. And now you’re trying to analyze me for just pointing out what you did to him. There’s nothing emotional about wanting the dictionary definition to be respected. You had no reason to go there. And I’ve never even seen a crossbow outside of a store. I also think they’re awesome and would totally use one if there was a no firearms type hunting area near me.

Once again you owe him an apology and now you owe me one.

 

[Szwampdonkey]

Doesn’t seem like I’m the one crying, here.

Hunter numbers are shrinking each year. Show me the numbers for your state that prove that crossbow kills surpass bow kills by a wide margin. I’m thinking you’re going to come up short on that.

And what have been your first-hand experiences that there is a certain mentality being brought in by hunters using crossbows.

And when did this conversation change to crossbows? I thought we were talking about the Garmin Xero sight, and how its use has no affect on you. I’d rather someone use a Garmin Xero and hit dead on, than make a bad shot and wound an animal.

While you’re looking up statistics for Wisconsin, see if you can find how many deer are un-recovered by recurve/traditional bow hunters, compared to compound and crossbow. I don’t know if those statistics are maintained, but have a sneaking suspicion which way the stats weigh heaviest.

So you say that there are “10 times the number of bowhunters” out there, since Wisconsin legalized. Can you prove that? So am I mistaken, or are you just upset that you don’t have the whole woods to yourself? You said before that archery is dying, but then you turned right around and said there’s 10 times the number of bowhunters. Crossbows have been around since roughly 6 B.C. By that fact, you should be more concerned then, with gun hunters invading your “private public land”.

So you’ve got some more competition in the woods over the last 8 years, so what. I think your emotions are letting you make a bigger deal out of it than it actually is. I highly doubt that crossbows outnumber vertical bows by the 10:1 margin you suggest. Nor do I believe that crossbow kills have a wider margin on harvest rates than vertical bows. I’d be willing to bet there are far more vertical bow hunters than crossbows hunters in Wisconsin. I think you - if you - see one or two people with a crossbow, you assume there is a hundred behind them. You’re letting your emotions cause you to make irrational claims. Facts, my friend, find the facts before you make the bold claims.

Take a look at website activity. Compare the activity on the crossbow sections to the activity on the vertical bow sections. The activity difference is in terms of millions.

Ever been to an ASA shoot? How many vertical bows compared to Crossbows? Just guessing here, I’d say 1000:1.

Stop letting what others do steal your joy. Live your life your way and stop thinking you have a right to control what other people choose to legally do. It’s not with your heartache.


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Crossbow kill surpassing bow kills is OLD NEWS and WELL DOCUMENTED.

For first time, Wisconsin crossbow deer kill exceeds vertical bow harvest

For the first time in Wisconsin history, hunters using crossbows in the 2017-'18 seasons killed more deer than those using vertical bows. In addition, the combined bow buck kill for the seasons was the highest on record.

www.jsonline.com

Wisconsin deer harvest summary | | Wisconsin DNR

dnr.wisconsin.gov

I’ll just leave it at that and move on. Rifle season are shorter than archery for a reason. Crossbows have no place in em, period. I’ll leave the rest of this thread for you to justify why they are.