Last-modified: 24 November 2004
If you are new to archery, you're probably unaware that the mere mention of the word 'crossbow' will elicit blind rage from many American handbow hunters. The basic source of this friction has to do with the use of crossbows during special archery-only hunting seasons.
If we define hunting as the shooting of an animal over a predetermined range (i.e. shooting from a fixed hide or stand, as opposed to stalking), the crossbow is indeed a much easier weapon to use than any handbow. Many dedicated bowhunters feel that crossbows are so much more accurate and easily mastered than handbows that they violate the original rationale for providing extended archery hunting seasons.
Since creating a special crossbow hunting season would necessarily mean shortening other seasons, crossbows are viewed by some as a threat, period. This has resulted in a great deal of dubious 'smack talk' about crossbows, some of which needs to be addressed to give beginning crossbow shooters a more realistic set of expectations.
The following retorts are based on commentary from two 1985 editorials by Clare Conley in OUTDOOR LIFE (see reading list.) For more discussion in the same general vein, see: www.newyorkbowhunters.com/pages/anti.html
It is easier to aim a crossbow with metal or optical sights than it is to learn instinctive handbow aiming. In addition, the crossbow's string held in the cocked position and released mechanically; the handbow archer, on the other hand, must train his body to draw, aim and loose with the consistency of a machine -- a far more difficult task.
After studying some good instructional materials and putting in a number of half-hour practice sessions at the range, a beginning crossbow user will probably know his or her weapon well enough to take deer at under 50 yards (35-40 yards would be a more realistic limit.) Of course, this assumes the ability to estimate distances fairly well. This skill is important because, like handbow arrows, crossbow bolts travel at relatively low velocities. Peak velocity for hunting crossbow/bolt combinations is usually under 250 fps, which is in the same ballpark as compound handbows. Range estimation starts becoming important at 35-40 yards.
Words like mastery, accuracy and marksmanship are relative, and therefore deceptive. A shooter who can reliably hit the vital area of a deer at 35 yards could still place dead last in a field crossbow tournament. Beginners will need quite a bit of practice to keep all their bolts within 4" of an aiming mark at 50 yards; you won't find any rifle shooters who'd find this kind of performance -- 16 minutes of angle -- satisfactory.
True. So have handbow archers. Neither weapon is suited to such long range hunting use because the chances for a humane, sporting kill are very poor.
For the crossbow, the main limitation on hunting range is low projectile velocity rather than accuracy. The trajectory and time of flight to 100 yards is suitable only for stationary targets. In very still air a long shot might work, but a chance gust of wind or a spooked animal could easily result in a cripple. Crossbow hunters would do better to accept 50-60 yards as a maximum range, and try to get as close as possible.
TARGET shooting at 100 yards or more can be a lot of fun. 'Clout' shooting involves very long distances, usually 180 yards; group sizes at such ranges are measured in yards. Understandably, it is very difficult to find an acceptable location for this type of shooting.
Life would be a lot simpler for the target crossbowman if the former were always true. Many of today's factory-made crossbows use an inexpensive and very primitive latch based on the medieval rotating nut. They do an acceptable job for field shooting, but they are nothing to brag about -- a shooter accoustomed to firearms will find many factory crossbow triggers disappointing.
The principal advantages of telescopic sights on factory crossbows have nothing to do with magnification. Telescopic sights can be adjusted with more precision than all but the finest metal sights on match crossbows. Most factory sights use a front sighting system based on the multi-pin archery type, which are seldom graduated, poorly secured, difficult to adjust.
One additional advantage to telescopic sights is that some crossbows have mounts that can be quickly reset for multiple distances. Many crossbow scopes feature multiple internal crosshairs to serve the same purpose.
As for applying modern compound bow technology to crossbows, the advantages are not as great as with handbows. One point in their favor is their narrower width, which makes the bow handier when hunting in woods or brush. Compound models from Barnett and Horton achieve higher velocities than comparable recurve models by the same makers; according to Canadian maker Excalibur, a well-designed recurved crossbow lath can equal or exceed compound performance.
On the negative side, compound crossbows are more expensive, difficult to restring and keep in tune, physically heavier and (sometimes) noisier. Also, compound technology does NOT reduce crossbow cocking effort.
Rifles resemble crossbows, since the early firearms were styled after the crossbow. But while crossbows are aimed and shot like a rifle, but they lack the noise, odor, flash, recoil, range, accuracy and kinetic energy of a hunting rifle. Moreover, modern rifles don't possess bows or strings, and require little physical effort to load.
The ballistic and accuracy potential of crossbows is similar to powerful handbows. Many handbow archers use sights mechanical releases. The signal difference that separates these two classes of archery weapons is that handbows are held at full draw with the shooter's muscles while he aims, while crossbows are held in the cocked position mechanically.
Considering that 30 years back only one state (Arkansas) allowed crossbow hunting at all, the weapon has gained a surprising degree of acceptance. An excellent summary of current crossbow hunting in the USA can be found at: www.dartonarchery.com/CrossbowRegulations.htm
Author's postscript: I was enchanted by the hunting adventures of James Corbett of India, which I first read when I was a teen and in the Boy Scouts. I completed a hunter safety course when I was 17, and obtained my first hunting license a year later. I taught conventional archery on the staff of a Boy Scout summer came for two seasons. I hunted with a rifle for five years. When I gave up hunting, it was due in part to the 'serious asshole' factor: too many of the hunters I encountered in the field were self-absorbed creeps, lacking the basic courtesy and respect one almost always finds at a public shooting range. Too many of the hunters I met socially proved uninterested in stalking and woodslore, fixated instead on trophies and 'winning'. I'd like to think that this is just a California thing, and that things have improved since the mid-1980s.
Since writing the FAQ in 1995, I've received a goodly dose of self-absorbed discourtesy (via email) by advocates of the American anti-crossbow campaign. All of which leads me to say that while I have enjoyed all forms of shooting and hunting, I wouldn't care to associate with most of the other hunters I've met. Happily, the crossbow shooters I've encountered have proven a very courteous, friendly and supportive bunch.
Official publication of the American Crossbow Federation. This is a crossbowhunting-specific outfit.
e-mail: bowtwang@runestone.net
website: www.horizontalbowhunter.com
"Crossbow Connection Magazine" published by Leone Russo
This is more target/field/3D flavoured
e-mail" Trax1@msn.com
website: www.crossbowconnectionmagazine.com
Please direct all comments, suggestions, updates, news to John or Lyn Clark at sales@ausbow.com.au