|
Post by YankeeReb on Jul 18, 2015 13:53:42 GMT -5
Think I'm gonna hunt deer a little with a crossbow this year the only thing that sucks for me is in Maine I have to do it during rifle season so I don't want to spend much because I know my BLR 358 or my Henry 45-70 will keep saying take me and probly win lol. Anyhow I would like to keep the whole package under five bills. PS the only crossbow experience I have is with one I made when I was a kid so any guidance is welcomed.
|
|
|
Post by Kyle on Jul 18, 2015 22:03:09 GMT -5
Try to find a used Excalibur Equinox or Exomax.
|
|
|
Post by backstraps on Jul 20, 2015 17:28:44 GMT -5
I was along the same lines this year. I was in search of a descent crossbow. Something I didnt plan on using but a couple times, and mostly just for my Dad to hunt some during archery season.
That eing said, I decided to go with a Barnett Jackal. I bought it on ebay from a seller I have bought from many times. It has pro and cons, but the cons I can live with. I think the limbs are a little wide if you were hunting in a confined space, and it is loud.
The pros are good enough for me to buy it again if I were looking. It shoots 315 fps, 150lb limbs easy to cock, has a pretty good trigger for a crossbow, and best of all it was cheap. under 200 bucks insured shipped to the house.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2015 18:56:47 GMT -5
The Jakyl can't be beat in terms of cost and accuracy. I have a couple of friends that bought them and love them. They are only 15 fps slower than my TRT Ultralite Express bows.
|
|
|
Post by Squeeze on Jul 28, 2015 17:56:16 GMT -5
Twice now I thought I wanted an Xbow, and twice now I came home with a new compound instead. I think my next bow will be another traditional.
|
|
|
Post by YankeeReb on Jul 30, 2015 9:33:14 GMT -5
Took a road trip to Portland Cabelas yesterday and test fired the Jackal and liked it. Thanks for the tip backstrap and scat.
|
|
|
Post by YankeeReb on Sept 15, 2015 19:41:05 GMT -5
I wanted to say when we got to Cabelas they didn't have the Jackal on the rack so I asked the guy if they had one and he said give me 20min and I'll put one together. After he came back with one he took me over to their test range (think it was only fifteen or twenty yards)and he had me sign a release and said have at it. No sight adjustments, I put the top red dot offhand on the bulls'eye and pulled the trigger and two my amazement thats where the bolt hit shot a few more times and the fletching on all the bolts were touching. I was impressed to say the least considering no sight adjustments were made.
|
|
|
Post by Hank on Sept 15, 2015 20:05:04 GMT -5
That sound great... I've been thinking about getting a cross bow myself.. Maybe next year...
|
|
beans
Full Member
 
Posts: 248
|
Post by beans on Sept 16, 2015 19:35:36 GMT -5
I am no expert here but have heard from a few guys that staying away from a cam-wheeled bow is the way to go for the simple hunter. I was told that the cam-wheeled crossbows are hard to keep tuned unless you are a serious pro who can keep an eye on, and work on your own stuff. Whereas the straight limb jobs are almost fool proof. Like I said, I am no expert buy we have recently gone to a limited X-bow season here in Western NYS and I am slightly interested in learning about them. Love the "normal" bow and the challenge. But, as you get older, the thought of a ground blind and and X-bow sounds appealing. Sooner or later, climbing trees will not be the thing I will want to do and ground hunting with a normal bow is pretty tough.
Looking forward to listening to all you guys who know more than I do on this!
|
|
|
Post by keith on Sept 19, 2015 11:10:11 GMT -5
Twice now I thought I wanted an Xbow, and twice now I came home with a new compound instead. I think my next bow will be another traditional. Yep, shot compounds growing up and moved to stick bow by the time I went to university. I will shoot the longbow until I die. I do not understand the appeal of a crossbow except to extend to opportunity to hunt during archery season to the physically handicapped.
|
|
|
Post by Hank on Sept 19, 2015 15:34:08 GMT -5
Keith... I know what you're saying about the crossbow.. Seems like an unfair advantage... I never wanted one until I had my back enjury and now it hurts to get out of bed, let alone pull my 70 101 back... Getting old sucks but it beats the alternative.. I miss bow hunting and thought a cross bow might get me back in the woods...
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 20, 2015 23:06:40 GMT -5
Keith... I know what you're saying about the crossbow.. Seems like an unfair advantage... I never wanted one until I had my back enjury and now it hurts to get out of bed, let alone pull my 70 101 back... Getting old sucks but it beats the alternative.. I miss bow hunting and thought a cross bow might get me back in the woods... When they allowed crossbows in Nebraska it got me back into the field. A shoulder injury made it impossible to practice enough to become a good enough shot...Here's my last years spot and stalk Mulie...Taken with my Excal Matrix 380...100gn Muzzy Trocar 
|
|
|
Post by schunter on Sept 21, 2015 7:55:33 GMT -5
Nice mulie Zen. How far was the shot?
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2015 15:44:41 GMT -5
Nice mulie Zen. How far was the shot? 55yds... I have a HHA optimizer adjustable base...Range...Dial in yardage...pull the trigger....shoots very accurate out to 100yds.... 50-60 Yds is my self imposed limit...Makes for a good crossbow in the wide open range I hunt. Zen
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2015 15:48:27 GMT -5
Nice mulie Zen. How far was the shot? 55yds... I have a HHA optimizer adjustable base...Range...Dial in yardage...pull the trigger....shoots very accurate out to 100yds.... 50-60 Yds is my self imposed limit...Makes for a good crossbow in the wide open range I hunt. Zen Hey Zen how'd your huskers do this last weekend?
|
|
|
Post by keith on Sept 22, 2015 18:44:14 GMT -5
Nice Mule
|
|
|
Post by YankeeReb on Dec 9, 2015 21:05:44 GMT -5
Some would say the same thing about our fancy smokeless muzzleloaders, especially the ones built like sniper rifles with twenty power scopes and muzzle brakes.
|
|
|
Post by keith on Dec 9, 2015 21:35:16 GMT -5
I can understand your point except a bow and crossbow don't follow the same form except that each has a bowed limb. One is drawn and held the other is drawn (or ratcheted) and locked until needed. I would say the comparison you would need to make is trad gear to compound bows and sidelocks to SML. For a crossbow to compare to an SML in this parallel I would need someone else to load and carry it for me so that I didn't do any work; Pope and Young didn't recognize bows with greater than 65% let-off for a long time for that reason until people really started kvetching but they are still annotated with an asterisk. I haven't killed anything but paper with my SML either because I tend to hunt with my long bow or a metallic gun (often enough an iron sighted lever-gun).
That said, if states say it is legal and you find it to be moral then shoot one. If you are hurt and can't draw a bow and want an archery season, shoot one.
|
|
|
Post by chiefkillumdeer on Jan 12, 2016 9:10:34 GMT -5
Word from the peanut gallery. If you buy a crossbow do not buy the fastest flagship bow a company offers. I know from first hand experience that 400 + fps will blow a crossbow to scrap in about 100 shots. I have had two Stryker ( Bowtechs) bite the dust. both times they did not come good for the damage, said I must have done something wrong. Last bad experience, me and my hunting partner drove 19 hrs to Ohio to hunt, my crossbow dropped a part and was useless first morning. Luckily I brought a compound. Next morning my buddies 1700 dollar Scorpyd broke. We had to turn around and drive home. They are fun,I have killed about 8 with them. You dont have to worry about drawing with other deer staring at you, you can shoot right or left handed without moving. MYTH- you can shoot farther than a compound. it is extremely hard to shoot past 45-50 yards offhand with a crossbow even if you are a good rifle shot. Cant of the limbs get you especially from a tree stand. Next one I buy will be in the 375 fps range. less pressure on the bow and still plenty powerful to blow a big 2 1/2" hole through the baddest deers shoulder.
|
|
|
Post by dannoboone on Jan 15, 2016 14:18:56 GMT -5
Does anyone know the weight of the field points which come with the Barnett Jackal?? Hank said, " Getting old sucks but it beats the alternative.. I miss bow hunting and thought a cross bow might get me back in the woods..." That's pretty much my situation, and my right shoulder is actually worse than my back. Tried shooting a 60# compound five years ago, and the shoulder wouldn't allow to get past the break on the second shot. Iowa requires some sort of medical exemption for legal use of X-bows for anyone under the age of 70....need to look into that unless I wait six more years. Jeff, yep, getting old sucks.......ya gotta be tough to get old!
|
|