Getting up to speed with crossbow

[MikeH]

I just yesterday discovered that the State of Alabama's Forever Wild program has purchased a tract of land within five miles of my boyhood home. From the age five until I graduated from college, I spent a lot of time in these woodlands and know the terrain very, very well. I took my first deer on the edge of this property. It is a small (between 300 and 400 acres) tract and wlll be open to bow hunting only, no firearms, for deer for our entire three month deer season.

I am not a bowhunter, have gun-hunted for 60 years. I would love to be able to hunt on this land where many of my boyhood adventures occurred. Now I am 65, and rotator cuff problems would not allow me to draw a bow. However, crossbows are now legal and would solve this problem.

My question: Is it possible to become proficient with a crossbow in nine weekends? I will not even consider loosing an arrow at a deer this year if I am not competent with the crossbow.. However, I absolutely will be ready next year.

 

[sambo.]

My question: Is it possible to become proficient with a crossbow in nine weekends?

given your extensive firearms experience, i see no reason you won't be drilling the bullseye @ 30m 10 shots out of 10 in the nine weekends you have allowed yourself. it may take a while longer to get your head around some of the minutiae of bow tuning, but assuming you have well tuned bow to start with and/or have some mates to help out with that side of things, you'll be good to go quicker than you think.

short answer: yes.

the thing with archery hunting compared to firearms is the need to get up close and personal with your prey. if you're not confident with your ~50m shots, get inside a range you are confident at.

 

[Clang!]

My question: Is it possible to become proficient with a crossbow in nine weekends? I will not even consider loosing an arrow at a deer this year if I am not competent with the crossbow.. However, I absolutely will be ready next year.

There is a third option. Install a draw lock on your compound bow. They're apparently a lot lighter then dedicated crossbows and you get to keep your existing setup (save $$$).

http://www.drawloc.com/content/draw-loc-unit

Competing product.
http://www.lockadraw.com/

 

[Ridge-Runner]

The problem with the draw loc is that they are illeagl in most states, even some that allow crossbows do not allow the drawloc.
To answer the OPs ?. Yes most definatly you will be able to become profiencant with the xbow in that amount of time and probably less. My buddy bought one and he was tacking at 60 yds that day. So if you can shoot a gun you can pull off a xbow, which is why I have a problem with them being allowed to the abled hunter in the woods. Now that they are allowing them in the southern states where the deer herd is already not as strong as it should be (in some places, others have more than they can stand) it will get more hunters in the woods early, now if you are not able to pull a compound or recurve back I have no problem with it, but when a 30 something goes and buys one to go hunting with I dont like it. Rant off. Sorry

 

[MikeH]

the thing with archery hunting compared to firearms is the need to get up close and personal with your prey. if you're not confident with your ~50m shots, get inside a range you are confident at.

i am by nature and temperament a close-in hunter. The longest kill I have ever made with my .30-06 was 70 yards. I have never killed a deer from a stand on a food plot. I prefer to find a 30 yard long open space on trails in heavy cover. So I think I could take to the crossbow pretty well.