Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Bowhunting Paraplegic/Crossbow

Bowhunter(/varmint hunter) at heart..but as of Aug.14,2005 I became Paraplegic from a car accident. I'm in a wheelchair fulltime now so I'm looking at getting a crossbow because I'm unable to use my old bow. I would like advice from some of you that could point me in the right direction at picking the best crossbow for the money an things that I may or may not need. Also I will need a cocking device for the bow as well...

So where do I start??



THX
Chuck

First off sorry to hear of your misfortune. I hunt with a croosbow. Not by choice though. I am almost ashamed of the reason when I hear stories like yours. I lost my trigger finger and cannot work a release. I have tried other ways of drawing a bow been nearly five years now. Nothing seems comfortable to build confidence in my shooting. I would rather not hunt than wound an animal.So instead of missing out on bowhunting. I went out and bought a crossbow. I went with the tenpoint brand. I forget the model. Anyways I am very impressed. It is available with their Acudraw sytem. It is a winch type device that is built into the stock. Just hook the string and crank it up. You can also use a 1/4 inch socket on a cordless drill. Very easy. You will know when the bow is cocked as it will automatically move the safety to the safe position. Once cocked drop a bolt (arrow in crossbow terms)in and your set to shoot. Now don't get to thinking you have a rifle in your hands. About 50 yards is the limit as far as range goes. However they are accurate to a point of being scary. To save bolts DON'T aim at the same spot on the target. I put a scope on mine not needed but sure makes it easy to build confidence in your shooting abilities. The scope I have was multiple cross hairs for different yardage.Also great for lowlight situations. One issue with any crossbow is weight. I don't know how your upper body strength is but shooting from a rest may be something you will have to consider. My crossbow is around nine pounds fully rigged. They are also very loud. Fortunately they shoot fast enough to eliminate most animals from jumping the string. So yes it does suck to not hunt with a regular bow. But anything beats just watching it on tv. Best of luck to you. Also there is an association for handicap archery shooters. I will look for the info and get back to you. If you have any specific questions just ask.

coyotewallace - Search Excalibur website for their forum. Very helpful guys there I'm sure with plenty of advice. Have pointed others there with your problem. And these guys were happy with the help they got there.

I only know of two quality crossbows, so may be others. One is the Excalibur, the other the Ten Point brand. They have crank cockers, that work on pulley ratchet system. I believe (have been told) the Ten Point bow is the easiest cranker, and their crank system can be fitted to other brands.Don't really know how it would work for you, but sure some on the crossbow forums who can help with problems.

Also search for Wheelin' Sportsman on the National Wild Turkey Federation site. There are groups and chapters affiliated with them, and other sporting organizations. There are several who design and model equipment for the handicapped sportsmen from shooting equipment to accessories that are needed. There may even be a local chapter, organizations close to you. If you run into a stop, let me know and will do what I can to get you going again.

It CAN be DONE, so hang in there, and best of luck!!!

thanks Mike an RemSeven for the help I will check into the advice you guys offered. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Check out the united foundation for disabled archers web site. They have lots of info. They also sponser hunts each year for people with disabilities. They do great work. They will do whatever they can to keep you in the sport. www.uffdaclub.com

I bought a Horton Hunter Max 175 and auto cocker 3 years ago after shoulder and wrist surgery.I was fairly satisfied with it until it self destructed this year opening day of bow season (not really the bow's fault and Horton gave me a new one). If you get something with a cocker be sure to follow the directions. I ignored the part about not using the cocker to decock until the gears stripped.

Wildlife thats good to know an Mike I'm going to give those guys a holler an see what they have to say as well.

You might want to check ArcheryTalk.com: http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=46