Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Bowhunting Crossbow

So, after finally getting a crossbow permit approved by the DNR in March, the law was changed and now they're legal during archery season without the disability permit.

I'm loving mine, but my son likes it as well. I didn't realize they were so accurate with a probably adjusted speed dial scope.

What did you buy? Couple of my guys bought Ravin and Ten Points. I had no idea how expensive they could get. Accuracy at 60yds is unreal.

I went with an Excalibur Bulldog 330 that I got used. I wasn't a fan of the scope that was on it, and am glad I got a Vortex for it.

With the Excalibur crossbow you can change strings and adjust brace height at home easily.

I’m actually considering one, rotator cuff is trashed.
Hate missing the opportunities that our 4 weeks if early season in Oct presents.

I'm liking the simplicity of the Excalibur. It'll be a hunting machine.

Just wait until your first deer with one.

They are more efficient than a rifle.

with an xcal if you turn the scope that came with the bow down to the FPS it will shoot to the marks in the scope, turn down the fps nob down 1 time then shot the 50yard mark at 60 yard. if you play with it you can shoot to 70 80 plus yards

i have bohunted since i was 10 legal or not at that age and it was with a recurve ,then in the early 70`s i used a compound from the start of those years to now at 70 years of age with poor physical strength and a bad shoulder that the surgeon wanted to replace 4 years ago that i don`t want to , i already have had surgery in both shoulders so my body is a mess . > here is what i see is a negative thing that might happen to us handi cap and old bowhunters = Minnesota the state i live in the DNR is following who kills a deer with a x- bow during the archery season this year and probably even more in the future so myself and other handi cap old bowhunters will end up with the same law/rules for all x-bow archery hunters if it gets changed . i think x-bows are fine in the archery for all but there are plenty archery hunter selfish whiners out there that will try and change this law about x-bows in Minnesota, i hope it don`t happen but if it does i sure hope they leave the handi-cap old bowhunters alone in the archery season. Montana is one state that has a lot of whining selfish bowhunters with plenty butt hurt against handi-cap x-bow hunters during the archery season even on Federal land in Montana x-bows are not legal . so i hope Minnesota does not do this bowhunter butt hurt chit to x-bow archery hunters, at least not for the handi cap and old.

Um, they already changed the law in Minnesota to allow crossbow use in archery season by anyone.

Are you concerned that they'll stop letting you use a crossbow?

Lots of crossbow scopes do that. I zero'd my Vortex at 40 yards, then shot at 80, and adjusted the power ring/speed dial until POA=POI there, and verified at 20, 30, and 50. The reticle isn't too busy, and I like the illumination.

It was nuts on. I want too check it at 100 next time I'm out.

this is B. S. ever shoot a x-bow free hand at 50 yds. ? myself i was always much more accurate with my compound bow when i was healthy than with a x-bow free hand. so if you feel you can shoot that x-bow so accurate at 50 yds. free hand come to my place and if you can out shoot my son and his compound bow at 50 yards 5 shots each i will hand you a $100.00 bill. you loose you hand my son the $100.00 bill , i will post the results on 24 hr. Campfire. so some weekend let me know if want to do this , Pete53

Where did anyone mention shooting free hand with an x-bow ? Did I over look it ?

I love my Vortex Crossfire crossbow scope. Like I said in the optics forum, it works as advertised. Been using it for the last two seasons and have filled all of my archery tags.

No.

It's apparently an "old man yells at clouds" moment.

Get yourself some heavy shafts and broadhead. You don't lose much speed but the extra momentum is really noticeable. Helps with noise and vibration as well. Vibration is hard on the bows and eventually takes it's toll on their lifespan. I have a Matrix 380 for late season and shoot a 500 grain bolt.

Shoot what makes you happy, but this statement is why many bowhunters resist including crossbows in "primative" or "restrictive" seasons. It's not bowhunting. it's rifle hunting without powder.

Like so many of those who hunt the muzzleloader seasons are still using iron sighted side locks ? Those compound shooters should STFU. If you're smart you'll restrict your shots with a crossbow to 40 yards. They're loud and still not fast enough so deer can't jump string.

shooting your xbow for fun has nothing to do with hunting get off your high horse. I did not say any thing about free hand or hunting . pete I have nocked bolts together at 50yards free hand before

I can't shoot a bow enough to be confident hunting with one due to shoulder issues. If I do, I'll need another surgery rather quickly.

So, due to crossbow being legal, during archery season I'll finally be back hunting. I self limit distances due to deer jumping the string, and don't really GAF what others do or don't do. I don't look down on guys that shoot deer at 300+ yards with a rifle just because I've almost put powder burns on one with my 44mag.....

And if you're shooting expandable broadheads, they will have penetration issues at longer distances. You won't get pass throughs, so get a moderately fast xbow or keep the shots shorter.

I'd never shoot at 80 or 100 yds myself at an animal, but I do at target for fun and tuning. Arrows and broadheads are a big part of the accuracy, so tune and check spine/nock tune if needed.

yes i am as are many other handi cap and older x-bow archery hunters ,its like the Liberal DNR is putting us the handi cap and old archery hunters under the bus so in the future the DNR may change the season for all of us in a x-bow archery season . don`t thing that has not crossed the DNR`s mind i hope your smarter than that this chit could happen ?

Seems to be a lot of high horses in the archery world. A few years back overheard a compound bow hunter criticizing x bow hunters. A old guy who shot a recurve commented they he was cheating with the compound bow. I guess they were all fortunate their wasn't a long bow hunter that whittled his own wooden arrows there to look down his nose at the both of them. Archery equipment has come a long way.

I took up bow hunting back in the late 80’s with a cheap Fred Bear compound bow. I got good enough after practicing for a summer to kill a few hogs then lost interest. I’m thinking on taking it back up next year. It gets me in the woods a month early at my lease in Alabama.
I will probably go with an Excalibur maybe 380 matrix crossbow. I’m 61 these days. I’m sure a few of younger compound bow hunters a camp might look down there nose at me but I don't really care.

In what way are crossbows more efficient? Please explain so I can understand what you are getting at.

I've shot multiple deer with rifles.

And multiple deer with crossbows.

At the distances that I have killed deer with the crossbow, they have only ran a few feet before tumbling over.

I did kill a little 6 point with a 6.8 one year that dropped in its' tracks. But, that's the only one I've ever seen that done personally. Most of the time, they go a lot further before piling up and resulting in needing to track them.

I think 30 feet is the farthest I've seen a deer go before going down with a crossbow.

Least those are my experiences.

ya me too ?

What, exactly, are you afraid of?

This reminds me of the Seinfeld episode when Jerry was in the hospital and the old guy kep changeling him to various weight lifting activities against his son.

The more Jerry win, the lord the old man upped tha anti.

Do you really not understand how x-bows are more efficient? If you can’t see that I’m not sure explains that to you will help.

pete get the fu$k off your high horse I shot recurves all my life . my shoulders gave out 25 years ago I waited 11/12 years tell FLA made xbows leagle for every body . then I got one and I shoot it 2500/3000 times a year . so go pound sand you dumb fu$k

Just give the parameters of input vs results and I will hopefully understand what you are defining as efficient

I stopped feeding trolls years ago.

But if you insist:


30-06/165 gr bullet @3000 fps = 2997 ft lb energy at the muzzle.

20", 535 gr arrow and broadhead weight @ 310 fps = 114 ft lb energy at the riser

Last deer I shot with a 30-06 was not recovered because it ran into a neighboring property. Which was a state animal preserve.

Last deer I shot with a crossbow, launched up on it's back legs, moved forward 6 steps, stiffened up, fell over.

Good shot placement for both.

Crossbow is more efficient.

Thanks for playing. Please come again.

Congratulations!

I have a Kodak bow with an Excalibur micro limbs.

The trigger on the Kodak bow makes it for me 60 yard bow for elk, 50 for deer.

I need to try heavier bolts/ broadheads but I hate how the string deteriorates after shooting so I don’t shoot it much.

let`s try to be a little more positive and don`t feel so butthurt . maybe learn to spell the easy words better 1st >>legal not leagle << makes you look even more foolish idiot

Try that at 250 yards and tell me about efficiency! Try shooting 2 deer seconds apart and tell.me.about efficiency. If crossbows are the best thing since sliced bread, why haven't the bear guides hung up their big guns for cross bows ??

More foolish than your stupid bet? Lmao

TRY AND BE A LITTLE MORE POSITIVE ,DOING THE TROLL THING ON YOUR KEYBOARD LOOKS FOOLISH.

Ok boomer

dam I though the only idiot on here was in AK not north USA

You can polish the latches, or send the trigger group in for warranty polishing.

You still haven't answered: what, exactly, are you afraid of with crossbow becoming legal for everyone in MN?

i will spell it out again = MN. DNR are watching and taking notes this year and next year on how many deer are shot with a x-bow in Mn. during the archery season and if its too high DNR plans on changing how long x- bow season might be like a shorter separate season during the regular archery season and when that happens the old and handi-cap x-bow archery hunters will be included in with the x-bow season. i would hate to see that to happen but it might , i will turn 70 years old this year soon. i have bowhunted since i was 10 years old i feel as many others do we have a right even with poor health to still hunt the entire archery season even with x-bow . our old friends , family , and us all archers helped get and support to get a Minnesota Archery Season . so now do you understand ?

Oh, yeah, you're selfish and are afraid everyone getting to do what you're doing might ruin it.

Won't happen, the DNR wants more deer killed.

I’ll refrain from the who-struck-john about whether or not xbows should be allowed, but I can agree with what you said about expandables. I have one I dug out of a buck I killed with a ML. It had hit high on the scapula and was actually poking through the hide on the opposite side. The buck was fat and healthy, but that thing must’ve hurt like blazes every time he moved. It never opened.

My Excalibur is for sale in hopes I’ll abstain this year and chase more small game and birds, but if seems like the same dreary economy that’s futzing up gun sales is affecting other stuff too. If it doesn’t sell, I guess I’ll give it a whack on cooler days.

I figgered out what you were saying Pete, and I doubt that they will cut back on the ♿️ opportunities. Wouldn’t make sense.

I’m older than you, and got my xbow because I simply couldn’t practice enough with a hunting weight bow to be ethical.

Oh, my!!


You MN X-Bow boys tone it down so Pete isn't inconvenienced.


lol

Screw that. The DNR approved my permit a few months before the law changed. I'm still happy the law changed.

I don't have time for the ME ME ME crowd. It's like the people with machine guns that would be mad if the NFA act was repealed

In SD you have to get a release from a Dr saying your physically unable to use a traditional or compound bow to get to you a crossbow use permit. I passed on a sweet deal on a slightly used Ravin R-10 a month a go because I don't have that release yet. That ravin made a muzzleloader look like a joke to 100yds. It's as high tech as anyone's 3-5000 dollar rifle. Mb

I don't know about the new super fast ones, but my experience with a dozen or so deer with a regular bow is that you get past a certain distance and jumping the string becomes a thing. It doesn't matter how accurate the arrow flies if you're literally guessing at where the deer will be when it gets there.

That said, 40 yards is a "long" shot where I hunt no matter whether I've got rifle, pistol, muzzle loader or bow.

That's how it used to be in MN and WI...you needed a permit. Not now and apparently Pete wants the law changed back for him!

There is no way a deer won't jump the string, even with X-bow at ranges past 50 yards. They make too much noise and the arrow has to fly too far. Even at 450fps it has like 3/4 of a second to move out of the "strike zone" of the bolt from 100 yds.

A few months ago Petey Pup was bashing Montana for NOT having any xbow season - I'm being "more than positive" that he'll be back again...

We grumbled about it Virginia when they went all archery tackle for the entire season, but the truth is for our state - it's putting more hunters in the woods each year, and the aged hunters are staying in the field more years than they would have pulling vertical bow.

We use a cross bow. Don't care what anyone else thinks.

Daughter loves it, although she doesn't want to hunt.

no the new x-bow law is fine but the DNR is going to try and keep an eye on the numbers of deer shot with a x-bow and there are plenty compound bowhunters that feel butthurt now in Minnesota . i see this might be a problem but we will have to wait and see ? x-bows for handi-cap hunter law was in court again this year in Montana and was out voted again because of those compound bowhunters feeling they might be butthurt.

Based on my own experience, 7 shots resulting in 6 hits, plus countless videos I’ve watched, I think that an unalarmed deer will often not jump the string. One that’s looking your way wondering what you are at the shot probably will. The last one I shot at with my xbow stood there while it zipped over his back, then trotted off, as much I think in response to the sound of the bolt hitting the ground as the whang of the bow. He was 50 lasered yards away. I just whiffed it. The other deer were taken at between 20 and 35 yards. Only one was looking at me, and she had zero time to duck. The rest only moved when the bolt hit.

Nothing is written in stone of course. I’ve seen more than one stay put after being missed by a rifle, as long as there was no other sound or movement to alert them to my presence.

Whatever gets them outside!

Have you noticed any difference in how far they run with a crossbow compared to a compound?

A lot depends on shot location of course, and whether you are using a fixed or expandable broadhead....I find my Vert bows penetrate better with better blood trails, still trying to figure out why tbh....ymmv

I've had zero problems with mechanical broadheads. Haven't kept one in a deer yet with compound or crossbow. Three of the four deer I've killed with my crossbow and NAP shockwaves have gone down within sight in less than 30 yards. The fourth made it 75 bleeding like a stuck pig the whole way. Last years buck fell on the third bound. All of the mechanicals I've used in both my compound and my crossbow were old tech {NAP shockwaves and Rocket Steelheads}, 3 blade swing opens held closed with rubber O rings and 1 1/4" cutting diameter. Some guys just gotta spend for the supposedly latest and greatest and use heads that open wide and rely on gadgetry to stay closed and/or deploy and I think that's where they run into problems with mechanicals. My hunting partner insists on using some kind of Rage broadheads that open like 3" wide. Sure they chop a wide swath but he gets much less penetration than I do and missed an easy 25 yard shot at a buck last season because the blades opened on launch and hit his foot stirrup on the way out of the bow. No thanks, I'm stickin with what I've been using until they give me some reason to look elsewhere. You ain't gotta chop holes through deer you can stick your foot in to kill them.

Never shot one with any sort of bow except the xbow. Can’t imagine there’d be much difference. Through and through is want it is, and entrance and exit holes are pretty nasty. I know the first time I shot one I was really surprised at the loud pop of the impact. Those Muzzys are inexpensive, but cut on contact, and I doubt any deer bone will bend that point. The last one I shot ran a good ways, but that’s on me for hitting him too high. None of the others went over 50 yards or so.

I've shot a lot more deer with a compound & fixed blade heads than I have with a crossbow but they don't seem to go any farther one way or the other as long as you can put it in the right spot. I did hit one through both shoulders (scapula) with a Xbow I doubt my compound would have penetrated that far but I was shooting a heavy broadhead.
I agree that most of the time a deer will be able to duck an arrow out past 40 yards or so, I won't take a shot past 40 yards but that's just me.

Goalie, sent you a PM.

I agree Jim. They maybe can't duck a bolt from a xbow, but they'll be able to move far enough to make it a bad shot.

the first deer I killed with my excal I shot the 20 yard mark in the scope at 40 yards hit the dirt way short deer did't spook much 10 min. later I set the scope fps down and killed him at 70 yards

Handicapped hunters are the only ones that should be allowed to use crossbows during archery season. A crossbow has a trigger, a stock, a scope, and a saftey. Does that sound like a bow lol. If your too lazy to learn to shoot a compound or a real bow stay home till gun season. Older handicapped hunters that would shoot a real bow if not for their infirmities, should be allowed to use the crossbows. That’s how it always was. In my home state during bow season it was uncommon to see other hunters on weekends let alone week days. Now the woods are full of these lazy fat mouth breathers staggering around with a crossbow, their only handicap being obesity and lack of hunting ability lol.

I knew an old man that helped get bowseasons started in Louisiana in the beginning. He killed more deer than anyone I’ve ever known. He had kidney problems bad, aswell as belong near 80yo, he had used nothing but recurves until he could no longer shoot the weight he wanted, he then went to a compound. If anyone deserved to hunt with a crossbow it was this man. He told me he would quit before he used a crossbow. Compare that to these 30 yo flat brimmed hatted morons lol

If I want to hunt deer I'll take a vertical bow.
Within that, if I REALLY want to hunt deer, a recurve.

But if I want meat in the freezer, during archery season.............best bet would be an X bow.
Unfortunately my kid, somewhat disabled, doesn't want to use one.

Was looking at a Mission Sub 1.

My arthritis was bad yesterday, better today. Still didn't go hunting.
I'm good for 6-12 shots w my recurve in practice, but my hands will ache for a day or two.
New med maybe help, dunno yet.

Yup a lot of lazy folks like X bows.

Newsflash, shot 3D for a long while, have seen plenty of shiddy arrow flingers toting recurves and compounds.
Purists my azz.

At least with an X bow they might hit better.

IMHO using a crossbow makes one an "Xbow hunter" or "Ex bowhunter".
Which is fine.

Some folks do try to spin it as bowhunting though.

Agreed.

Being honest............


the older I get the more I like cooking venison.

The less I like busting my azz, freezing, hurting............to supply it.

If I had no love of archery, I'd buy an X bow and be grilling straps today.

They work.

But I find them heavy and awkward. Hell I found my Hoyt compound last yr to be a bit of a PITA.
Toting my recurve is a joy.

Don't have to worry about hurting my back dragging a deer out very much LOL

FWIW my old BW had 5 kills in a row, right off the bat.
This new recurve is 0 for 1.

Burns my azz. Maybe redeem myself tomorrow.

if another ducks it I'll be getting a custom cam lever compound as my handicap recurve LOL

My dad's old friend, was a pretty hardcore bowhunter.
Pops didn't bowhunt, but shot in the factory league (recurve days).
Both got me into archery.

Pop's bud had a stroke and had to go X bow, hated it.
But it got him afield, which added fun.

Handicapped or not, have fun.

Life is short.

Bullschitt. Who elected you Ethics Monitor? Game has to be managed, and in this area whitetails are like rats, even with constant pressure Sept-Jan from hunters toting guns, all sorts of bows, airguns, and MLs new and old. If rifles are ethical, so is anything less effective.

For me, the feeling I get when it all comes together with a bow is not matched by the crossbow.

I'd not deny that feeling to anyone, even if they get there with a crossbow.

While I generally support anyone to believe whatever they want, I also believe a lot of people posting online are not of the very smart variety.

I don't think anyone that uses the username Bay1975 should be allowed to hunt with any bow he didn't make himself from a poplar branch and including gut string and flint arrows that he dug up and knapped himself and bird feather fletching and sinew wrap to hold them in place.

Otherwise, it would be just unethical to hunt with any commercially built and bought bow or arrow. The woods would be full of those inferior people come archery season. May God have mercy on us all and protect us from those evils. We would run out of deer in only a few years if that were to occur.

I’ll cheerfully knock them down with any legal device I can get them in front of. There are methods I don’t care to try, but it’s not my place to deny others their opportunity to use them. The DNR is in charge of that. Most who decry this and that way of hunting are actually trying to preserve the experience they desire, not the game, who are pretty good at doing that themselves if you examine the evidence of the numbers.

The IWLA chapter I belong to stocks its lake with hatchery rainbows twice a year. They get hammered with Power Bait, worms, lures, and flies. I prefer using a spinning rod with jigs and spinners, while my wife likes to watch a bobber. It’s all good, and the only restrictions are a limit to one rod and the daily limit of four per angler. Everybody has their fun, and the fish don’t care how they end up in the pan.

For the anti crossbow losers, GFY

Hey, no fair. That guy in the foreground is using one of those unethical new-fangled cranks to cock his crossbow….

Cheater.

To each his own. If you want to use a compound, recurve, or long bow, more power to ya. I'll use anything they let me use. I started bow hunting with a compound in 1990. Bought my first crossbow in 2015 and killed more deer with that than all of the guns combined. There have been a lot of deer that probably would have walked if I didn't have the crossbow. Our bow season goes from Sept. through Jan. Call me a cheater, but it's legal.

I upgraded to this 10 Point Titan Decock last year.

Lol. I bet your one of them man boob having cross dresser/crossbow shooters lol. You never hear any comeback for how a crossbow with a freakin scope and trigger is a bow, just some dumbass remark that barley makes sense.

Anywhere in the country the rifle/shotgun seasons have the largest number of deer kills, it ain’t even close. So anyone with much brain knows the deer population control is done mostly by the gun hunters. So saying we need more bowhunters with crossbows is beyond stupid. Most of the cross dressers don’t have any better kill statistics than real bowhunters, it’s not how many deer they kill it’s them stinking up the woods stumbling around with their Xbows when 10 years ago they’d have been on the couch steadily increasing their cholesterol levels and leaving the woods to bowhunters until rifle season the way God intended.

Not like crossbows haven't been used for centuries.

[align:center][/align] Way longer than compound bows. These archery puritan whiners best be sticking to old school recurves and longbows like we did when I sarted bow hunting or STFU. I for one am tired of listening to the whiny sunsabitches.

Well I’ve never owned nor hunted with a compound. I started with a recurve and now hunt only with a longbow and wood arrows so GFY lol

Yeah well I hunt with a sidelock, patched balls and black powder during MZ season. My choice. I don't begrudge the guys using scoped inlines and say they shouldn't be allowed to use them unless they're old and disabled.

Blackheart posted i very good statement ! i say the same thing who cares what you use to fill your tag . as a lineman who has work all over Minnesota the worst thing i ever seen was a pile of dead deer hidden somewhat by some city hunters " ST. Cloud ,Mn." gutted , tags removed and the buck horns removed , there was 9 rifle shot dead deer in this pile wasted. >if you eat your deer meat then kill the deer how ever you want and enjoy the meat ,if you waste the deer meat you have no business hunting shame on you. Pete53

Stone points??

Fletching attached with sinew??

I bet harvest numbers have increased less than 5% in states that have legalized the crossbow.

Better get a matchlock or your not a true muzzleloader hunter.

^^ TRUE ^^

Pa archery buck kill numbers have almost doubled since the crossbow was legalized

Whatever it is, it ain’t enough in many places. Next door in Clarke County, VA, they’ve opened the antlerless season on private land on the first of September for a couple or three years now. choose your weapon. The standard deer license allows six deer, and for a few dollars, you get tags for another six. You have to kill two does before you can take a second buck.

VA is a patchwork of regs due to the wide variety of conditions. Gotta be a Philadelphia lawyer to understand them all. Access to the private land is hard to come by, just as in my WV county, so the hunters are concentrated on the public, or often join clubs, but the clubs are usually located on timber land, not ag.

Willycc,
Didn't run the numbers of buck only but in 2008-2009 archery kills were 120,260. Last year that was 130,650. The ratio of buck/doe varies by WMU. I would suspect that buck numbers are down due to the antler restrictions.

I donno...I was shooting both yesterday. Unless I have a real steady rest, I'm better with my compound out to 40. Seriously.

I'll be bowhunting for the next few weeks before gun season. I'm not sure the x-bow will make the trip. I've only had it for a month or so and not had much time on it. There certainly is no comparison between the two for speed.

Best of luck

This print hangs on the wall in my office. Thought you guys might enjoy it. Looks like the crossbow was Willie's and is being presented as evidence by the sheriff. Hard to argue with The Bard

>> recurve type x-bows have been use for 100`s maybe 1,000 years and that`s is what i use yet ,i also sharpen my broadheads Zwickey Eskimos manufactured in Minnesota many years before compound bows were invented ,build my own arrows with real bird feathers . ^^ i like the picture of above my post ^^