Thursday, February 02, 2006
Bill Cochran's Outdoors: Reflections on the first crossbow season
Bill Cochran is a Roanoke Times outdoors columnist.
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More than 14,000 sportsmen in Virginia purchased a new license that gave them the right to hunt with a crossbow during the 2005-06 bowhunting season. What did they think of the novel experience? We asked four hunters to help answer that question:
JEFF AKERS, Botetourt County
“I loved it.” The truth is, Akers was so enthralled with his crossbow that he put aside his compound bow and spent more time afield than he normally would. The switchover appeared to be something of a trend. Bow license sales declined about 7,000 and officials believe this was the result of archers switching to crossbows.
Akers killed four does with his crossbow. Big game kill figures aren’t available, but wildlife officials believe crossbow hunters can be credited with about 25 percent of the deer killed during the archery/crossbow season.
Akers especially liked the fact that the crossbow requires less preparation time than a compound, which is important to a busy hunter. “There is less guesswork and the crossbow offers faster, flatter shooting,” he said.
The killing power of the crossbow was awesome. “Actually, the four deer that I killed went down about as fast as they would have had they been shot with a .270. It hit them hard.”
Akers hunts from treestands with his compound bow, but he spent more time in ground stands with his crossbow. One of the reasons, he was hunting new territory and wasn’t certain where to place treestands. So the crossbow fit right into his explortory efforts.
JIM RIGGS, Norfolk:
Riggs has been a bowhunter since 1976, but a bad back was giving him problems, so he jumped at the chance to try a crossbow. He did a lot of research and ended up trying two brands of equipment.
“A prospective crossbow hunter should definitely try a few different makes before he buys one, and should talk to someone who owns one and has hunted with it,” Riggs said. “There are lots of differences between different makes.”
After a few days of practice, Riggs was shooting a 3-inch group at 50 yards, “which was phenomenal for me compared to my usual accuracy with a compound.”
But he found the crossbow to be heavy and awkward in the woods. “The combination of the crossbow mounted sideways on the stock make it awkward to carry in and out of the woods, particularly with a treestand on your back. A crossbow would not be a good choice for someone who wanted to still hunt in thick woods.”
Once on his stand, either in a tree or a ground blind, Riggs said he felt comfortable.
“I was confident with its operation and accuracy and felt good about its range potential and how little motion was necessary to release an arrow compared to drawing a bow.”
The crossbow was loud and shots taken longer than 40 yards could result in a deer getting out of the way before the arrow reached it, he said.
As for success with the crossbow, Riggs reported what he called an “awful” season. But he has plans to hunt with a crossbow next season. He killed a fine 8-pointer with his muzzleloader.
WALT HAMPTON, Grayson County
“I was disappointed with the crossbow. My own expectations were too high. I did hunt with it several times, but did not take any game with it.
“I found it to be awkward to carry and handle and it did not fit my style of hunting, which is to still hunt instead of stand hunt.” The equipment would be useful to an immobile hunter, he said.
Hampton is a former wildlife biologist who writes for gun magazines and operates Buck Mountain Rifle Works, www.buckmountainrifleworks.com. He said he didn’t expect to pursue crossbow hunting in the future and would get rid of his equipment.
It was a worthwhile experiment, he said.
JIM STANULIS, Virginia Beach
The things that impressed Stanulis about his crossbow were its speed and accuracy. He plans to hunt with it again next season.
“Using the crossbow certainly seems to even the odds in favor of the hunter,” he said. “There is less movement and greater accuracy coupled with the fact that I am not encumbered with trying to hold a conventional bow at full draw waiting for the perfect shot.”
Stanulis didn’t kill a deer with his crossbow, but that didn’t deter him from enjoying its use. He wished he’d had one a number of years ago when he hunted with a recurved bow.
“I had a few misses which, when I think back, would probably have turned out differently with the added accuracy and speed of a crossbow. I think crossbow hunting will add a new dimension to deer hunting for those of us who enjoy hunting alone and just being in the outdoors amongst those sneaky critters.”
