Are Crossbow Still a Primitive Form of Hunting?
I've always been drawn to bow hunting because of the challenge. No offense to you gun hunters, but I just don't get a rush from shooting a deer with my Remington .270. Even if it is a nice buck. There was a time when I did, but as I've taken more and more deer through the years, gun hunting just doesn't turn me on.
My bow is another story though. It is definitely more of a challenge for me. I like the primitive aspects of harvesting a deer with an arrow. The close quarters action adds to that rush.
When the gun season comes around in Kentucky, I still grab my bow when I head to the stand. I'll bow hunt while my buddies gun hunt. I tend to get razzed by them a bit, but it is what I prefer for the reasons that I have already stated. Yes, I have seen some nice bucks during the gun season that were out of range of my bow. I really doesn't bother me that I wasn't able to harvest those deer, although I'd love to have the confidence to take a 50 or 60 yard shot, but I don't see that happening.
In a recent conversation with one of my hunting buddies, he told me that I should consider getting a crossbow to use for the upcoming gun season. The idea had never really crossed my mind, so I took a closer look at some this past week. I have to admit that there are some pretty impressive crossbows on the market today. Some of these things have 225 - 300 lb draw weights, and blaze their bolts at 300 - 350 feet per second. With the scopes that come of some of these crossbow packages, my buddy was saying that 60 yard shots were no problem.
While a crossbow is definitely more primitive than a rifle, the definitely seem much more advanced than a bow. I'm finding my interest is peaking in these new crossbows, and it has me conflicted. The primitive nature of bow hunting is what has really compelled me to become an avid bow hunter. If I drop $600+ on one of these hot new crossbows, am I going to still find that same rush that I get from harvesting a deer with a bow? Or will I feel the same, well no rush, that I get from harvesting a deer with a rifle.
What do you think about crossbow hunting from the perspective of a bow hunter?
