Crossbow Deer Hunting Tips – Whitetail vs Crossbow
As deer hunting season is just around the corner, it is time to share a few tips to help make your crossbow hunting more successful. Hunting with crossbows has become more popular over the last few years and each year, many more rookies take up this style of hunting. Hunting is challenging with a gun, but it can be even more challenging with a crossbow. It can be difficult to fully understand how powerful and fast crossbows really are. That speed and power often proves to be difficult to manage, too. But, with a few tips, we can help make your crossbow hunting experience extremely successful and rather fun.
#1: Practice. Practice. Practice.
Before you head out into the woods for real, live shooting, get to the range. Practice firing the crossbow in a variety of situations. Of course, it is helpful to fire for accuracy. It can also be helpful to fire at a moving target. It can also be helpful to fire in difficult weather conditions, like wind and rain. You should also practice shooting from different physical positions. Shoot from behind a blind, from your knees, and even from an elevated position. Step out of the range and get practicing in the actual field, where you will be shooting real animals in a real environment. The more you practice, the better prepared you will be to actually take down a real deer.
Deer Hunting 3D
#2: Get a Good Cocking Device & Use It
A good cocking device will make your crossbow experience rather enjoyable. It is common for a crossbow to have a 150 pounds of draw weight and that can get rather heavy for an hunter. When you use a cocking device, you actually increase your accuracy because the device will always draw the string back in the exact same way. When you draw back the string on your own, you most likely draw it from side-to-side, without even realizing it.
Crossbow cocking devices
#3: A Good Crossbow is Worth the Money
When you buy your crossbow, buy a good one. The cheap ones are usually built cheaply and the more expensive ones are better made. When it comes to shooting a well-tuned machine like a crossbow, a better one will shoot nicely. Quality crossbows will shoot with accuracy, they shoot with reliability, and they are less likely to have troubles in the middle of a hunt. There are outstanding crossbow packages available for sale and the more expensive options come with top notch accessories like sights, cocking devices, and bolts.
#4: Buy Quick Arrows
There are arrows and then there are bolts. When you shoot a crossbow, you want to get the bolts that are specially designed for crossbows. There are crossbows that will shoot bolts up to 300 FPS, which is incredibly fast. If your crossbow shoots at FPS speeds of at least 300, then you should certainly get arrows that can handle that speed and power. With that type of power from your crossbow, you need to have the best arrows. Otherwise, the arrows won’t get the job done. With increased FPS showing up on newer crossbow models, you can seriously expect that crossbows will continue to become more powerful and the arrows will become more durable. When you shop for your bolts, find the type that have nocks for crossbows. It is also important that they have fletches that are designed for crossbows. They should also be the appropriate length to fit crossbows, too. The best bolts are made of carbon.
How to Choose the Best Crossbow Arrows
#5: Add a Scope Sight to Your Crossbow
Most crossbow kits come with a sight, but not necessarily a scope. When you add a scope sight to a crossbow, you increase your accuracy because of the magnification. Most scope sights will increase to 5X, which means you can shoot from long yardage with more accuracy – even dead-on accuracy. It is easy to get used to shooting with a sighted scope because of the crosshairs or the red dot that shows you where to aim and fire.
crossbow scope
#6: Relax and Take a Few Timeouts
While you are hunting, it is important to take time to rest. The awkwardness of prepping and shooting a crossbow makes it necessary for hunters to take occasional breaks. Your body will appreciate taking breaks. Many hunters will use a rest that they can bring out to the blind. If you can the forearm on a pad, a backpack, or even your hand, you will give your body some cushion against the power of the crossbow recoil. If you are unable to get a pad, make one out of a coat or hoodie.
Deer hunting season 2015
#7: Understand Physics
When you are hunting with a crossbow, the arrow will travel in an arc. Once you get to know how deep the arc is when you shoot, you will be able to find your target with the scope sight and fire. The parabolic arc will work to your favor and you will learn how to hit your target.
#8: Take Good Care of Your Crossbow & Its Parts
Crossbows are machines that require care and maintenance. If you fail to take good care of the machine, it will continue to work wonders for you. It is important to have the pieces checked out annually by an expert. The string can be damaged by normal use and it is a good idea to have it replaced as needed. It is also helpful to learn how to change the string if anything happens while you are out in the wilderness hunting, far from an outfitter. It is also important to learn how to care for the cables and servings, too.
#9: Learn to Shoot Carefully
There are plenty of people who have been severely injured by putting their fingers on the wrong places. It is vitally important to keep your fingers away from the path of the bolt, or you could slice your fingers right off.
#10: Learn the Rules.
Every state has different rules and regulations for hunters and their types of weapons. Before you drag your crossbow on a deer hunting expedition, you should find out if you can even use a crossbow in your state. It is extremely important to know when you can shoot your crossbow and what animals are approved for hunting. No one wants to get in trouble and lose their ability to hunt legally.
