Post by Woody Williams on Aug 20, 2005 8:00:38 GMT -5
Crossbow boom
By By Mark Taylor
981-3395
The Roanoke Times
Jordan Vest has spent some time in the woods during Virginia's early archery seasons, tagging along with his bowhunting father, Allen.
This October the 14-year-old from Vinton will actually get to hunt as well. Unlike his dad, he won't be using a compound bow.
Jordan plans to use his new Barnett Quad crossbow.
"I like it," Jordan said of the crossbow. "It shoots pretty good."
Allen Vest said he believed a crossbow was a good way to introduce his son to archery season hunting.
"It's accurate and it's right fast," said Vest, who felt those were advantages over youth-model compound bows.
Across Virginia, hunters are taking advantage of a new regulation that will allow able-bodied hunters to hunt with crossbows during the state's archery seasons. The weapons are also legal during gun seasons.
Crossbow sales are booming.
"If I had them to sell, I'd be in good shape," said Alan Hipes at Bryansteens Gun and Archery in Roanoke, which sold out of its most popular models and awaited replenishing shipments.
Based on trends in other states recently approving crossbows, the regulation could attract as many as 10,000 additional hunters to archery season, which has attracted roughly 65,000 licensed hunters in recent seasons.
While the new regulation has been good news for sporting goods shops, crossbow manufacturers and hunters looking to expand their seasons, not all hunters are excited about the crossbow boom.
"I think it's the lazy man's way out," said Rick Gluth, a Botetourt County hunter who said he deer hunts only with a bow because he enjoys the challenge. "I feel like [crossbows] take the sport out of archery hunting."
Crossbows have several advantages over the compound bows favored by most bow hunters. A key one is that crossbows are pre-cocked, eliminating the need for a hunter to draw while remaining undetected by an approaching animal. Even though most modern compound bows offer let-offs of up to 80 percent, not even strong archers can hold at full draw for more than a couple of minutes.
Crossbows are also easier to set up, not requiring the specific tuning and fitting that compound bows require. Less practice time is needed to learn to shoot a crossbow with reasonable proficiency.
However, contrary to common perception, crossbows are more similar to compound bows than to guns.
Bolts and arrows fired by crossbows travel at velocities similar to or only slightly faster than arrows fired by a quality compound bow. That means hunters, to account for arcing bolt trajectory, still must be adept at judging distances.
Crossbows also tend to be louder than compound bows. So even if a crossbow shooter can consistently hit a small target at ranges of 50 yards and beyond, making a good shot on a deer, which are well known for flinching at the sound of a bow shot, is a different story.
"The range is 40 yards and in, preferably 30 yards and in," said Randy Wood, national sales manager at Tenpoint Crossbow Technologies. "And every manufacturer will tell you the same thing."
Mike Snead, owner of the Virginia Outdoorsman in Franklin County, said he is trying to educate his crossbow-buying customers, most of whom are gun hunters looking to expand their arsenals.
"They aren't archers," Snead said. "I tell them if they plan to kill a deer with this weapon, shooting the weapon isn't the most important thing."
Like any bowhunter, Snead said, a crossbow hunter will have to carefully choose his stand location, must be quiet, and must play the wind to give himself the best chance of getting a deer to within a reasonable range. And even when the deer is in range, the shooter must ensure the deer is broadside or quartering away to maximize the chances for a double-lung hit.
"The woodsmanship is the same," Wood said, likening crossbow hunting to hunting with conventional archery gear.
Greg Wolford of Roanoke County worries that some newcomers aren't getting that message.
"I've got a couple friends who are saying they can shoot a deer at 60 yards with a crossbow so they are going to get rid of their compounds," Wolford said with frustration. "You owe it to the deer to be 110 percent committed no matter what weapon you're using."
By By Mark Taylor
981-3395
The Roanoke Times
Jordan Vest has spent some time in the woods during Virginia's early archery seasons, tagging along with his bowhunting father, Allen.
This October the 14-year-old from Vinton will actually get to hunt as well. Unlike his dad, he won't be using a compound bow.
Jordan plans to use his new Barnett Quad crossbow.
"I like it," Jordan said of the crossbow. "It shoots pretty good."
Allen Vest said he believed a crossbow was a good way to introduce his son to archery season hunting.
"It's accurate and it's right fast," said Vest, who felt those were advantages over youth-model compound bows.
Across Virginia, hunters are taking advantage of a new regulation that will allow able-bodied hunters to hunt with crossbows during the state's archery seasons. The weapons are also legal during gun seasons.
Crossbow sales are booming.
"If I had them to sell, I'd be in good shape," said Alan Hipes at Bryansteens Gun and Archery in Roanoke, which sold out of its most popular models and awaited replenishing shipments.
Based on trends in other states recently approving crossbows, the regulation could attract as many as 10,000 additional hunters to archery season, which has attracted roughly 65,000 licensed hunters in recent seasons.
While the new regulation has been good news for sporting goods shops, crossbow manufacturers and hunters looking to expand their seasons, not all hunters are excited about the crossbow boom.
"I think it's the lazy man's way out," said Rick Gluth, a Botetourt County hunter who said he deer hunts only with a bow because he enjoys the challenge. "I feel like [crossbows] take the sport out of archery hunting."
Crossbows have several advantages over the compound bows favored by most bow hunters. A key one is that crossbows are pre-cocked, eliminating the need for a hunter to draw while remaining undetected by an approaching animal. Even though most modern compound bows offer let-offs of up to 80 percent, not even strong archers can hold at full draw for more than a couple of minutes.
Crossbows are also easier to set up, not requiring the specific tuning and fitting that compound bows require. Less practice time is needed to learn to shoot a crossbow with reasonable proficiency.
However, contrary to common perception, crossbows are more similar to compound bows than to guns.
Bolts and arrows fired by crossbows travel at velocities similar to or only slightly faster than arrows fired by a quality compound bow. That means hunters, to account for arcing bolt trajectory, still must be adept at judging distances.
Crossbows also tend to be louder than compound bows. So even if a crossbow shooter can consistently hit a small target at ranges of 50 yards and beyond, making a good shot on a deer, which are well known for flinching at the sound of a bow shot, is a different story.
"The range is 40 yards and in, preferably 30 yards and in," said Randy Wood, national sales manager at Tenpoint Crossbow Technologies. "And every manufacturer will tell you the same thing."
Mike Snead, owner of the Virginia Outdoorsman in Franklin County, said he is trying to educate his crossbow-buying customers, most of whom are gun hunters looking to expand their arsenals.
"They aren't archers," Snead said. "I tell them if they plan to kill a deer with this weapon, shooting the weapon isn't the most important thing."
Like any bowhunter, Snead said, a crossbow hunter will have to carefully choose his stand location, must be quiet, and must play the wind to give himself the best chance of getting a deer to within a reasonable range. And even when the deer is in range, the shooter must ensure the deer is broadside or quartering away to maximize the chances for a double-lung hit.
"The woodsmanship is the same," Wood said, likening crossbow hunting to hunting with conventional archery gear.
Greg Wolford of Roanoke County worries that some newcomers aren't getting that message.
"I've got a couple friends who are saying they can shoot a deer at 60 yards with a crossbow so they are going to get rid of their compounds," Wolford said with frustration. "You owe it to the deer to be 110 percent committed no matter what weapon you're using."