The Do’s and Don’ts of Crossbow Hunting
Modern crossbows are magnificent pieces of engineering. They’re fast, reliable, and, if used correctly, can kill almost anything that moves. One advantage that crossbows have over pistols, rifles, and shotguns is the fact that you can retrieve ammo and stay completely silent without having to purchase a silencer or suppressor.
Once you get the hang of using a modern crossbow, you’ll find lots of pleasure in using this seemingly old piece of technology. Let’s explore some do’s and don’ts while we’re at it.
Use sufficient draw weight
Now don’t get us wrong, each individual has their preferred draw weight when it comes to crossbow hunting. However, each state also has a minimum draw weight that it strictly imposes on any hunter. Make sure to check out the local hunting laws of the area that you want to hunt some game in.
Use a cocking device
Cocking devices will make your life much easier once you get the hang of them. If you want to see more details about them, check out this piece written by the guys at fisherpants.com.
Don’t shoot off-hand
Just don’t try it. Crossbows put a lot of their weight on the front, so you need to balance them well if you want to stay accurate. Shooting off-hand might look cool to some people, but it’s absolutely pointless if you want to score a catch. Think about it the same way you would think about shooting an Uzi sideways. It’s gangsta, but nobody does it seriously.
Watch your fingers
If you’ve used a rifle for a long time, you might have a tendency to hold your fingers in a certain position when shooting a crossbow. If you accidentally hold them in the path of a bowstring when it’s rocketing down the rail, you can kiss those fingers goodbye. Crossbow finger amputations are painful, to say the least.
Improve your maximum effective shooting range
Practice makes perfect, as the old saying goes. Your personal maximum effective range is the distance at which you can hit the bullseye around 90% of the time. At one point or another, you will get so used to hitting the bullseye strictly from that distance that you’ll probably get used to it and train your muscle memory only to work at that specific range.
If you see that you can strike a bullseye from 20 yards almost every time, it would be wise to step up your game. Move 10 or 20 yards back and start practicing from there. You won’t hit as many bullseyes, but you’ll be learning how to shoot from greater distances, and having this ability is imperative if you’re serious about hunting big game.
Practice in low light conditions
Many animals appear just before dusk, and you need to train your eyes to spot and shoot targets in low light conditions. While it isn’t ideal, you will surely find yourself in this situation at least a couple of times during the hunting season.
Another reason to do this is to train your muscle memory to work better when your eyes can’t do the job properly.
Try shooting both with and without gloves
Each modern crossbow has a specific feel for their trigger. Some shoot the arrow at even the slightest pressure, while others allow you to push the trigger an inch or two before firing. Get a feel for the trigger by shooting as many times as you can. Do this with gloves and without gloves interchangeably to see which is the best option for your particular model.