Crossbows

[kygobbler]

Im looking into getting a crossbow for turkey hunting this fall. I know some of you use them and was wondering if ya could give some help on what to look for. Now I've never used a crossbow before and Im all ears on suggestions on which type to get. If you could tell me what you look for when you check out a new one. Right now Im looking at Horton HD 150 and a Barnett Wildcat C5. Thahs for any advice. Also, do you like to use broadheads, mechanic heads or guilitine heads for turkeys with a crossbow?

[turkey junky]

my dad uses a barnett wildcat C5 i have also hes gotten 1 bird 1 deer with it ive wounded 1 turkey so we are no experts but i think u will like it get a hand crank to pull the string back we need 1 but we are to macho 2 break down & buy 1 lol!!! we still havent found the golden bullet for broadheads with his crossbow he used a muzzy 125 grain 3 blade to harvest both the deer & turkey it did the job 4 my dad i wounded a gobbler with the muzzy hit him hard he went down & i should of left him be i rushed the recovery & boogerd him & never found him ageain even with a dog i think he pitched into a tree & died up in it seen crows going nuts in the tree 2-3 days later & the area had a ripe smell i was bummed out so i went out & got some rage expandables but we didnt get to try them on a bird yet or deer so??? the crossbow has the speed to use expandables ok... we also have a guilitine style broadhead maid by bullhead but havent tried that eaither i will next season thow it looks so deadly waiting to be launched out of the crossbow!!! the only thing i would recomend is maybe investing in a good scope becouse it comes with a red dot scope at least the barnett dose its good but not the most accurate & u can zoom it in so its up to u my dad likes the red dot so??? it would be that much more deadly with a good scope on it!!!

[xcal1ber]

I would look at Parker crossbows man aswell, i have a compound by them and its awesome! Horton and Barnett makes good crossbows too, and if your really wanting to spend some money you can check out Tenpoint and Excalibur. As for broadheads i would go with muzzy 100grain 3 blades or muzzy MX-3 100 grain. you can never go wrong with muzzy. IMO i wouldnt get a mechanical for any type of hunting I do, yes when mechanicals work then they get the job done but thats if THEY WORK! Failure to open or premature opening could cause a miss or a wounded bird and i wouldnt take that risk. I like knowing that when i release that arrow that my broadhead is going to preform 100% of the time, thats why i shoot fixed blade for everything and thats why i shoot muzzy, sharp, durable, easy assembly, comes with replacement heads and did i mention theyre only 26.00$ a 3 pack where as rage and others are close to 40.00$ for 3.

[WillowRidgeCalls]

My buddy shoots a Ten Point recurve x-bow, he likes the way it shoots and has taken 3 birds with it. He shoots the Bullheads with a lighted knock, they don't bury into the grass as bad or skip off frozen ground if you miss. He has a scope on his and the crank for drawing it.

[Cut N Run]

I have a Parker Hurricane (no longer made) that I just started hunting with last year. It is incredibly accurate and I shot three deer with it last Fall. All were pass-through heart shots and none of the deer went 50 yards. I haven't tried it turkey hunting yet. I've shot Slick Trick, G-5, and Parker CrossPro 100 grain broadheads and they all seem pretty accurate and durable. Some mechanical broadheads have been reported not to perform like they should from a crossbow. I got a sidewinder to cock the bow because of my lame shoulder. I have access to hunt a new piece of land where no firearms are permitted & intend to turkey hunt with my crossbow there next Spring. Good luck.

Jim

[kygobbler]

Gentlemen, thank you for all of your info. I will try to put it at good use. For right now Im still going to do some more homework into them before I buy one. When I do decide on what I want, hopefully I can post a pic of it with a turkey this fall.

[kygobbler]

Hey gents, I have one more question for ya. This is something that just came to my mind and got me wondering. Lets say you draw the string back to its locking position and you dont see any game to shoot. How do you release the string with out dry firing it? Do you just put in an old arrow and fire it at the ground or do you just use the cranking device or pull rope to ease the tension? The latter seems a little to unsafe to me in my thinking.

[eggshell]

This thread kind of makes me shiver, some of you know why.  I would have two serious requirements for a crossbow. NUmber one, it must have a a full closed trigger guard. The crossbow I was shot with was an old Horton that had a bump behind the trigger, not a true guard. I still believe that made it vulnerable to accidental firing. Second get one with as heavy a safety as possible. Never carry it cocked with an arrow on the rest. An old arrow to fire works well for discharging.

I would still like to try to hunt your Ky crossbow season again, but I doubt my wife and kids will ever stand still for it. I haven't handled one since the accident, it just kind of gives me the creeps....almost dieing does that to some of us.

That's all I got to say about that, Forest Gump was a wise character.

[Cut N Run]

I totally understand & respect your apprehension to get anywhere near a crossbow Dana.

I'm pretty sure that most newer crossbows have full triggerguards, a good safety, and many have an anti-dry fire device that will not allow the bow to be fired unless an arrow is depressing a latch. Just like a firearm, it should be treated as if it were loaded at all times.

There is a small discharge target made to shoot a practice arrow into to decock the bow. I've heard of people using a practice arrow with a judo point installed to keep from losing the arrow when they shoot at a stump to relieve pressure on the limbs.. I keep a regular practice target in the back of my truck in case I need to test fire it before I go hunting, or when I come out of the woods.

Jim

[jem44357]

Does anyone know if there is a minimum draw weight or bolt length for a cross bow in Michigan? I've looked at the regs and can't find anything.
 
Jim