My heart raced excitedly at the sight of tall tines coming through the trees. The trail camera pictures collected over the previous two months made the deer easy to recognize. The buck was a wanderer and came through my hunting area about once every ten days. I had strategized for encountering the old mature buck and focused my efforts during the rut. The buck would check out the local ladies regularly, not wanting the younger bucks in the area to steal any action.
The buck came down the game trail as though programmed for a collision course with my stand. My crossbow instinctively found its way to my shoulder. I waited to raise the front end when the right shot opportunity presented itself. Timing, managing movement, and knowing when to shoot have become instinct. Getting busted occasionally is a great reminder that old deer do not miss much in their intimate surroundings.
The buck was on a lazy saunter down the trail, trying to replenish some reserves by eating as he walked. The casual approach made me wonder if he had been running all night and was now returning to his bedding area to rest. With no distractions and an interest in food, the buck soon closed the distance to 32 yards. The crosshair in my scope found the deer, and the illuminated reticle found the sweet spot behind the front leg. The buck was slightly quartering away as it stopped to sample local vegetation. I slowly and quietly moved the safety to the fire position and had my finger on the trigger. When the deer stood still at the perfect angle, my arrow launched and disappeared into brown fur. The buck jumped, bolted forward three steps, and collapsed. I was in shock at the quick and effective placement of the arrow, watching the buck expire within seconds of being hit and in plain sight.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t shaking when trying to get out of the stand. The experience provided a huge adrenaline dump that left me feeling euphoric. My crossbow was cocked, and an arrow on the rail just in case there was something more than met the eye and there was still some life in the deer. Being prepared for the unexpected has proven to be beneficial in the past. When I got close to the deer, it became obvious that it had expired faster than I’d ever seen an archery-shot deer in the past. The broadhead had severed the top of the heart, and it was done fast.
The preparation for the hunt had paid off. I had practiced the scenarios I may experience and had indepth knowledge of my crossbow. Every detail was explored, from the noise of taking off the safety to the exact hold on the reticle of my scope. Confidence and knowing where your arrow is going before you pull the trigger can be achieved with time on the range and understanding every detail about your bow.
Speed and trajectory
Whenever I get a new crossbow, I check its speed and consistency. A chronograph can tell you a lot about a bow and what to expect every time you pull the trigger. When I got my TenPoint Nitro 505, I shot it repeatedly through my chronograph and obtained mostly duplicate readings of 509 fps. The crossbow was stable and consistent, with a two-foot-per-second variance after nine shots. What does consistent speed mean to a shooter or hunter? The more consistent your speed, the tighter your arrow groups are at any range. When shooting 20 or 30 yards, arrows shoot so consistently that different aiming points are required to avoid damaging arrows or fletching. Consistent speed also provides consistent arrow groups at ranges to 50 yards and beyond. I discovered the downrange consistency after shooting a crossbow with a 21-foot-per-second variance. Arrow groupings at short range were good, but my arrow groupings grew when I tried to stretch out the range.
Noise
There are free apps for measuring decibels, and knowing the noise your bow produces allows you to make informed decisions under different hunting conditions. Decibels are measured on a logarithmic scale, meaning they grow in intensity exponentially and not by a simple percentage. A loud crossbow can be problematic and cause animals to jump the string. In a best-case scenario, your arrow may hit high and catch the animal in the spine. However, it can also generate a clean miss or worse scenario of a wounded animal.
I shot a nice whitetail buck at 38 yards. It seemed like a straightforward opportunity, but the surroundings were silent, with no wind. When the trigger was pulled, the deer heard the bow and ducked hard. My arrow caught the deer in the spine and knocked it to the ground immediately. It was a game of inches where the arrow could have missed completely or hit the deer through the loins in a wounding shot. If on an outfitted hunt, drawing blood usually means an end to your hunt, so knowing when to shoot and how much distance you can risk is important.
On a late-season Missouri hunt, I had the biggest four-by-four buck I have ever seen work into a food plot and feed across in front of me. I was fixated on the buck and wanted badly to get a shot. The closest the deer got was 48 yards, and with dead quiet surroundings, I knew there was little chance the buck wouldn’t hear it and jump the string. In the end, I did not shoot, and the darkness brought an end to the hunt. If the deer had passed at 20 or 25 yards, it would have been a no-brainer, but knowing that my other quiet night experience at 38 yards was almost a problem, I held off.
Safety
I check the safety of any new crossbow and ensure I know how much pressure is required to switch it on or off. Click the safety off without any resistance to keep it quiet, and you can measure the noise on the decibel meter. On some bows, it is a significant “click” that cannot be ignored. Work the safety slowly and see if you can put it in the fire position without any audible tell. Slow and steady movement can do the trick. Over the years, I have found bows that allow for a quiet safety release, while others make an audible click no matter what you do.
When I first saw my big buck approaching, I had worked the safety off on my Nitro 505. It allowed me to be confident the deer wouldn’t hear by taking it off early. If the deer had caught me in close quarters, I’m confident I could have worked the safety off slowly without being detected. Knowing what to do in any scenario gives you the upper hand to be successful.
Reticles
I have always been an avid bow hunter and used a sight with pins on my vertical bows. Over the years, I would know the exact distance between the top and bottom of the pin shot, even if it was just a yard or two difference. It allowed for precision arrow placement. The same can be done with a crossbow scope with hashmarks on the reticle for a direct hold at different distances. It may sound tedious, but shoot target intervals from 30 to 40 yards every yard. Find the sweet spot on each hashmark for precision. By the end of the exercise, you will be holding between hashmarks or on the bottom edge of each for extreme accuracy. The more you shoot the bow, the better marksperson you will become. When you lift your bow to shoot, you will instinctively find the exact spot on the reticle to hold on target.
Cocking
How you cock your crossbow can affect downrange accuracy. Especially when using a rope cocking device, more pressure can be exerted by your left or right arm, loading one limb over the other. If you have left-to-right consistency issues, try cocking your bow slowly and pay attention to both arms, bringing them up the rail in unison.
Issues often arise when the user must jerk or pull the cocking rope with force to complete the job. Most people have one arm stronger than the other, which will overpower in a jerk-and-pull competition. Jerking the cocking device up the rail can cause problems or break components on the bow. Work on muscle development or get a cocking aid if required. Most premium bows come with a cocking device to cock or de-cock the bow with consistency and as little as five pounds of pressure.
Pre-set trigger
A wide range of triggers are used in crossbows, and they are critical components that hold back a tremendous amount of energy. Do you know what a pre-set trigger is? Say you have a deer in your sight and slowly engage the trigger, but before it breaks, the deer moves, and you take your finger off. Some triggers will remain in the close-to-fire position, and the smallest force on the trigger will cause it to fire. A pre-set trigger is dangerous, and trying the exercise on the range will let you know if your crossbow trigger can be pre-set or if it always returns to a full resting position.
TenPoint uses premium TriggerTech triggers in all its upper-end bows that cannot be pre-set. The triggers break clean and provide peace of mind for safety.
Broadhead flight
I have always said never shoot a broadhead at an animal at a range you have never confirmed. Spend the time on the range to shoot extreme distances to learn more about your equipment. Every broadhead flies differently, and the farther downrange they get, the more issues become obvious. Accuracy issues may not be apparent at short distances but can grow as your arrow gets farther from the rail. If you want to shoot a deer at 50 yards, you must shoot the broadhead you intend to use at those distances. If you have consistent flight, you are good to hunt.
Shoot as if hunting
Suppose you plan to hunt with a sling and quiver on your crossbow; practice shooting with the accessories in place. Adding anything to the bow can change the feel and balance. Practicing as though you were hunting is always a good habit.
Are you hunting from a blind or tree stand? If so, practice from the blind or tree stand. Issues like chair height and window clearance quickly become evident by trying to shoot as if a deer entered your sight window. Are you planning to do spot-and-stalk? Try shooting from the kneeling position, sitting, or even prone. Are you going freehand or using a shooting rest? Emulate the exact circumstances you could encounter in the field. It is a great lesson, so pay attention to things like the level of the bow when shooting from awkward positions. It is easy to cant the bow, which will throw the arrow off course.
Come up with your own tests and shoot often. Practice makes perfect; the more you know your equipment, the more successful you’ll be. The more trigger time, the better shooter you will become, and using your crossbow will become instinctive.
SEVR Robusto 2.0 Broadhead
Crossbow hunters looking for improved terminal performance and quieting their bows at the same time should consider trying the 150-grain Robusto broadhead. The beefy head will increase FOC and arrow energy, and the 2.0-inch cutting diameter will create slap cuts with massive entry and exit wounds. Blades lock and pivot around dense objects, like bone, and maintain a straight arrow path. A set screw can be inserted to lock down the blades for practice, then removed for hunting. sevrbroadheads.com
Crossfire Backpack
A backpack accommodating your crossbow can protect your bow when hunting and traveling. Hunting rugged terrain or heavy timber makes foreign objects a hazard. Having your crossbow safely secured on your back means protecting it so it will work when needed. The ALPS OutdoorZ Crossfire Backpack can be configured for your needs. The pack features a lightweight X frame, vented back panel, and large front and main pockets with an accessory pocket. Drop-down weapon-carry pocket secures a gun, crossbow, or bow for hands-free carry. The padded waist belt has two pockets for small items. A hydration pocket and port are included, with a blaze-orange rain cover, bottom, and side compression straps, rounded out with side mesh pockets. The smaller, economical ALPS OutdoorZ Matrix Pack could also be considered. alpsbrands.com
