Crossbows
What is a crossbow?
A crossbow is a horizontal bow and type of ranged weapon. It’s mounted on a frame which is handheld in a similar fashion to the stock of a rifle. It shoots arrows called bolts or quarrels. The crossbow is very powerful and is a very deadly weapon out on the hunt.
Some advantages of crossbows:
- Typically, with the scope of a crossbow, you will be more accurate.
- Easy to shoot, even for a beginner bow hunter
- Shoulders just like a rifle if you are more use to hunting with a rifle
Some disadvantages of crossbows:
- Weight – They are heavier, especially when compared to a traditional or compound bow
- Louder when shooting, so when hunting deer for example, you usually will only have one shot so make it a good one.
- Not very easy to load or pull back, requires a crank. But once loaded you can keep loaded the entire hunt
Compound Bows
What is a compound bow?
A compound bow is a vertical bow that uses a lever system to bend the limbs with cables and pulleys. The pulley and cam system grant the user or hunter a mechanical advantage. The limbs of a compound bow are much stiffer to provide more power, velocity, and bow range than those of traditional recurve bow or traditional long bow.
Some advantages of compound bows:
- Lightweight, easy to carry while on a hunt
- Quiet when shooting
- Very easy to pull back. In the event, if it’s needed a hunter will be able to shoot multiple times with a compound bow vs the one time a crossbow allows you to shoot.
Some disadvantages of compound bows:
- Requires preparation time before each use. You will need to go out and shoot practice shots to verify its firing accurately. Most likely will need to do some adjustments and tuning before a hunt.
- There are multiples variables to determines accuracy such as stance, leaning, user or hunter, etc. Typically, the average hunter is slightly less accurate with a compound bow.
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Traditional Bows
There are two types of traditional bows including a Long Bow or Recurve Bow.
What is a long bow?
A long bow is a very tall bow with a traditional half-moon shape and straight grip. It is thin in width aka narrow, but thicker in depth from a recurve bow that allows the hunter a decently long draw. Because of this thickness, it is harder to torque the limbs when pulling the string for archers with poor form. This makes the arrows fly straighter and more accurate.
What is a recurve bow?
A recurve bow is a traditional bow with limbs that curve away from the user or hunter when not strung. The recurve has that classic ‘three’ shape as the limbs that bend into the half-moon start to bend back out at the tips. The unique shape gives the bow more power and because of this can shoot an arrow faster. The traditional recurve bow is wider than the long bow, but thinner in depth, meaning that it is less forgiving to shoot, since the reduction in thickness means it is possible to torque the limbs when pulling the string if your form is off. However, the recurve bow can come in shorter lengths but still have similar power, making it a better bow than the traditional long bow for smaller or thicker forest type of areas.
Some advantages of traditional bows
- You can make your own arrows if needed
- Extremely quiet when shooting
Some disadvantages of traditional bows
- Slower, less velocity than a compound or crossbow
- Can’t shoot as far as a compound bow or crossbow
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