Comments on: Michigan Crossbow Season

By: X-bow

X-bow — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 04:41:29 +0000

just thought i would add a little education on crowbows.till now i only hunted with a bow about 20 years now .an taken least one deer every one of the years. people that intend to hunt with a crossbow should learn about them before they hunt with one. for one acrossbows won,t shoot as far as people think they will. the draws are short and the drop rate and energy loss is high.in my opinion 40 yards max.string cockers are a must.not for easy drawing but for making them accurate.1/6 off center of the string will throw a bolt off 8 to 12 inches.an with a string cocker you can unload it without firing. an keep the string and ramp well lubed for less string wear.i,v have over 200 shots with my x-bow string is still like new.and with the high poundage they shoot look over x-bow every few shots .and NEVER shoot under weight bolts in one just to try to get more speed. the last thing you want is to have one blow up in your face.for the most part they are VERY accurate for thet range that they can shoot more accurate i think than a gun and just as dangerous if not treated with respect. the best thing to do is not to buy one the day before hunting .learn how to hunt safely and the limits they have and you will have a great hunt.

By: mike ansel

mike ansel — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:22:52 +0000

Yeh Craig one thing I am a little concerned about is once a crossbow is cocked the only way to “uncock” it is to shoot that bolt (arrow.) Proper training and maintaining high safety standards are a must if the general hunting population is to except crossbow hunters with open arms.

By: Grant

Grant — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 17:36:54 +0000

Yeah…I did some research at lunch today…because to be honest I hadn’t heard all that much about this before I read your blog. If it gets all the old timers back out there, who have given so much to our sport anyways, I think it would be a good thing.

It seems from what I read that the majority of the reason (at least in Southern MI) for the c-bow is due to an overpopulation of deer. The bottom line is that I believe this decision is being made to properly manage deer population. I can’t argue with that. And I think the people making these decisions are in the sportsmen’s corner.

I am heading over to Berrien Springs this weekend for a traditional bow rendezvous. Should be a good time. I’ve got my eyes on a longbow and I think I will have the opportunity to shoot it there.

Take Care.

By: Night Goggles

Night Goggles — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 17:35:39 +0000

I don’t see that crossbow hunting will be too much of a detriment to existing hunters and if it does help get more people outdoors I think that’s a good thing. However when it comes to any recreational use of a weapon or hunting accessory I think the most important thing is education. People need to take the proper precautions and training to make sure they can operate the equipment in a safe manner so we all can be safe and enjoy the outdoors.

By: Mike

Mike — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 17:16:57 +0000

Grant I know of three guys who quit deer hunting several years ago due to physical problems in pulling back a compound. With a cross-bow they will again get back in the field. At 62 I’m seriously considering it myself, like others in the over 50 crowd. I think it will bring in some new blood, but I doubt you’ll see much of an increase in hunting pressure on public lands. We’ll just have to wait and see.

By: Grant

Grant — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 12:24:06 +0000

I’m not sure about this whole crossbow season. I have a hard enough time fighting the competition on public land here in Michigan with just bow and gun. Will it really add that many to the hunting ranks here in Michigan? My guess is that most of the crossbow hunters will come from existing ranks of the hunting community. I just hope it doesn’t interfere in any way with bow season. The last thing I need is to be competing with crossbow hunters on public land during bow season. Just not sure what to think about it…I guess I should find out more.

By: Arthur

Arthur — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 11:47:57 +0000

We have Sandhill Cranes all over down here in our neck of the woods; and they make the weirdest sounds.

I think the crossbow thing is going to work out nicely for the state. I think the more the merrier, and I don’t think they are going to have any detrimental impact on the deer herd whatsoever.

Only time will tell I guess.