How to use a Modern Crossbow for Hunting?

Crossbows were almost rendered useless when the more powerful shooting pieces like guns and rifles came into existence. However, the one thing that has kept them in use is stealth.

This is a really important factor especially when hunting and it is the reason why most hunters continue to use crossbows till today. The best modern crossbow for the money in today’s world.

However, have evolved from being simple shooting pieces to sophisticated machines that make aiming and shooting easier.

Their sophistication makes them hard to use by beginners but with a correct user guide and continuous practice, shooting any kind of target will be simple, fast and accurate.

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There are 3 main steps to carry out when using a modern crossbow. These are:

Cocking

Crossbows have a foot stirrup at the front in which you put your foot into while in a standing position when cocking. This enables you to cock the crossbow either by hand or by a rope cocker.

By hand

While your foot is in the stirrup, pull the string back with both hands and make sure to balance the string on both sides or else it will misalign the bow.

This misalignment will make it less accurate when shooting. This is the fastest method of loading a crossbow and can help you hit several targets quickly when hunting.

By rope cocker

Cocking by hand can be really hard, especially if you lack enough body strength to pull the string into position. Also, crossbows with a higher draw weight can be hard to cock and in such cases, a rope cocker can come in handy.

It is a simple tool with pulleys that you attach to the string, then pull it until it is cocked while your foot is in the stirrup.

Loading

Once you are done cocking, secure the arrow in position by placing it in the barrel. The arrow’s cock vane should be aligned with the barrel’s groove and now your crossbow is ready to fire.

Shooting

Shooting is easier said than done. You might think that it is as simple as pressing the trigger but you might end up hurting yourself or missing the target in the process.

There are a couple of guidelines to help protect you and give you that perfect shot before shooting and they are:

1. Ensure that your fingers are not anywhere near the bow’s limbs because the rebounding string (after launching the arrow) can hit your fingers with enough force to cut them into two. And do make sure to keep your head cooler. Staying cool in the outdoor, you can carry a wheeled cooler while going in the wild.
2. Also, ensure that there is no other object in the string path because it might be launched as flying debris. This might lead to serious injuries, especially in your eyes.
3. Use rest to place your crossbow in a stationary position when shooting. Modern bows are quite heavy and rest such as monopods can improve accuracy by giving you more balance and control.

Most of the best modern crossbows come fully equipped with a scope for easier spotting and improved accuracy.

Additionally, you can acquire a rangefinder which further increases your accuracy over long distances but this is mostly for professional hunters. Once everything is in position, aim at your target and fire.

Something important to note here is that you should not shoot beyond your maximum effective range. This range defines how far you can successfully hit your target and shooting beyond it will most probably lead to a miss and thus a waste of your arrows.

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Final Verdict

After understanding these steps, every hunter should go that extra mile to practice more often. Practice makes you understand your crossbow much better.

More importantly, it makes you understand the physics of arrow movement which can help you aim at targets which are at longer distances and these eventually improve your hunting experience, giving you the thrill and satisfaction whenever you shoot down targets when hunting.