[Bat Fever]

I've never hunted with guns or bows.

I'm a decent shot with a gun and know ballistics enough that I'm pretty confident that I can manage an ethical shot out to 300-400 yards, I've just always lived in urban areas with very little hunting culture around.

I am new to crossbows and haven't shot much so I have lots of questions.

I should have an opportunity to shoot coyotes in my yard on occasion and I'm thinking using a crossbow is less likely to upset the neighbors.

If I ever decide to go hunting for anything beside coyotes, I want to have at least as much knowledge about the balistics of a crossbow bolt and not waste a lot of money on lost bolts, broken bolts or broadheads that don't work well.

So first off, what's the bolt weight, broadhead and minimum velocity you want for hunting. How does that change when you go from coyote to deer to tougher game?

I want to minimize my investment but also practice with what I can hunt with.

I'm not sure when mechanical broadheads became a thing but I've only been aware of them for a few years. I hope they aren't a necessity, I would rather use a cheap fixed broadhead.

I hear about really accurate crossbows but you have to get in closer because the velocity is low, the trajectory is a rainbow, it takes longer for the bolt to get there and the animal will hear it before it hits...

How does all of that translate in to a maximum distance ethical shot where aiming at the center of a vital area is likely to hit and drop the animal without too much undue suffering?

How much can that be realistically extended when you increase velocity or add a fancy broadhead that does more damage?

I'm assuming that since a lot of people hunt with compound bows with draw weights under 80 lbs, a crossbow with low velocity like under 340 fps should improve on that but 400+ fps isn't necessarily going to extend the ethical shot range too much.

I'm looking at a 400 fps model right now so it's fast enough to be annoying to buy a target for but hopefully not so fast that it wants to destroy itself. I don't think I need all that speed, it just seems like a good value due to some of the features and I don't want to give up those features to get a slower crossbow just to make it easier to find a practice target.

 

[Spartan]

There's really no minimum velocity. You can kill a moose with an arrow going 150fps. You may not want to, but you can. People still do it with trad archery to this day, and it is ethical so long as the archer is practiced. Most crossbows today are in the 350-450fps range, and with 400-450gn arrows you can ethically kill any North American game using those parameters. Doesn't mean you can't operate outside those bounds. People do. Just giving you some numbers to work with.

Cheap broadheads will give you cheap results. They tend to not fly accurately and often do a poor job of cutting, penetrating, and staying intact. That's the business end of the hunt. Not sure why some people choose to try and save money on this very critical component. Expect cheap broadheads to deliver to you a considerable amount of lost time and heartache.

You asked many question, but those were couple items I wanted to comment on. I'm sure others will chime in as well. Good luck.

 

[bunnyrabbit]

Choose a crossbow that requires arrows with 1/2 moon nocks.
These arrows as well as the crossbow is much cheaper and easier to obtain.

Stay away from crossbows that have the composite rail-stock. Some of these
stocks come warped and are filled with a foam type material to make them
lighter. Due to this the crossbow has a lot of forward recoil which easily damages
higher dollar valued scopes.

Pay attention to feed back on some crossbow brands that keep having limb failures.

Narrow crossbows are nice in a blind or tree stand, but are much harder on bow
string and cables due to their narrow string angles. The narrow string angle also
forces the serving to separate in the arrow latch area.

Any shoulder or back injuries, a crossbow with a crank cocking device is nice.

Wishing you all the best with what ever you choose.
Take care.

 

[loneranger]

Good response! True don't go cheap on the broadhead..I recommend Black Hornet Ser Razors...I also say keep your shots close,,,30 35 yrds best,,,and I have a 330 fps bow..I will tell you that is PLENTY fast enuf!

 

[wis-redneck]

If you are concerned about neighbors, remember animals are likely to run off after being hit with a arrow, even if hit in the heart or lungs. Arrows as a rule kill by hemorrhaging, where guns kill by shock, which usually drops them in their tracks.
I shot a coyote about a month ago with the crossbow. shot was about 30 yards broadside, hit through the boiler maker with a slick trick 4 blade broadhead. It still ran about 100 yards before dropping.
As far as crossbow arrow ballistics, the following is helpful.

Crossbow Arrow Ballistics

click to enlarge

www.northamericancrossbowfederation.com

.

 

[tracker1]

Also, shooting a crossbow at ground level the arrow can bounce off the ground and continue for a long way with plenty of killing power.

 

[Gabowman]

Alot of people have a hard time finding fixed heads that will shoot consistantly from their crossbows without planing. That said....ever since mechs began getting popular back in the 80's I made the switch and havent fired a fixed head since then. Ive shot the more expensive heads and am currently shooting the china made Rage hypodermic knockoffs that I bought off Ebay for @ $1 each and theyre getting the job done as well.

A 300fps bow will get the job done out to 35 yards IMO. I have one that shoots about that speed and I really try limiting my shots to 30 yards and under if at all possible. My fartherest kill with that bow was at 45 yards but usually I pass on shots that far away. Dont get hung up on speed though. 350 fps and 400 fps isnt really that big a deal when taking a shot at a deer at 20 yards. With either bow that should be a dead deer. Find a bow you like, that fits you, easy for you to cock, and has the features you want in a crossbow. That will be the right one for you.

Decent factory fletched .003 straightness crossbow arrows will run you somewhere around $45-$50 per 6. I prefer Black Eagle Executioners and Bloodsport arrows to name a couple. Alot of people make better arrows I'm sure but for general hunting arrows out to 50 yards these will get 'er done.

More times than not all animals will run after being shot with an arrow. They can go 30 yards or 100 yards and more so dont expect them to drop when you pull the trigger. Ive even had a few deer run a short distance after pulling the trigger on my .300 Win Mag. Ha!

Good luck getting into crossbows and all their accessories and welcome to the boards.

 

[Norski]

I really enjoy crossbow hunting and on this site you’ll find as good a working knowledge as anywhere. There are guys that hunt in VERY tight metropolitan areas. Those I know of are extremely proficient and many use compounds as well as crossbows. They can not afford a bleeding deer running thru yards and dropping in front of Grandma. If so, they lose harvest rights. I do t know of any that don’t using climbing tree stands they can quickly go up and shoot downward into the ground.
i would strongly suggest a novice not try what you’re considering for all of the reasons mentioned above. You need to consider this is a deadly sport. Something is likely to die. An arrow might skip several hundred feet on a ground-to-ground shot and could easily hit your neighbors property or worse, your neighbor.
Please read comments and suggestions already posted with due consideration at the very least unless you have a multi-acre lot. And even then.

 

[miles58]

I am one of those who hunt in very tight suburban type areas. Any deer I shoot will have to pass within 15-20 yards of one or more occupied buildings to get into position for me- to be able to kill it.

First, try to find out if anyone within 300 yards has any objection to you killing deer.

Second, if baiting is legal where you are, do it and keep your shooting range to 15 yards. Do everything you can to place your shot accurately! That is the best insurance you can get against Bambi running a long distance and dying in a bad place.

Third, make sure you have a way to move Bambi after killing one to where you can field dress it without causing trouble. Best to bury the guts so neighborhood dogs do not find them.

Fourth, I killed the first 12 or 16 deer with a crossbow with heart shots and wide mechanical broadheads much the same as Gabowman suggested. Of those deer, one dropped where it stood, and the longest run was ~230 yards. All the rest were various distances in between. Pretty compelling evidence that you will see similar results. Be fully prepared to find and follow even very sparse blood trails so that you recover Bambi promptly. Better you should be searching around in your neighbor's yards with a VERY bright light that have to leave Bambi overnight for them to find in front of their breakfast nook window come morning

Fifth, Shoot from an elevated stand and use lighted nocks! You want to be certain that YOU find the arrow and/or broadhead and not their pets or children. It is not at all uncommon for an arrow to just make it through the off side of Bambi proximal to a leg/shoulder bone which can easily break or shear off that small bit extending past the hide and fall out where you cannot find it.

Sixth, When you have a dead deer on someone's property, even if you have permission to go and get one beforehand, always ask before you go get it. When you ask, it is not a bad idea to offer some of the chops or nice portions of smoked meat or jerky as a "trespass fee". If they accept and enjoy it you've made it more pleasurable for them and that always helps. If they decline the offer they probably still appreciate your consideration.

 

[Hunter wayne]

I also hunt very tight areas. I have upgraded to a faster crossbow and heavier arrows. For the express reason that I have been expirmenting with purposely hitting the far shoulder on a deer I have found if I take my time and wait for this shot it breaks the shoulder along with doing massive damage to the lungs. When I do this shot correctly the furthest I have had a deer run is 30 yards now I will say I am in a target rich environment and can afford to pass up shots that aren't ideal. But like I said it really goes a long way into easing recovery issues

 

[Norski]

Getting permission to hunt in a "suburban" environment is really a challenge. We're in a target rich area and on any given day will have +-10 deer within 20 feet of our house. I could easily shoot out one of several bedrooms. You're likely to find 1-2 or so people out of 50-100 that feed deer, regardless of it being illegal. Shots would be critical as Miles88 points out, but what appears to be the best shot can result in a runout of several hundred yards for a given deer.

I have found if I take my time and wait for this shot it breaks the shoulder along with doing massive damage to the lungs.

As he suggested, having the patience to pass on even a "slightly imperfect" shot should be one of your best attributes.
Tracker1 offered another critical point:

Also, shooting a crossbow at ground level the arrow can bounce off the ground and continue for a long way with plenty of killing power.

When in doubt, lettem walk! Good luck.

 

[miles58]

Shots would be critical as Miles88 points out, but what appears to be the best shot can result in a runout of several hundred yards for a given deer.

AND... Keep in mind that if Bambi jumps the string, and they can do that even with a fast bow at 15 yards, it can result in a bad hit and MUCH, MUCH longer of a run. I have had one manage just a little over a mile resulting from that.

Everyone has a cell phone and pictures of wounded but not dead deer we really do not need. When I started with the crossbow I was in the same conditions as Norski. I have often joked that I could sit by an open kitchen window with a hammer and get my deer when they were eating the shrubbery. That can work in your favor! It does not take long before the people providing the food to all those hungry mouths usually do not take so very long to get tired of it.

Where I am, I can legally kill them with shotguns, muzzle loaders and handguns. All of them are capable of virtually eliminating the possibility of running onto someone else's property. For a couple of years I used muzzle loaders and after downloading them below 1000 FPS I had an accurate load that people indoors didn't notice even within 50 yards. Even at that though, after killing 8 that way, I only use the crossbow. It's even less detectable.

What I said about "trespass fee" venison should have come with a couple of caveats. If you cannot provide "pretty meat", better you should provide jerky or sausage. Unless whole cuts can rival the appearance of store bought beef the recipient may look at it skeptically. Things like snack sticks, jerky and whole top rounds that have been smoked, virtually always go over well and get requests to kill another one in my back yard. Things like Bratwurst are pretty simple to do a first class job on and need not even be in casings.

When you have the typical overpopulations of deer that a lot of suburban areas do, It pays to have a decent grinder and the tools to make use of all that meat.

 

[miles58]

Getting permission to hunt in a "suburban" environment is really a challenge. We're in a target rich area and on any given day will have +-10 deer within 20 feet of our house. I could easily shoot out one of several bedrooms.

For what it's worth, I've been working on my overpopulation for more than ten years now, and I am just about caught up to them. With 2 new recruit shooters and a little luck I catch them this year.