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Long Distance with crossbow?

LanceS4803

LanceS4803

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Dec 4, 2010
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Location
Middle TN
I got my crossbow to take some deer in a residential area that has very large yards bordered by woods. it appears most shots will be right at 50 yards. (This thing is stinking accurate!! Multiple shots at 50 into a 4" circle.)-ie, jumping the string
As crossbows seem to be much louder than standard compound bows, at what range is the advantage of the crossbow negated by their noise upon firing?
Can anything be done to quiet the crossbow (Barnett Quad 400)?
 
Usually a deer at 50 yds will jus look towards the noise if'en they be unfamilur wid it. The arrow noise is abit diff as they hear comin to'em. Jus range them & keep shots in lower third of body
 
IMO, crossbows are not made for 50 yard shots. I prefer 30 and 40 max. Several companies make limb dampeners for crossbows.
 
30 is my self imposed limit with the compound bow. Just can't get everything dialed in enough to be confident past that distance.

I shot 20 bolts last night at 30yds at dusk to check out the LED dots in the scope. All would stay inside a 3" circle.
30yds is an easy snap-shot now.
I need more practice at the 50yd range.
When these bolts hit the target, you can see it rock backwards. It is still carrying a LOT of energy, much more than my compound at the same distance.
 
I can stack em in tight @the 60yds with my Excalibur exomax. But, I wouldn't shoot one that far. 45 is about my limit. If the deer wasn't on alert at all I would do 50.
 
I shoot a Barnett Buck Commander and I'd take a 45-50 yard shot if one was presented but it would have to be under near perfect conditions. At 345 fps you're looking at roughly a half second flight time. Alot can happen in that half second...
 
50 yard shots with my Excalibur Exomag is about as far as I would comfortably shoot. Much further than I would ever shoot my compound. I have put dampeners and shock suppressors on the Excalibur which have helped somewhat on noise as well as vibration. Bambi ain't got a chance.
 
I have a telson 130 and 50yds no problem and no noise from the bow. I would not have a problem with 50 at all, 385 fps with 125 gr broadhead not bad.
 
I have a shot from my tree that measures 53yrds with a range finder I would be hesitant even under ideal conditions,my buddy on the other hand is shooting a Scorpyd Ventilator and I wouldn't think twice about doing it with his,the thing is so incredibly fast and quiet it is amazing.
 
30-40 is all I will ever shoot. I guess I'm getting soft in my old age but 50+ yards is a long way for a deer to spook and end up with an arrow in a hind quarter or eyeball.
 
Depends on the crossbow, my buddy also bought the Scorpyd, Sweet.
he is consistantly hiting tight groups out to 60-80 yrds. no kiddnig! look at Scorpyd, most sophisticated crossbow made plus made in america.
 
Couple things to keep in mind when contemplating long shots with a bow, particularly a crossbow:

1) Sound travels 3 to 4 times faster than a fast arrow. Under 25 yards, this can be a moot point. But, generally speaking, the farther out you go, the more likely a deer is to "hear" the arrow/bolt release. This is particularly true in the calm conditions (little or no wind) that should be in place before considering a longer shot.

2) Vision travels infinitely faster than sound!
Should you have an alert deer looking your direction, it is likely to "see" your limbs move upon release. Even at not so far down range, a deer can react much quicker than that arrow can arrive to the aiming point, almost guaranteeing a bad shot.

These are the main reasons so many ethical and accomplished bowhunters don't take long shots, and they are more impressed with how close they can get to a deer instead of how far they can hit a non-living target in their backyards.

Another thing novice bowhunters often overlook is the large trajectory curve of an arrow when shooting "long" range. Your arrow can easily be deflected by hitting things which were nowhere near your line of sight (such as downrange tree limbs appearing feet above your view).
 
Thanks Wes. Excellent points!
With the position of my stand, deer don't even become visible until 60yds. "Sweet spot" is 30yd to 40yds.
Last year I took 3 deer with MZ and 2 with rifle. Longest shot was 50yds. So the new-to-me crossbow should fit well.
 

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