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Recommend
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Buy |
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Highlights
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I had an occasion to coach a bow hunter in the finer points of Crossbow shooting and armed with enough confidence to use hunting. Travis Nelson is a vertical bow hunter and up until the last two days of our deer season had never held a Crossbow.
We started with the basics how to cock and load an arrow. Crossbows are relatively easy to use as Travis found out but we spent a good amount of time on the mechanics. Safety is a significant ingredient of any equation when it involves any machinery for hunting. Travis needed to learn how to hold, to load, and most importantly, where body parts need to be when you squeeze the trigger. Along with this essential information, what happen when the arrow leaves the rail heading for its intended target? At the end of our three-hour practice period, he knew the answers to all these questions.
The bow we chose was a Parker Tornado 165 Crossbow package complete with six arrows, scope, and cocking rope. The scope is a Hawke Illuminated Multi-Reticle, a solid piece of glass but we removed and replaced with HHA’s Optimizer Speed dial with a Hawke 3 x 32. Red Hot carbon arrows with 100-grain field points and Rage’s new SlipCam™ rear deploying broadheads for the hunt. The Tornado shoots an arrow at a reported 330 FPC.
We did not test arrow speed, no time. Travis picked the bow up the same day he wanted to hunt with it, and only two days left, he needed to learn a bunch in an ever-closing window.
We used the Block® PolyFusion Crossbow target for field points and broadheads both pulled out with modest effort. During our single practice session, the Carbon arrows combined with the speed of the bow melt the arrow hole. You need to twist to break the hold and remove.
Fifteen inches of snow blanketed our testing ground. Travis chose the approximate clothing the same he would wear on his quest. This was by necessity rather than choice, it helped both of us to find out how cold, and snow effect the Crossbow and his shooting. For the most part, its affect on arrow placement, speed or the mechanics of the Crossbow was negligible.
We started at ten yards then 20, 30, with stops at 40 then 60 and out to 80. I have shot thousands of bolts but never at that distance 80 yards with any arrow is long distance. With 60 and 80-yard shots, a rest is imperative. The arrangement was to hunt from a tree stand that included a frame to rest the bow. Recommended distance with Crossbows is 40 yards but with the Optimizer, we wanted to push the limits. At 80 yards, Travis hit the vitals.
The result of two days and a fast Crossbow lesson was more than either expected. By nightfall of the second to last day, a fine Whitetail doe was in the bag. “I passed on some nice bucks but I had another tag and one more day to hunt and wanted to wait for a chance at a big one.” Travis shot the doe at twenty yards and hit the vitals. The next was as successful as the first, a four point taken at thirty yards. “If someone had told me I would take two deer with a Crossbow the last two days of the season a week ago I would have told them they were crazy!” Travis is not crazy but he found out what many are learning about Crossbows.
The time it took Travis to feel comfortable and confident to site in and hit the target was infinitesimal compared to a vertical bow or rifle. In a matter of a few short hours, you too can be relatively proficient with any Crossbow. It takes longer to put together than it does to learn how to shoot.
Each of us learned that Crossbows are just another option for anyone that wants to hunt. Vertical hunters and rifle shooters need to consider Crossbows. Many feel they are too similar to a rifle with an arrow on it. Travis found out that once you put one in your hands you will find out that it is not like shooting a rifle and is not a vertical bow either. It is merely another tool to hunt your favorite big game animal.
HHA Sports
Optimizer Speed Dial w/Optimizer X L4 Reticle
3 X 32
Compact and Lightweight (8.5 Inches, 11 ounces)
One Piece 1” Matte Black Aluminum Chassis
Illuminated Hybrid L4 Single Cross Hair Reticle
˝” M.O.A. Finger Adjustable Turrets
5 Setting Rheostat Brightness Adjustments in Red and Green
Waterproof, Shockproof and Fog Proof
Hawke Sport Optics World Wide Warranty
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Drawback
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None |
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Rating
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6 Point...Grat |
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Testers
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Pat Stinson
Chris Stinson
Travis nelson |
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Suggested Retail
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$179.00 |
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Backoffice Friendly
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Great! |
