Are we nuts?

[Doe Master]

Couple of years ago when we had the multiple tags . I intentionally used my super slow Wolverine with a Dacron string . Shot two deer with complete passthroughs . As Bill said once " the faster the arrow is going only means it goes into the ground further on the other side . "

[roly]

Every time a new bow comes along that’s fast my eyes still light up. Not being able to handle or afford them any more I’m left to just admire them.
I don’t think the need for speed will ever leave me.... why just yesterday I had the truck up to nearly 50 mph but I got nervous and had to back it off.

But I am really enjoying my katana 360.

[hankenhunter]

My Equinox isn't getting any lighter and I'm not getting any younger. I've had a hankering lately for a smaller and lighter bow. I haven't decide which yet but its definitely not going to be faster. Dont want it, dont need it. I want comfort, durability, consistency, and accuracy, and above all, simplicity. Funny how things change as you get older. Great thread Don! Oh yeah, Bob's your uncle.
Hank

[Boo]

My Equinox isn't getting any lighter and I'm not getting any younger. I've had a hankering lately for a smaller and lighter bow. I haven't decide which yet but its definitely not going to be faster. Dont want it, dont need it. I want comfort, durability, consistency, and accuracy, and above all, simplicity. Funny how things change as you get older. Great thread Don! Oh yeah, Bob's your uncle.
Hank

I think it's a great point of discussion and even better read for newbies!

[BrotherRon]

My Matrix 310 is more accurate than I ever imagined a crossbow could be, is very easy for me to cock and shoot for a couple hours at a time, and has harvested any deer I have put the sight on.

[bigbowman]

I just converted from compound bows to Excalibur recurves back in August. I love the older wide limb bows personally! I hunt strictly from blinds now using a field pod so weight is not a concern or problem. I definitely don’t chase the speed demon either! I now have a Vixen II and an Axiom for hunting. My next addition will be a Vortex if I can find one either new or like new condition for a price that I can afford. But that’s just me even if I am in the minority now.

[Ferguson Outfitters]

Yes

[Gwens Dilemma]

1st bow deer was a small 8 point with a Barnett Commando, Yeah I know I'm ancient, bought a Exomag carved tip from Bill himself about 93/94 and have taken a lot of deer since. Still use it every year. KISS principle works for me every time.

[wheelie]

I am in reverse of most people. I see how slow I can go. Most time I go to 3D I take my custom 110 lbs Excalibur or a 40 lbs Compound bow. Just sold my target bow and bought a 40 to 50lb Hoyt. Still have 3 long limb Excaliburs. My Tenpoint GT flex has never been on the 180 lbs holes. Sat for years on 120lb. Now on 90lbs and it is my in house bow and don't leave the house. Chronic back trouble does not mix with speed. CHEERS!

[Kegbelly]

Great observations Don. I liken it to the magnum gun hype, where the marketing guys have you believing you have to have a 454 Super Ultra Mag to reliably take that 90 pound doe at 50 yards. Or the $5 apiece super heat seeking exploding full penetrating ballistic rocket tipped bullets to take game. It's an easy trap to fall into. Unless hunting pressure has caused deer to spontaneously mutate and grow bulletproof armor, the same gear we had 30 or more years ago is just as effective now as it was then, we just think we need the latest greatest whatever it is.

[PublicLandHunter1]

I don't think it's because we are nuts that I think about the faster/greater/newer xbows as something needed to hunt with. It seems like with anything companies are adding more options, bigger motors, extra lumbar support. I was reading an article about the first $100,000 truck geared towards guys who have $250,000 boats or travel trailers. The hunting industry is just doing their part, the consumer wants it so they design it and market it. We buy it but are never satisfied; so the next year a new bow comes out, a little faster, and it sells. One would think I would be satisfied with my M405, I should be. It shoots fast and accurate, went through both shoulders of a doe I shot at 40 yards.
The question raised, Are we nuts?, made me think about Troy Aikman's statement after winning the Superbowl for the first time. He said he was sitting in his hotel room thinking he should be satisfied but he was not. The things of this world never fully satisfy, whether it's a new bow, gun, truck, tree stand, etc, maybe that is why I find myself looking that the latest and greatest even though I don't really need them.

[dfinley]

Yes we are nuts. I think we'd all like put a fatal shot in any animal we see from any distance. You'd need a bow that shot at 3000 fps to do that and as they say be careful what you wish for. I think hunting could get to be more work than fun if we could make that true. I think the fun comes when I see a deer in the distance too far to take a shot and I make a plan for the next hunt to work myself in closer. Maybe, I get it on the next hunt or a make a new plan. For me the fun really happens when I get the deer more because of my brain than my supercharged bow.

The most satisfying hunt I ever had was the year after the worst season in my life. One year I had a malfunctioning drop away rest on my compound and missed every time. On the last opportunity of that year after missing the shot on a nice buck, the animal went up a ridge and stared at me behind some brush, I had no shot but I could see his eyes, I think the deer was laughing at me..

Next season I got my bow fixed and was shooting better than ever. I was out first day of the rut in the same area of Illinois and I say a trophy moving my way. The deer got within 10 yards of me and I took the shot and it went right through the vitals. My arrow was going about 270 fps but 170 fps would have been sufficient. After tracking and finding the dead deer, I saw his eyes and knew it was the guy I missed the previous year. It is difficult to explain the range of emotions I felt at that moment, but this is exactly why I love deer hunting.

[Excalibur Marketing Dude]

This is a great thread. We're constantly debating the speed issue here, from a marketing aspect fast crossbows always sell in huge numbers. When we introduced the Exomax that shot a modest 350 FPS (fastest crossbow at the time) the response was crazy and we could barely keep up to the demand.

However, most knowledgeable crossbow hunters understand in the real world a fast crossbow is not necessary for deer hunting. And as mentioned, tuning arrows for anything shooting over 350 FPS gets a bit more tricky. Faster crossbows need to create more energy therefore work all components harder which will result in more wear and tear compared to their lightweight counterparts.

The biggest issue I have with the trend to faster crossbows is the misconception many crossbow manufactures are portraying of longer shot capability. Any crossbow can shoot 100 yards and fun to play with target shooting but how ethical is that for hunting? It's too tempting for marketing departments to exploit the long shot since this is what many consumers believe and want. But the reality is the average crossbow shot is 30 yards or under.

We are 100% driven by what you the consumer wants. If we built what we wanted you would have a 300 FPS crossbow with 36" limbs, no camo, no crank and no noise suppression. But its not about us, its about you guys and gals. For years customers said our crossbows are awesome but too wide, so we made them narrower. Customers wanted faster models so we built the Matrix 405. Customers said our crossbows were too noisy so we built the Suppressor and noise suppression kits. Customers wanted a built-in crank to make cocking the crossbow easier so we introduced the Assassin.

So the moral of the story is be careful what you wish for, we're listening.

[Carnivorous]

The other great things about Excaliburs is if the bow is not what you want then you can easily modify it to fit your needs with a little know how.

Case in point is my Former Bulldog 400 Black Ops transformed to Micro Suppressor specs with no camo...

Try that with your compound crossbow and you'll end up with a mess of cams strings and cables all over the floor after its self destruction !! Lol

[paulaboutform]

I believe all your points to be valid. That being said, if I'm able to control the speed without compromising accuracy, I want the speed. It's just fun. I love the sound of a scorching hot arrow slamming into a target. Seeing the tighter gap of the yardage tapes on my HHA or the close MOA numbers on my Vortex. I love calibrating my scale to build a dozen arrows within 1/10gr variance within the dozen and pound 2" spots at 100yards. I get excited to hear about Norm's Acquilus launching 400gr arrows at 465fps (and can't wait to hear about the accuracy as well). Is all the speed necessary? Absolutely not. Will it be more accurate or allow me to kill more game? NO. Is it still a tonne of fun? HECK YEAH IT IS!
If I had any issues hand cocking my bows I'd add a gentle hitter to the pack for ease of daily usage but would probably use a crank for the heavy hitters while hunting. That's kind of my perspective. Oh, aside from my rimfire rifles, all my rifles are magnums with my .300 Win Mag being the baby and my .375 H&H being the big brother of the bunch....and when I'm in heavy, thick grizzly country it really doesn't feel like too much gun.

Paul