Crossbows v. Compound Bows

When it comes to hunting, opinions can run from one extreme to another — and campfire discussions can get pretty heated at times because folks are passionate about, well, their passions. Hunting is certainly a passion for most of us, and our personal choices are important to us.

The thing to remember is exactly that: These decisions are personal. If you dislike crossbows, that’s fine — don’t use one. If you can’t draw a compound bow (I can’t, due to physical constraints), you should be able to use a crossbow.

Heck, if you think rifle hunting is not enough challenge for you and you’d rather use a handgun, that’s great! More power to ya — just don’t try to force your personal choices onto others.

And that’s the gist of the video below, which concentrates on the two most popular methods of throwing arrows. And while compound bows are more difficult to master than crossbows, both have roughly the same capabilities for hunting.

In many ways, the “crossbow vs compound” argument is a lot like what happened between users of traditional bows and early-adopters of compound bows for hunting. In the end, most of those old-fashioned archers came around and started using compound bows.

It’s also much like traditional vs. inline muzzleloaders. What’s the big deal? Use what you prefer, and stop worrying about what other folks are doing.

As Sturgis says in this video, if crossbows are outlawed or even strongly discouraged, that means 1) eliminating millions of hunters from participating, 2) causing unproficient hunting use of vertical bows, or 3) all of the above.

Jeff even goes so far as to challenge all “crossbow snobs” to take up the use of traditional archery equipment — meaning a longbow or a recurve — for the next five years.

The final words of the video say it all: “Just get out in the woods and enjoy the hunt.”

Happy hunting!

Russ Chastain

Editor & Contributing Writer Russ Chastain is a lifelong hunter and shooter who has spent his life learning about hunting, shooting, guns, ammunition, gunsmithing, reloading, and bullet casting. He started toting his own gun in the woods at age nine and he's pursued deer with rifles since 1982, so his hunting knowledge has been growing for more than three and a half decades. His desire and ability to share this knowledge with others has also grown, and Russ has been professionally writing and editing original hunting & shooting content since 1998. Russ Chastain has a passion for sharing accurate, honest, interesting hunting & shooting knowledge and stories with people of all skill levels.