We will be spiking back in for a week or so, my girlfriend will be using a crossbow, Im wondering what you guys do as far as leaving it cocked? Do you leave it cocked the entire time? Discharge it at night? if so if you are spiked in, what are you discharging it in too?
Elk hunting with a crossbow
- Thread starter Apparition
- Start date
They've got discharge arrows you can get that are built like tanks that work really well and you just shoot them into the ground. Before I had one of those I would just look for a solid piece of ground and use a field point. That's not the perfect way though, I've lost a few arrows into soft mud banks, but generally there was always enough sticking out for me to grab onto. I'd suggest the discharge arrow though.
JimP
Administrator
That is not recommended by any of the crossbow manufactures.
The recommended way is to shoot it.
There are a few states where you can and you don't even need a handicap tag.
shootbrownelk
Veteran member
CoHiCntry
Veteran member
Crossbows have always been intriguing to me. Would love to shoot one sometime! Elk hunting with one sounds like fun too!
swampokie
Veteran member
NEWHunter
Member
My Dad has always had good luck discharging a bolt tipped with a judo point in to a piece of burlap hanging in some brush. The threads in the burlap snag the judo point and the burlap then acts like a sail and stops the bolt pretty quickly. The weight of the burlap may or may not be worth it if you are hiking back in. Good luck.
mallardsx2
Veteran member
- Jul 8, 2015
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I don't recall him being a liberal hearted crybaby communist like the rest of those people on that site though.
That has to be the most poorly run site on the internet. Filled with people who DON'T KNOW ANYTHING and I mean nothing about hunting. And the scary part is that the moderators over there are just computer geeks.
Communist website at its finest. I'm no longer a member there.
Welcome to a Real hunting website FULLFAN.
CrossCreeks
Veteran member
I also have a parker and love it, thinking about taking with me on an Antelope hunt in October !
My Excalibur crossbow can be uncocked with shooting it. This link show you how to. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nwHmh6SNZIk
I have hunted elk in WY (my home state - though now live in MN) with a rifle, bow, and crossbow. I have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly with crossbows. First to answer your question, the safest and easiest way to discharge the crossbow is to simply carry a bolt with a practice tip in your quiver so that you can shoot it into the dirt. I do not cock the crossbow until I am at my spot or know I am getting close to game (not too close so they can hear it though as cocking can sometimes be a bit loud). I will still hunt with a cocked and loaded crossbow but you need to be really careful knowing where you are pointing that thing at all times.
The Good - 2003 - Shot a nice 5pt elk with crossbow. Double-lung pass-through, great blood trail, quick, clean kill.
The Bad - 2003 - Same year, my friend also shot a nice 6pt elk with my crossbow at less than 10 yds. No pass-through (must have hit bone on opposite side. We left bull alone for over an hour before tracking and found bull (alive) less than 100 yards above us. Bull was sitting up but could not get up. Needed to put a couple more in him to finish him off.
The Ugly - Can't remember year 2007ish? - I shot a smaller satellite bull with a crossbow. Shot placement was good, but for some reason I did not get great penetration. Good blood to start with, but ended up losing blood and could never find bull. Tore up my tag, done for season. My friend had bought new bolts for the crossbow that year. I think the "bolts" were really cut-down aluminum arrows. I think they were simply too light to get great penetration.
More Ugly - 2011 - I called a huge 6pt bull within 20 yards of my cousin. He shot and got complete pass through. Waited several hours believe we had a dead elk on our hands. Good blood to start. Blood trail disappeared. Ended up losing this bull. Heartbreaking. I think he may have shot low into brisket.
Lessons learned...
1. Make sure you have a good set-up and good carbon bolts and broadhead or some other set up so that you get good penetration.
2. Do not get crazy on distance. Lots of people think just because its a crossbow you can shoot out to 70 yds no problem. Again, its all about your set-up.
3. Practice...just because its a crossbow doesn't mean you should not take it seriously or practice as much as you would with a compound.
4. And like with any weapon...its all about shot placement.
The jury is still out on crossbows for me though I do enjoy shooting them. I using my compound in WY this year. My cousin will use a crossbow. I am hoping to see only the "Good" this year.
The Good - 2003 - Shot a nice 5pt elk with crossbow. Double-lung pass-through, great blood trail, quick, clean kill.
The Bad - 2003 - Same year, my friend also shot a nice 6pt elk with my crossbow at less than 10 yds. No pass-through (must have hit bone on opposite side. We left bull alone for over an hour before tracking and found bull (alive) less than 100 yards above us. Bull was sitting up but could not get up. Needed to put a couple more in him to finish him off.
The Ugly - Can't remember year 2007ish? - I shot a smaller satellite bull with a crossbow. Shot placement was good, but for some reason I did not get great penetration. Good blood to start with, but ended up losing blood and could never find bull. Tore up my tag, done for season. My friend had bought new bolts for the crossbow that year. I think the "bolts" were really cut-down aluminum arrows. I think they were simply too light to get great penetration.
More Ugly - 2011 - I called a huge 6pt bull within 20 yards of my cousin. He shot and got complete pass through. Waited several hours believe we had a dead elk on our hands. Good blood to start. Blood trail disappeared. Ended up losing this bull. Heartbreaking. I think he may have shot low into brisket.
Lessons learned...
1. Make sure you have a good set-up and good carbon bolts and broadhead or some other set up so that you get good penetration.
2. Do not get crazy on distance. Lots of people think just because its a crossbow you can shoot out to 70 yds no problem. Again, its all about your set-up.
3. Practice...just because its a crossbow doesn't mean you should not take it seriously or practice as much as you would with a compound.
4. And like with any weapon...its all about shot placement.
The jury is still out on crossbows for me though I do enjoy shooting them. I using my compound in WY this year. My cousin will use a crossbow. I am hoping to see only the "Good" this year.
Umpqua Hunter
Veteran member
Ended up getting a small discharge target, we are using a cart so the small target will work both as a discharge target and to shoot our bows from time to time, can never practice to much.