10 Crossbow Deer Hunting Tips

If you want to play William Tell, you probably don’t need these 10 crossbow deer hunting tips. If you want to actually bag a deer, the following tips can help you use the weapon effectively. They are not intended to replace a more in-depth guide., just some quick tips to get you started.

1. Check state or provincial laws. Crossbows deer hunters needed a special permit in Pennsylvania until recently. Each state and province has its own laws governing the use of the weapon during the hunting season.
2. Use a scope. Targeting scopes will improve your accuracy.
3. Wear Safety Goggles. If a string breaks, there is a good chance it will come back into your eyes. Safety goggles can keep you from shooting your eye out. Owners of Red Ryder BB guns should remember this advice.
4. Keep the String Waxed. Crossbows have stronger pulls than bows and the strings undergo greater strain than their bow and arrow string counterparts. Replace extremely frayed strings to reduce the risk of injury.
5. Inspect Crossbow bolts before use.  Damaged bolts do not fly properly. Bolts that shatter in flight will not hit the target.
6. Use a tree stand.  Hunters need plenty of space to reload. Reloading the weapon does not make a lot of noise, but a lot of motion at ground level can alert your quarry to your presence.
7. Aim Carefully.  Like a bow, you will only get one shot with a crossbow while hunting deer. A quick bow hunter may get two shots. Crossbows can take longer to reload.
8. Always keep a loaded weapon pointed away from people. If you started hunting from a young age, you learned this during a hunter’s safety course.  Readers know that some accident will happen because someone forgets this basic safety principle.
9. Fire the weapon exactly like a rifle. The look and feel is similar. A good rifle marksman should not find it difficult to hit his intended target.
10. Use special tools to cock the weapon. Strong draw weights require the use of the tool, but the process is difficult for most full sized crossbows.  Using the tool reduces the reload time required.