Sunday, October 16, 2011

I am not a real archer, anymore

Yesterday was the Women's Expo over at the university ranges.  El Jefe took the girls - I didn't - he was keeping them out of my hair so I could do my own thing.  They had a blast trying the kids' compound bows... much more accurate with them than with the stick bows.  (Thank you from the bottom of my heart, El Jefe).  My own thing involved buying some earth-scented soap to wash with in the week before gun season starts, and trying out the crossbows.  I've wanted to try a crossbow for the last two years - ever since I discovered that I cannot pull my compound while in the tree saddle (don't even talk to me about tree stands; unless you have a ladder stand, I'm not getting into it).  I've used my compound to hunt from the ground blind, unsuccessfully, because the deer get hinky about it just outside my range.  I want to hunt from the tree saddle.  Just deal with it.  I tried the lightest crossbow there.  With, get this, a SCOPE.  This was just like shooting my .22.  So eeeeeeasy.  So accurate.  And I had no trouble cocking it either.  I expected it to be a WHOLE lot harder.  It had a dry fire prevention mechanism, so I could cock it on the ground and take it up the tree and then load a bolt.  Then it got funny.  There was a much heavier crossbow (too heavy for me off-hand) that you just press a button down and it cocks itself, pneumatically?  I think that's the word.  Using a bottle/tank of pressurized air, anyway.  I love how accurate the crossbows are.  And how easy it is to use a scope.  I'm waiting for someone to tell me they've got one with a red dot sight.  Anyway, I'm re-writing the hunting equipment acquisitions list to put that first, light crossbow right up at the top... and Christmas is coming...

2 comments:

  1. Hi there- love your blog- I can relate! Glad to meet another woman blogger who archery hunts.

    I have a crossbow with a red dot scope. I think the scope is made by Tru-glo. But it does take batteries, which I hate; the one time I leave it on and wear the batteries down will be the time I have the buck of a lifetime in front of me. My DH has a reticle scope with some sort of fiber optic pin which does not require batteries- do look into that if you end up getting the Xbow!

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    1. Thanks- I'm glad I'm not the only one! (Sometimes it feels that way). The crossbow I'm saving up for has a scope like what you are describing - no batteries - for the same reason. Once we get settled in, we'll get the archery range set up... hopefully sooner rather than later...

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