And they require less room to operate, even from a sitting position. Each greatly reduces the human effort required to cock a crossbow, some by as much as 90 percent. All are cranking systems built into or attached to the buttstock and use a crank to cock the bow. Other manufacturers offer optional cocking devices on bows such as such Excalibur’s C2, Parker’s Sidewinder and the Predator from Barnett. Crossbows from TenPoint and Wicked Ridge can be ordered equipped with the ACUdraw cocking system that is integrated into the bow. There are options that make elevated cocking a great deal safer. A slip with pressure applied is enough to knock you off balance, never a good thing when you’re a dozen or more feet off the ground. There is also a great deal of down pressure on the foot stirrup when cocking a bow. Even double- wide ladder stands provide limited space and single stands and climbers even less. The safest place to manually cock a crossbow with a cocking rope is on the ground - before ascending to a treestand, period.Ĭrossbows can be cocked at home or at the truck before heading in to the stand to reduce noise but should never be cocked in a stand. Cock it on the ground before climbing a stand and then use a haul rope to pull it up safely by the buttstock but never through the trigger guard. Cocking devices are great tools to help hunters more easily get a crossbow ready. It takes some getting accustomed to and considerable practice, but the ability to shoot left- or right-handed greatly increases the area you can cover and increases shot opportunities. If left-handed swing right and then back left. Take your unloaded crossbow and if you’re right-handed swing left and then right. One of the best ways to increase shot opportunities from a treestand and to limit over reach or swinging too far in either direction is to learn to shoot both left- and right- handed. Stationary right-handed shooters can swing only so far to the right, left-handed shooters only so far to the left.įortunately, most crossbows are ambidextrous. The human body is capable of turning only so far, and side-to-side movement in a treestand can be limited. This also means making sure packs, binoculars, rangefinders and other gear items are stowed out of the way. The last thing you want is the limbs striking an obstacle that will blow the shot but more importantly damage the bow or injure you. When a crossbow is fired it generates blinding speed and enough energy to throw a shooter off balance in restrictive quarters. Once the final position is set, remove any limbs that might interfere when the bow is fired, even if it means cutting shooting lanes and removing branches that provide cover. Does it provide the optimum shooting options? If not get down and make some adjustments. Once you’ve positioned a stand, settle in and take a look around. A hunter might have a tendency to swing left or right more than anticipated or planned for, in some cases extending the body outward or over-reaching more than they should to get around branches, tree trunks and other obstacles. I still get excited when a big buck comes into view. This is all well and good, but crossbows are different from other hunting tools in several ways and additional safety rules apply. In the process, they’ve adopted basic treestand safety practices such as wearing a full body safety harness while aloft and using a draw line to pull their bow up. And as states relaxed restrictive regulations and crossbows have become more widely accepted and popular, horizontal bowman have taken to the trees as well. The advantages of treestands are well founded, which is why so many hunters are found perched 15 feet or so above the ground each fall. Knock on wood, nothing serious ever resulted, but when those mishaps occurred, the thoughts of what could have happened made me slow down, think things through and take every precaution to do things right. I have hunted from treestands longer than I care to remember, and can recall a couple of hairy instances when I saw my life flash before my eyes, reminding me to be extra cautious when hunting from high places. As more crossbow hunters take to the trees to hunt deer, they must address the same safety concerns as rifle and vertical bow hunters - and more.Īccording to nearly every bowhunting safety study conducted in recent times, most accidents involve the use of treestands. During the early season or in dry conditions, make sure your rail lube and trigger area does not have dust, dirt, grit or other gunk that can foul the action.
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