One of the programs I watch from time to time on the Pursuit Channel is Backland Experiences. Hosted by Scott Anderson, I generally enjoy the program because it isn’t particularly over-hyped, and the sponsors’ products don’t dominate each episode. Oh, they’re there, of course, because they have to be, but they’re mostly kept to the background and intermissions.
Today I was watching an episode in which Scott hunts along the Red River in Oklahoma. Usually, he hunts with a compound or long bow, but on this trip he was using a Tenpoint crossbow. He explained that, a week prior to the hunt, he’d had an accident and injured his left arm. Unable to hold and draw a bow, the crossbow allowed him to get out and hunt.
This was all well and good, and in the end he had his shot and missed it. However, at the conclusion of the episode, he spent quite a bit of air time essentially justifying his use of a crossbow. It was almost an apology to his bowhunting viewers, and it really made me wonder… are crossbows still that widely despised?
I’ve never had an issue with crossbows. I think they’re as valid as any other modern hunting tool, and I also think they’re a good alternative to compounds or traditional bows in situations where firearms are a bad idea. They can be extremely accurate, relatively quiet, and bolts will only travel a limited distance.
I’ve listened to the arguments against crossbows during archery-only seasons, and to be honest, no one has been able to sell me on the idea that they should be excluded. Besides the fact that you can hold the weapon at full-draw, crossbows really have no advantage over a modern compound. In skilled hands, a compound bow will pretty much outshoot a crossbow, both for range and accuracy.
But I’m not going to rehash the entire crossbow vs. vertical bow debate. It’s been done to death. I really just want to toss it out there. Does the elitist bowhunter attitude still prevail? I really thought we’d have moved past that by now, but apparently I’m mistaken. Is it really necessary for an outdoors TV host to justify or even apologize for choosing to use a crossbow?
Dan
i’ve found that for some people archery can almost be a religion. with that said, its easy to see how people’s opinions can seriously class when it comes to whats valid and whats not in the archery world. many archery hunters look down on rifle hunters. the traditional archers look down on the compound bow archers. the compound bow archers think that if you don’t use all the newest high tech gear that your a novice. and the self bow hunters with the stone tipped arrows think everyone else is invalid as a bow hunter. i myself practice mounted archery (on horseback). so…should a tv guy apologize for using a crossbow? probably. if he doesn’t want to lose strong opinioned viewers!