Bows & Crossbows

Crossbow hunting helped everyday people put food on the table for centuries. Today, it keeps deer camp traditions alive for older and youth hunters.

A crossbow offers quiet stopping power with fewer legal restrictions, but slow reloads and wide limbs make it risky to handle in narrow indoor hallways.

Stop arm shakes while aiming and cock your crossbow without lower back pain. Simple home drills build the leg, shoulder, and core strength you need this fall.

Deer hunting usually requires 150 to 200 pounds of pull. Balance local legal minimums with a cocking aid you can pull comfortably in a tree stand.

Put your crossbow to work launching high tree lines or bowfishing. Rig practical utility setups safely while keeping arrow weight up to protect your bow limbs.

Aim behind the front shoulder to hit the heart and lungs. Adjust your crosshairs for broadside, quartering, and tree stand shots for a quick recovery.

Turn boring tree stand waits and practice ruts into sharp shooting focus. Rehearse high-pressure shots, stay patient in the cold, and shake off misses cleanly.

You can combine both from a ground blind if you stage gear properly. Keep your hands free, avoid spooking game, and handle a cocked crossbow safely outdoors.

Yes, most states allow crossbows during rifle season. You just have to follow firearm rules, carry the right tag, and wear bright blaze orange safety gear.

Standard rifle scopes lose zero under string recoil. Pick a shock-rated scope with yardage drop lines matched to your arrow speed and clear low-light glass.

Protect your fingers below the flight track, cock the bow evenly, and limit shots to archery ranges under 40 yards for a safe, ethical first hunt.

Shoot your crossbow from a steady rest at 20 yards, turn dials the right way to hit dead center, and tune distance lines without losing or breaking arrows.

Zero the 20-yard crosshair with your dials first, then set the speed ring at 40 yards to calibrate the rest. Here is how to keep every shot on target.

Zero your crossbow at 20 yards using the adjustment knobs, then set the scope speed dial at 50 yards so your longer distance marks hit dead-center.

Zero your crossbow scope at 20 yards without wasting arrows. See which way to turn each dial, shoot tight groups from a rest, and calibrate your yardage lines.

Rail lube, string wax, and a cocking rope are the real essentials. Protect your bowstring and skip the extra field gear that just adds dead weight.

Fast launch speeds do not mean flat flight. See how limbs deliver power, why arrows lose speed past 30 yards, and how arrow weight shapes punch on impact.

Pair a lighter bow with a bottle retriever reel and safety slides to prevent violent arrow snap-back and build a clean, reliable crossbow fishing rig.

Killer Instinct crossbows are owned by Horizon Outdoors in Michigan, built overseas, and backed by US customer support for parts and warranty claims.

Hunting crossbows over 500 mm are legal in Canada without a gun license. Provincial game laws and border customs set rules for imports and archery seasons.