Good equipment is a must to be successful in crossbow hunting. Absolutely nothing can ruin a hunt like bad gear (other than maybe the weather), however hunters frequently buy the wrong gear. I have written many articles that talk about buying a hunting crossbow, what exactly to look for in a crossbow, what questions to ask when buying a bow, etc.
For people looking for a “cheap” crossbow, I recognize where they come from. In today’s tough economic climate, people are worried about getting a bargain. However, I caution my readers to be careful when looking for a “cheap” hunting crossbow. When I think cheap, I think of something that is low quality. Never buy substandard crossbow equipment in order to save a few bucks. Hunters who sacrifice quality for the most affordable price inevitably regret their choice, as the bow they end up with will certainly not hunt well.
Can a hunter really find high-quality equipment at an affordable price? The answer is yes if you best crossbow focus on the right details. High-value bows won’t be the cheapest on the market, but they will be high-quality at an affordable price. Hunters who are focused on buying a high-value crossbow will not regret their decision later.
For those who can’t afford anything other than the most affordable bow, I recommend one or more of the following:
Update the “Extras” later: some functions of a crossbow can be updated. You can get a bow that doesn’t have top-of-the-line features and then upgrade later. This means you can have quality equipment now with the option to upgrade in the future.
Focus on the “essentials” – some functions of a crossbow are nice to have, but they are unnecessary. You can easily find high-quality bows that have a very standard feature set for a low cost. A high-quality bow with few attributes is better than a low-quality bow with a full feature set.
How much speed do you need? – You would certainly like to have an arc that has a foot per second (“FPS”) of 400, but 315 is more than enough. People often overestimate the speed of a bow because they believe that the faster the better. Purchasing a lower power or slower speed bow is an excellent method of reducing the price of your crossbow.
Wait until you can afford a high-value crossbow. Nobody likes this solution; however, envision spending $ 150 on a bow that is not good for hunting, and then you need to spend another $ 300 for a high-value crossbow.