Bow and Crossbow Hunting Gear
Bow and Crossbow Hunting Gear:
Crossbow Gear is quite limited, in fact your major components are the cocking string, bolts, sights which we’ll talk about later, obviously a case, and last but not least a good scent/call. There are many other great accessories, but these are pretty much the ones you need to have.
Bolts: Come in a variety of lenghts and material. Generally made from carbon or aluminum for consistence in size and weight, and obviously durability. Bolts either have two or three feathers or vanes . Bolts come in either a half moon nock or a flat nock, where half moon tend to work better as the cocking string sits better against each bolt, and each bolt is positioned the same each time. Standard lenghts of bolts for crossbow vary between 16" and 22"
The reality is that you will have to replace your crossbow’s string from time to time due to their wear from normal use. It is always best to replace the string before it breaks, thus it is a good idea to check for sings of wear and fraying. The use of a string wax is always a good idea to prolong the life of your string, its not very expensive, but will lead to increase the life of your string. Also remember that cocking strings for compound crossbows are different than those for recurve crossbows.
Now to your crossbow case. They make transportation of your crossbow to and from a hunting spot a breeze. A crossbow case is definitely a worthwhile investment, not inly can you get one quite cheap but it will protect your main investment from any possible damage. Please note that most cases are made to accomodate compound crossbows, so if you decided to go with a recurve, make sure the case you buy will store your crossbow as well.
Scents and calls are very critical when hunting, especially when crossbow or bow hunting is your choice. With the right scent you will not only protect yourself from being detected as an unwanted intruder, but gain an advantage of making your game believe that you are there to either compete or part of the wilderness. Calls on the other hand give you the upper hand of attracting game (ie. moose) to your area, without giving away your intentions.
Bow Gear is quite similar to crossbow gear, with the critical gear being your arrows and shafts, broadheads , sights, bow storage, arrow quivers and stabilizers.
Arrows are pretty much identical to your crossbow bolts with the exception of being longer and having an attachable arrowhead such as broadheads. Arrows come in a variety of lenghts and weights such as your bolts. They also have a fletching on the end which again are used for stabilizing your arrow’s flight in terms of small amount of drag, and again these are usually made from feathers. Again half moon nocks are the best choice for hunting as they provide much more shot consistency. The shaft is a primary element of the arrow, to which all other components are attached, and modern day shafts are made from aluminum, carbon fibre reinforced plastic or composite materials. The selection of the right shaft, broadhead is very critical and is very much dependent on the game you want to hunt.
Bow storage, or in other words your bow case is equipment you not only should consider getting, but acquire as soon as possible. With bows being somewhat larger than your crossbows, it makes travel to and from your hunting destination, especially walking through thick brush, much easier and safer. Although choices are endless, and you can purchase a high end product, but quire realisticaly a simple case is more than plenty, unless you are planning to get attacked by a bigger animal on your way back, or having your bow being driven over.
Travelling to and from your hunting desination requires a good storage of your arrows. Quivers come in a variety of choice, from traditional leather or wood quivers, to more specialized camouflage modern ones. Although with the increasing selection, many hunters still prefer the traditional types and designs such as the recurve bow.
When choosing a stabilizer you must be familiar with your bow, specifically the setup. Bowhunting stabilizers in most cases are lighter and shorter than target stabilizers. They will help balance out the weight of your bow and reduce the bow’s movement during your shot. Most stabilizers on the market today can also reduce the noise and vibration of your shot, ultimately providing a much better shot accuracy. Again choices are overwhelming, but in the case of stabilizers, investing a bit more will pay itself off in the long run.
When talking about bow sights, we mean an attached aid on the riser of the bow which is categorized into two different models, where only one is used for bowhunting. Short, lightweight and compact, are geared for bowhunting. Bow sights can fit on any bow as they are universal. The more advanced and popular sights today have fiber optic pins, which will gather light and transfer it to the end of the pins allowing you to hunt in low light conditions. When choosing your sight, you must first consider the range of hunting you will be comfortable with. You can choose from several pin models to single pin, with that in mind, bowhunting sights should be easy to adjust with a large pin guard which will assist you in finding the target much quicker and cut on adjustment time, in comparison to the smaller pin guards.