3 surprisingly easy way to become a better crossbow hunter

#3  ALWAYS REMAIN QUIET

If you’re hunting on foot, plan your steps carefully to avoid making a racket by getting your crossbow caught on branches and brush. Spend more time looking, and less time moving; don’t expect to silently slip through the same areas you may have skulked through with a rifle or compound bow. That said, today’s narrow, fast crossbows are easier to carry through the trees than the models of just a decade ago.

If you’re hunting from a blind, arrange your seating and gear so you don’t make noise getting into shooting position once your quarry steps out. And if there’s legal light, cock your crossbow before getting to your blind. Otherwise, the unnatural noise will alarm any game within earshot, especially in the quiet of early morning. Also make sure you can quietly flick off the safety; if your bow is new, you may have to work in the switch until it isn’t stiff and noisy.

Although you can push faster crossbows to 40-metre shots or further at a non-moving target, they’re still much more limited than a rifle. That’s because game such as deer can jump the string, especially at longer distances, resulting in a miss, or poor shot placement. String silencers can help, but don’t expect them to eliminate the problem entirely. In general, you want to be as close as you can for a shot so your quarry doesn’t have time to react—and your bolt hits exactly where you want it to.

Zac Kurylyk hunts with a crossbow near in his home in New Brunswick.