OK Guys, School me on crossbows

[bigbrother]

What Skeet says is true, get one and keep on hunting. I think what you'll see is very similar to shopping for a compound. You get what you pay for to a certain point only. Crossbows vary from relatively expensive to HOLY SH*#! Typically, to get the speed with a reasonably quiet shot you have to pay more money. Most of them will shoot a little over 300fps so trajectory is going to be very similar to what your normal bow shot. You can get one that will shoot into the mid to upper 300's but they are considerably more money. They will be heavier than your normal bow and you'll probably find them awkward to carry at first. If you're stand hunting, it won't be a big deal. As far as draw weights, I wouldn't bother with getting a super heavy draw as anything like 150 will still shoot over 300. Shooting of course is all together differnent. If you can get to a pro shop where they will let you shoot a couple, pay attention to the trigger. Just like a rifle, the trigger is what will affect your shot the most. Other than that, get a stand with a rail and your pin will settle where it needs to and not move, just like shooting a rifle.

One big thing to remember is the further the distance the longer flight time of the arrow and more time the deer has to jump the string. As you're already a bow hunter you know all about that but you won't be able to get a crossbow that's anywhere near as quiet as some of the new compounds. So while they are amazingly accurate and quite capable of hitting deer at long distances, you still have to fight the noise and time of flight. Good luck and have fun!