Brand new to hunting

Welcome to the site and congrats on your desire to hunt. You will most likely need a mechanical or crank loading model. 10 point makes a nice crossbow but they are pricey. Horton would be my next choice. Personally I would opt for a crossbow scope ie 4X vs a red dot just for the magnifacation increase. I had a Horton Legend model. Crossbows with practice should shoot out to 50-60 yds, starting out I'd stick to 30 max. I like a broadhead that cuts at least 1-1/8". The rage broadheads may be one that shoots well from a crossbow? I shoot muzzy 3 blades at 100 grain weight they fly straight. If you aim for the spot just behind the shoulder mid body you will double lung a deer and it will expire quickly. Always wait for that good broadside shot. Some may argue that a 1/4ing away shot is better, trust me on this one. With a bow/crossbow broadside double lung shot is best. Good luck on your shopping and hope to see pictures of that first deer.

Hunting Man, great info, that's exactly what I'm looking for. You say you like muzzy 3 blades at 100 grain weight, is muzzy a brand or a type of bolt? My DH and I were thinking probably a lung/heart lung shot would be what we'd want. If double lung is quick, that's what I'll try for. Can you give me an estimate how fast they go that way? I really don't want a wounded deer running through the woods, or lose one because it makes it over to the neighbor's property to die. (I can probably get my neighbor's permission in advance, to go on their land to retrieve a deer, we're on good terms, but, I'd rather avoid that, for humanitarian reasons, and nuisance-to-neighbors-factor) If I'm gonna kill something, I want to do it as quickly as I can manage.

I'm a dedicated omnivore, and want to take responsibility for providing meat for myself and my family, (as my DH does, as well) I just don't want to cause suffering unnecessarily, if I can avoid it.

So blades at least 1 1/8", that sounds good, would wider be better for a quick kill? Or would they be more likely to get hung up on ribs or something? I butcher my own chickens, I'm not squeamish, so don't worry about putting me off with detailed reasons for choices. I'm pretty pragmatic, circle of life, and all that. (Something died, now I can cook it, hurray, meat in the freezer!)

Are you familiar with the Horton Tacoma? (Trac-150, 150lb. draw) It seems like an economical model, but I don't know if it would be right for what I want. It doesn't have a crank or mechanical loader either, I haven't seen one yet that does. (but I just started looking yesterday) I'm thinking I can add a scope to whatever I get, is that correct?

Ever try a Barnett? They seem to have good prices, but I don't want to buy a P.O.S. trying to save money.

Thanks so much, I really appreciate the help!

Buckshot some crossbows used to come with the crank loading system. $$$ Anyway, the 1-1/8" reference I made is the maximum cutting width of the broadhead and has nothing to do with the bolt size spine weight. You will need some bowshop help on figuring the correct bolts to use. I do not have any personal knowledge on how mechanical broadheads fly from crossbows, ie the new Rage broadheads. I have witnessed the after effects of the Rage heads from a compound bow, they seem to be pretty good. There are absolutely no guarentees (spelling?) as to how far a deer will travel post shot, but a good double lung shot should equal 20-60 yds. A poorly shot deer may go for a mile or more and thats another subject on another day. All deer react differently to being shot, some dash off some act like they didn't know what happen. If you are adversely affected by thoughts of deer death delay, I would reconsider whether or not your ready to actually shoot one. It can be a rather humbling, profound, and yes sad experience. These feelings seem to dissapate and be replaced by elation for the successful harvesting of a game animal.Think on it! Barnett crossbows used to be the bargain basement models?? Many new crossbows now exceed the 150 lb rating but that would be fine.

Thanks, Buckshot! I always do a lot of internet search and info gathering before I start shopping. It cuts down expensive and time consuming mistakes I might make, and helps with safety issues. I was searching for crossbows with cranks, wondering why I wasn't finding any. Now I'll look for "accessories".

Keeping inside thirty yards sounds good to me. We have a lot of places I could set up a stand or a blind and have deer passing very close. When I go outside to tend poultry or do other chores, I often find I have deer standing around watching me, it's not unusual to see them at about forty feet or less.

I appreciate your time and info!

When I get a little better idea what I need to look for, I'll start looking for a pro shop. I live in a somewhat remote area, I don't think there's one close. Nothing I found in the Yellow pages, anyway. The closest thing we have to a local pro shop is a pawn shop, they can't really help much. They might be a good place to find a good deal on a crossbow, though, once I learn a little more. Or I might end up shopping ebay.

Any other crossbow hunters, please feel free to add your own knowledge! I need all the input I can get.

Hunting Man, I just saw your post. I know there's a chance I may have a wounded deer running, I just want to reduce that chance as much as I can. I know there's no way to guarantee anything. That's why all the questions before I try it. I'm sure I'll have a whole new set of questions after my first hunt or two.

I'll look up the Rage broadheads, and see what I can find out about them.

When you say bargain basement model, do you mean they aren't very good, or just not as snazzy as the Hortons and others? I don't have a lot of money to spend on this, but if I need to, I'll save it up, skip the rest of this season, and practice until next year's hunt.

Of course, there's other game I could hunt during the year, too. There's a lot of wild turkey around here. I know I'd need different heads, etc., accounting for body size, etc., but could be some good hunting there, too. I hear those turkeys calling out in the woods and fields here all the time. I see a lot of flocks when I'm driving somewhere. We have a spring hunt and a fall hunt.

I have been hunting with a parker crossbow for 5 years now. It has never given me any problems. I try to keep my shots in the 20 to 40 yard range and it is extremely accurate at those distances. I do prefer the red dot sight only because I don't think you need magnification at those distances. A couple things you may want to know, I can never see the impact placement of my shot. the bolt flies extremely fast. I always allow at least 30 minutes after the shot to start tracking because I am never possitive where I hit it. I also want to say after recovering the deer every shot was right where the red dot was placed. I started using Rage mechanicals this year and will never go back. They fly perfect off the crossbow and leave great blood trails for tracking. I would also recomend 150lb draw or better. I hope this helps. I am by no means an expert but definatley willing to share my experiance.