Hunting has always been an exciting venture since the dawn of mankind. And therefore a search for the Best Crossbow For Hunting is not something new. The primitive needs of hunting are no longer imminent, however, as a sport, it promotes the kind of excitement and anticipation that people, young or old yearn for. Anyone involved in it would know how important an accurate and strong crossbow is for hunting. Be it chasing after a deer, or looking out for another hiding prey, a crossbow would give you the requisite agility and temper to go out there and have some fun and productive time on your own.
How Much Do You Really Need A Crossbow?
The gaining popularity of crossbows essentially tells you that there must be equipment of great use. If you are new to hunting, crossbows are exactly the tool you need at your disposal. And if you are the more seasoned hunter, and not using a crossbow, the very benefits of using one can tempt you into switching equipment. The Best Crossbow For Hunting would naturally have:
- A striking advantage of using a crossbow, over a regular bow, is that after cocking you need not expend any effort or energy in keeping the crossbow at full draw. This helps you to maintain balance and agility while running after your prey.
- Crossbows are also great to aim with. Their aiming structure is similar to that of a gun, making them easier to shoot from a kneeling or hiding position, a need of which often arises in game hunting.
- Although it varies strongly with factors like draw length, draw weight, they usually can hit the prey really quick. In comparison to compound bows which shoot at around 200 feet per second, crossbows can shoot up to speeds of 400-450 feet per second. This results in longer ranges, and hard-hitting capabilities, which would greatly increase the productivity of your hunting time.
In addition, the flatter trajectory of the bolt(crossbow arrow) rendered by a strong crossbow makes targeting relatively easier.
Here’s a video, you might want to watch to understand why the crossbow is a great hunting tool.
What To Look For In A Crossbow?
Choosing a crossbow can be a daunting task, given the plethora of options available in the market. Here, I would like to make the task much easier for you, by drawing upon the important areas you need to focus in order to buy the Best Crossbow For Hunting in accordance to your needs.
Types Of Crossbows:
First, we discuss the different types of crossbows available in the marketplace. Knowing the different kinds of crossbows can actually help you optimally understand how you plan to be using your crossbow and choose the Best Crossbow For Hunting.
Compound Crossbows
These use cams or pulleys to help draw the string to the latch, the mechanism for holding the drawstring in the cocked position. It reduces the draw weight when you draw back in cocked position, allowing effortless storage of energy in the limbs. They usually have strong limbs helping with agility while hunting.
However, there is a disadvantage. A broken string is not that easy to fix. You might have to use a bow press to do so. It is slightly noisier than a recurve crossbow, but there are accessories that help you reduce the noise.
Recurve Crossbows
These crossbows have a tip curving away from the shooter. Their longer draw length, adds on to the bolt speed. They are usually much lighter and hence portable. Manufacturers have added different accessories including stabilization and scopes to make them more efficient. They also have fewer parts and are easy to maintain.
However, you need more effort and energy to cock the bolt in these crossbows.
Reverse Draw Limb Crossbows
The reverse limbs noticeably reduce vibration and noise, which also brings the center of gravity closer to the user. These crossbows also allow for a faster bolt speed than compound ones.
What You Want From A Crossbow?
You need to understand the specific needs for proper hunting, in order to understand what the Best Crossbow For Hunting should have:
- Bolt speed: It is one of the most important criteria of your crossbow. The trajectory of the bolt becomes flattered and can reach farther with the increase of bolt speed. The momentum of the bolt is also important for big games. A slightly heavier bolt usually promotes it.
- Noise: Noise is a crucial element in hunting. Your prey would usually be unprepared if the crossbow is quieter. This would increase your chances of success. Recurve crossbows are usually quieter than the other two mentioned above.
- The barrel: The barrel is the pathway to your arrow and therefore also your success. Your shot would usually be more accurate with more precision in it.
- Weight: Crossbows come in different weights and their choice varies in accordance to the kind of hunting you would fancy. Lighter ones help maneuverability, and the heavier ones have lesser vibration and help with accuracy. One must also consider personal physical limitations while choosing to go for a heavier crossbow.
- Cocking weight: The bolt speed increases with increase in the cocking weight.
- Draw weight: The draw weight like the bolt weight should increase with bigger games. Although it is not necessary for target shooting. However, the price actually shoots up with more draw weight.
- Accuracy: A good scope goes a long way in helping you be more accurate. But the practice that makes one better at it. Also, a good foregrip reduces vibration and therefore improves accuracy.
- Bolts: One must use good shaft material like carbon to manufacture these. You should make sure to go with the best bolts available to make the best shoot.
- A quiver: It is important to safely hold the sharp arrows when you are game hunting.
- Maintenance: It’s important you tune it from time to time. The bow contains many moving parts and therefore it is important you mount and align everything properly. Without proper maintenance, your crossbow will gradually lose its edge. Compound crossbows usually need more maintenance than Recurve ones.
Keeping all of these in mind, you are now in a better position to understand the Best Crossbow For Hunting that would better suit your needs. Do pay attention to the relative advantages of each bow type over another. You can also check a few other fabulous portals to help you out.
5 Best Crossbow For Hunting
These are the most probable contenders as the Best Crossbow For Hunting
| Rank | Hunting Crossbow | Ratings | Price |
| 1 | CenterPoint Sniper 370 | 4.6/5 | CHECK LATEST PRICE |
| 2 | Centerpoint Tormentor Whisper 380 | 4.5/5 | CHECK LATEST PRICE |
| 3 | Parker Thunderhawk | 4.3/5 | CHECK LATEST PRICE |
| 4 | Wicked Ridge by TenPoint Invader G3 | 4.7/5 | CHECK LATEST PRICE |
| 5 | Barnett Whitetail Hunter | 4.3/5 | CHECK LATEST PRICE |
1. CenterPoint Sniper 370
It is a compound crossbow. It must do most of the hunting quite easily with speeds of up to 370 feet per second. Thanks to the quad limbs fitted with a precision CNC-machined cam system.
The bow comes with almost everything you need to go out there and hunt. Both hunters and beginners can appropriately choose this crossbow.
Pros
- It has a fully adjustable stock and pass-through foregrip that allows you to accommodate to your preferred shooting style. This also ensures exceptional accuracy.
- The sniper and the scope are also highly maneuverable due to its durable CNC machined rail with shoot-through riser.
- It has also got a narrow width. This helps with agility.
- It has got a substantially large draw weight of about 180 pounds. This makes sure that you have the edge while hunting big games.
- The 4x32mm scope is large and crisp enough for most situations.
- String suppressors added into the system helps your shots have low vibration and noise.
- The anti-dry fire and auto-safety trigger helps do away with accidental or ill intentioned shots.
- The durable machined aluminum rail is supposed to go a long way into helping you maintain those high endurance hunting trails over the years
Cons
- However, the scope is not illuminated. It might be slightly troublesome to arrange and shoot in dim light for people who are used to illuminated scopes.
- The scope adjustments are not true 1/4″ per click at 100 yards. It is more like 1″ per 10-12 clicks at 25 yards.
- Some might wish for a more adjustable forearm.
- Hunters would love to have a more powerful scope even if the one included is pretty decent.
- It is also not compatible with cranking aid devices. This makes life slightly difficult for the ones who don’t want to or can’t put much force into the drawstring.
- You will find a noticeable trigger creep and a reasonably long pull on this action if you use it for some time. However, it would not affect your game much, and you would just have a slightly hard trigger to pull.
The package comes with three 20’’ carbon bolts, 3 quivers, and shoulder sling and rope cocker. This crossbow would likely deliver you the goods regardless of whether you are a beginner or advanced user.
2. Centerpoint Tormentor Whisper 380
The Centerpoint Tormentor 380 is a pretty good and solid mid-entry and beginner crossbow. It must work well with most game as it has good speed delivery of about 380 feet per second. It packs in sufficient safety features so that you can focus right on your chase.
This is one of those high-performance tools and gets the job done pretty well. It definitely is a very good option if you are looking to buy your first bow.
Pros:
- A good arrow speed for a mid level hunter which will get you through most of your hunting
- It is fairly accurate, coupled with an excellent barrel. Fairly easy to use and does not need much power in the draw string action.
- The lightweight nature of this crossbow makes sure that you keep chasing your prey, without much difficulty.
- It produces over 180lbs. of draw weight which is pretty good for small to medium preys.
- It has got all-weather composite stock features padded rubber grips and cheekpiece for enhanced control in wet and dry conditions.
- An inbuit whisper silencing system reduces noise and vibration in this crossbow.
Cons:
- The trigger is a bit firm. However, it is not unusable and actually does a much better job than its predecessor.
- The included scope is not up to the mark. It is more like a freebie given away with the crossbow
- Some bolt fletching might wreak at times given the enormous power the crossbow produces.
It’s a pretty decent scope for a mid-level enthusiast or a passionate beginner. But you might have to arrange for some extra accessories like a better scope to make your hunting really enjoyable.
3. Parker Thunderhawk
This is another pretty good entry-level and mid-level crossbow. The package comes with almost everything you need to get started with. It does a pretty good job with targets less than 50 yards. And it’s got a lifetime warranty. It might just be the right product for you if you want a crossbow for a long time and do not intend to go for very big games. The crossbow comes with 6 carbon arrows, field points, hunting broadheads, rope cocker, string suppressors, scope, sling, and a crossbow case. It is a full package indeed. The effectiveness and lightweight have made it really popular over time.
Pros:
- It produces more than 90ft. lbs. of power upon a shot, and is sufficient for small to medium game hunting, including deer and elk.
- An illuminated multi-reticle scope helps go do that dim light hunting. It also comes with factory set bow sighting and is supposed to be easier for beginners.
- It has an excellent cocking device and requires even less than half of the force required if you were to cock without it. This is one of the major areas where this crossbow excels over others.
- A four arrow quick detach quiver allows you to have the extra arrow for hunting.
- The crossbow package includes six good arrows with the package. Also comes with three broadheads.
- The lifetime warranty covers the metal trigger as well.
- Anti-dry fire and auto safety come as a standard. These features are quite dependable and will keep you safe at all times.
- Excellent build quality and great looks make it one of the most sought-after products in the market.
Cons:
- Low arrow speed can discourage you from going for long range shooting.
- It has a short serving life as a result of the large downward pressure on the rails.
It gives user effectiveness with peace of mind is one of the most convenient crossbows around.
4. Wicked Ridge by TenPoint Invader G3
Another great mid level cross bow. It actually is quite a bargain for the package it offers. The crossbow has an excellent performance delivery at 330 feet per second and 165 lbs of draw weight, and does not suffer from any under power.
Both hunters and recreational shooters can use its highly adjustable stock to make hunting interesting.
Pros:
- It has a 3x multiline scope. A specifically made material coats and makes it waterproof.
- This crossbow has got a sleek, integrated, self-retracting ACU-52 system which reduces the draw weight by 50%.
- The pass through foregrip gives shooters a solid forehand grip. This minimizes the chances of your fingers coming in the string path.
- It is reasonably quiet, especially, for one at its price point.
- The trigger has a crisp release and is the T2 trigger from more expensive crossbows. It allows for accurate shots time and again.
- Anti-dry fire and auto safety comes as a standard with this crossbow. This would keep you safe in most situations.
- It comes with three 20’’ carbon arrows, and is quite strong for most of your hunting. It also comes with an instant release quiver.
Cons:
- The scope that the package includes does not illuminate, and therefore hunting can be a challenge in the dark.
- No rope cocking is included with the device. This makes it a bit heavier.
- A shorter than average warranty period might also get you worrying.
Overall, it can be a great purchase, if you can add a few more carbon bolts to the kit, and can just be your Best Crossbow For Hunting.
5. Barnett Whitetail Hunter
This Barnett is a great mid-level purchase. Almost everything that you can think of, this bow delivers, be it performance, comfort, or customization. It is also one of the best looking ones around.
This bow would really help you step up your hunting game helping you to train more effectively and derive excellent performance. It produces over 100 ft. lbs of energy and can find use in hunting most of the game animals around unless you find a wooly mammoth lurking in the wilderness.
Pros:
- It has an excellent 4×32 multi-reticle scope that delivers you absolute resolution and performance. The scope also mounts on a Picatinny rail, which allows you to replace it easily if the need ever arises.
- The package comes with a rope cocking device. This makes the bow lighter and easier to handle. In addition, it also helps to maintain accuracy. You can use a mechanical cocker with it as well.
- The crossbow comes with a 3 arrow quick detach quiver, and 3 carbon bolts that would serve most of your hunting tests.
- It also has a glow in the dark decocking bolt.
- It has an excellent and clean trigger and this helps its wide popularity among hunters.
- Anti-dry fire and auto safety come as a standard with this bow. It’s very dependable and will keep you safe.
- Pass-through foregrip and finger guards help you be safe.
- Your experience only gets better with the adjustable butt pad that comes with it.
Cons:
- The arrow speeds are average. You would want arrows to come out of it at a greater speed for big game hunting.
This is a really complete package out there and will support you greatly throughout all kinds of hunting.
So How Do Things Finally Look?
The wide variety of crossbows available only does justice to its popularity and effectiveness. We reviewed some of the really efficient and convenient ones in order to discover the Best Crossbow For Hunting. Almost all of them were good, but the clear winner is the Wicked Ridge by Tenpoint Invader G3 (Shop now). It clearly is one of the most complete packages available catering to both beginners and more advanced users and can just be the Best Crossbow For Hunting for you.
In comparison to the others, it has got almost all the safety mechanisms and delivers a much better hunting experience. The scope is one of the most important parts of a crossbow and is excellent in this one. Its quick detach quiver and carbon bolts make the way for easy shooting. The high impact energy, makes it suitable for big game hunting and does not disappoint when you find a good, big game hunting opportunity due to the limitations of your bow.
The bow satisfies almost all of the criteria for the Best Crossbow For Hunting as discussed earlier and is a great purchase. It excels in everything including maneuverability, quietness, a decent bolt speed or a good scope.
Crossbows have continued to be one of the most widely used hunting tools across mankind’s history. To have upheld it for such a long time, it needs to be a great tool, which it is. And if you would like to try out hunting, there is no better way than to start with a crossbow.