Even though crossbow hunting is more popular than ever, it’s easy to put it on the back burner this time of the year. After all, when one invokes thoughts of July — typically they involve vacations, family gatherings and general fun in the sun. However, July can be a great time of the year to regain your commitment and focus for the upcoming crossbow season.
By mid-summer most of the new crossbow products will be available. Now is the perfect time to purchase any new equipment including that crossbow you’ve had your eye on. Once you’ve made that purchase, practice practice practice! After you become proficient with your new crossbow and accessory package, there’s a variety of game that can be pursued during the summer months.
Vertical Bowhunters know the importance and value of shooting their bows throughout the entire year. Becoming intimate with ones equipment is essential for consistent success. It’s unfortunate that all too often crossbow hunters hang up their bows at the end of deer season, and it collects dust until the following season.
We crossbow hunters are finally being offered the same opportunities as our vertical counterparts — in both hunting and equipment options. Not that long ago equipment options were so limited for crossbow hunters, hunting anything outside of the traditional deer season was impossible. Thankfully times are changing.
Today there are many options available for the year round crossbow enthusiast. Special small game heads, fishing rigs and various other accessory products are being manufactured and marketed for crossbow specific hunters. The days of mixing and matching vertical archery equipment to meet our crossbow hunting needs are long gone.
Crossbow hunters can now hunt many non-game species in the off season like jackrabbits, groundhogs, wild boar, fish and a host of other animals to keep our hunting and shooting skills honed. One of the past problems that crossbow shooters frequently encountered while shooting stumps and small game in the off-season was dealing with the high poundages associated with crossbows.
It didn’t take long to realize that breaking arrows and lodging them in stumps for eternity was a real and expensive problem. Manufacturers are starting to address this problem by offering lower poundage crossbows made specifically for small game and fish. Blunt points are also now available for crossbows so even stump shooting is an option now.
There’s really no valid reason not to enjoy the great sport of crossbow hunting throughout the entire year, including the dog days of summer. Now is the time to experience what many others before you already have. Pick up a crossbow and join the ranks of this global movement. Not only will it bring you a lifetime of enjoyment, it’s one of the best antidotes for the summertime blues. There’s nothing better than enjoying the sport of crossbow hunting 365 days a year!
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