Crossbow arrived and is sighted in

[doccherry]

My Barnett Revolution with red dot scope just arrived. I assembled it, which was no big deal, and then went in the back yard to sight it in. Wow!!! That thing is nasty!! The trigger pull is as good as one on a fine rifle, set at 4.5 pounds. Once I sighted in the field point bolts at 2" high at 20 yards, I switched to 3 blade Cabela's broadheads. I aligned the blades with the vanes and it put 3 shots into a 1" group. [I shot the same arrow three times.] The owner's manual suggests firing only one arrow, otherwise you'll ruin your arrows, the thing is so accurate. Penetration is remarkable. My PSE Quantum sends 29" arrows with similar broadheads through the foam target with about 6" sticking out the far side. This thing sends them through the foam with about 18" sticking out the far side, leaving the vanes buried in the foam. There is no kick and very little noise. You squeeze the trigger, there is a thunk when the arrow hits, and you go take a look and find the arrow dead on and completely buried in the foam.

There is only one dot in the red dot scope, so I figure I'll hold about 6" high at 30 yards and about 14" high at 40 yards. 50 yards is really a crapshoot, but if I get a clear shot, I'll hold about 24" high. I'm going to take the thing out tomorrow [Saturday] evening and give it a go. The red dot sight will be great in low light.

The problem I have with my Quantums, each equipped with a sight light, is that the second I turn on the violet light that is just a glow and lights the fiber optic sight pins, the pigs jump and take off, they're so spooky. The red dot shouldn't cause any problem. Also, it only takes about 10 seconds to cock it and reload.

If anything happens, I'll post the story. I'm still sitting here with my mouth open and drool trickling down my chin and puddling on the keyboard, reading about that guy and his new girlfriend. Cooking up ground squirrels and then shooting a hog and being as beautiful as she appears to be in the picture? Old Doc has to leave now and take a heart pill.

Aloha for now.

 

[Gyopo]

You are having WAY over you allotment of fun!!!
Enjoy your new toy!!!!

 

[Drayton]

We just got a crossbow season here in Florida but we can use archery equipment durring this season.

Maybe in a few years I'll look into getting one.

Enjoy your new toy, doccherry!

 

[Nic Barca]

...check your rules and regulations. Whyd you get a crossbow, Doc? You disabled or something?

 

[doccherry]

Nic:

I'm not disabled except for being a bit senile. I didn't get the crossbow to use as an archery weapon, since that isn't legal. I got it because I do a lot of pig hunting on private residences where the next door neighbor may be only a couple hundred yards away, which leaves out firearms. My bow sends arrows at about 250 fps with pretty good accuracy but beneath heavy canopy, such as in the coffee trees where the light is very dim, I can't get my fiber optic bowsite to gather enough light to get off a shot, even before sunset. I have a bowsite light that generates an indigo glow, but the pigs see that and scamper away. The crossbow has a built in red dot scope that works great in very low light and hasn't yet spooked the pigs. The crossbow also has a flat trajectory, much, much flatter than my PSE Quantum, and sends fat 22" bolts that are heavier than my regular arrows at 345 fps. So, the way I have it figured, at least, the crossbow should work a lot better than my regular bows in the situation I often hunt in.

As far as I can tell, I'm complying with all rules and regs, since I'm not hunting in an archery-only situation.
So far, the only negative with the crossbow is that it is bulky and cumbersome to carry and it gets hung up on the vegetation easily as I wade through the underbrush.

If you see a violation in the regs, please let me know.

Mahalo.

 

[Nic Barca]

I'm not worried about it Doc. I think they had crossbows listed as an illegal hunting weapon in the rules and regs but that might apply only to public land be it firearms or archery. There's also a rule that you can get a special permit for it if you are not able to use a conventional bow. I don't think anyone is going to kick up any fuss about it on big island private land. Sounds like the pigs are in trouble again.

 

[CAhntr]

Doc, have you had a chance to try out the new crossbow on any piggies yet?

Eric

 

[ozstriker22]

Yeah, It's been a few days since I've seen a new "Doc" post with a nice long story about blood and death in HI.

 

[scott0san]

Sounds like a powerful weapon. Make sure you bring a camera with you, I would like to see the animal that gets in the way of you and the bow. I bet you get a complete pass through on that bolt. What weight broadhead are you using?

 

[doccherry]

I'm using a 125 grain 3-blade broadhead. Sorry about not posting anything exciting lately, but I've been hunting 4 times in the past 8 or 10 days and have seen only 2 or 3 pigs and haven't taken a shot. Yesterday evening I went out and at sundown the skies opened up and it poured. The rain here isn't cold but I got soaked and then the mosquitoes came out and nibbled on my kibbles.

From my limited experience, hunting here is a bit odd. On one day you'll see game everywhere and then a few days later, there's nothing. Maybe it's the moon or the weather---I don't know. I'm still learning. But for now, the pigs have disappeared. I'm sure they'll be back, though, so I'll keep plugging away. It's no big deal to go hunting for me. I hop in my truck and I'm hunting 10 minutes later. When it's too dark to see, I drive back home, pop a cold one [or two or three], and put my feet up and watch the tube for an hour or so.

Life is tough. I'll post something exciting when something exciting happens. Know what I really miss about the mainland? The mountains, be it oak covered or aspen covered or pine covered. My wife and I are flying to Colorado the first week of October. Hope to do some hiking and flyfishing and smell the spruce after a thunderstorm.

It's 5:30 PM as I write this. The wind chimes on the front lanai [deck] are spinning and making all sorts of racket. The skies are getting black and up on the mountain it appears to be pouring. Looks like it's heading our way. I'd really enjoy a big storm right now. All the water [unlike CA] soaks into the lava soil and there is no flooding nor mud. Just the sound of raindrops pounding on the roof and then everything is clean and the air has that distinctive smell of a rainstorm.

Man, I really like it here. And Uncle Ji: That was a totally cool Axis deer. I'd love to hunt those guys someday. Like another post said, that is probably the best venison on the face of the earth. Glad your back is doing better. Keep getting stronger and stronger so we can chase the pigs around Laupahoehoe this winter.

Adios for now. Will post when something happens.

 

[Speckmisser]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div>

It's 5:30 PM as I write this. The wind chimes on the front lanai [deck] are spinning and making all sorts of racket. The skies are getting black and up on the mountain it appears to be pouring. Looks like it's heading our way. I'd really enjoy a big storm right now. All the water [unlike CA] soaks into the lava soil and there is no flooding nor mud. Just the sound of raindrops pounding on the roof and then everything is clean and the air has that distinctive smell of a rainstorm.[/b]

Ahh... you're killin' me, Doc!

 

[sdbowyer]

Hey doc,

I shoot the Revolution as well (XS). Bolts go straight through the pigs -) -

 

[beastslayer]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (doccherry @ Aug 22 2006, 08:32 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Just the sound of raindrops pounding on the roof and then everything is clean and the air has that distinctive smell of a rainstorm.

Man, I really like it here.[/b]

doc - one more addiction. try having a weekend mid-afternoon nap on a rainstorm with the sound of raindrops on a tin roof providing the background lullaby.

 

[doccherry]

Just returned from my evening hunt. I didn't apply the mosquito repellant [100% DEET---really numbs your lips if you get any on them] because I thought perhaps that was causing my problems---no pigs the past several hunts. Well, still no pigs but the mosquitoes ate me alive. I'll bet I got bitten 200 times, mainly on my hands and on my back where my long sleeve camo shirt has been torn to shreds. Whoever said that wisdom comes with old age is nuts, at least as it applies to me.

No idea where the pigs are. Maybe some dog hunters have been working the area at night. One thing for sure is that the pigs will be back. Think I'll lay low for a couple of weeks and finish the painting I promised my wife I'd do about 6 months ago.

Good luck to all in your early season hunts. I'll post when something happens.

 

[Speckmisser]

I know I'm starting to sound like a paid advertisement (I'm not... but maybe ought to be), but Doc, get yourself a Thermacell!

No scent, no bugs, and no chemicals (that we know of). The danged things work, and work WELL!

 

[doccherry]

Speckmisser:

With the Thermacell, does each repellant mat last for just one use, or can you turn on the machine for an hour or so and then turn it off and then use the same mat at a later date, say one week later? In other words, if you turn on the Thermacell for 15 minutes and then turn it off, do you then have to discard the mat? Also, how long do the butane cartridges last?

Thanks.

 

[Speckmisser]

The mats are good for multiple uses (it turns from blue when fresh to solid white when it's all done). The way I use mine is to fire it up when I get to my stand, then leave it burning the whole time, which is usually a few hours. Then I turn it off until the next hunt.

They're advertised to get up to 8 hours, but I find that the mat seems to be about shot in around five hours. The butane lasts longer than the mats.

By the way, just spoke to my brother back in NC who confirmed that the unit seems to work well on everything except yellow flies.

 

[beastslayer]

doc,

The absence of hogs may be explained by some fruits coming into season nearby. Or some tubers maturing. Hogs will stay and sometimes bed within the vicinity of these trees or tubers until its all been all eaten or harvested.

 

[Nic Barca]

Doc, pig populations tend to fluctuate regularly for whatever reasons (dogs chasing them out of the area, new fruit coming into season, high hunting pressure changing their habits, move to greener pastures, etc.).

Pigs here get cozy with an area and bust the place up real good until, usually, some hunter comes along and pressures them off the area. They couldn't have gone far and likely moved to adjacent lands. When I was younger, a guava plantation above my house had the loads pigs and then they all dissapeared. For over five years there was absolutely none settled permenantly, then a few, and then appearently those few had some large litters and now there's many again. Meanwhile, the other half of the plantation had quite a bit all along.

I learned from the texasboars.com that when you see an area that the pigs poop in all the time as if it were a bathroom, that means the pigs have been settled in an area for a while and have a pattern.

Rest the area until they return. How many did you kill in there?