Over the years, I have worked with many crossbow hunters to troubleshoot various issues they have had with their crossbows and to provide them with advice and tips for using them in the field. I’ve heard many stories about what can go wrong in the woods, and, most of the time, the problem the hunter encountered was the result of not knowing how to safely and properly handle the crossbow in a hunting situation. Here is a list of crossbow safety tips to keep in mind this season:
1. Don’t forget how wide your bow assembly is when uncocked.
As crossbow bow assemblies have become more compact, crossbows have become easier to carry in the field and have greater maneuverability in small spaces like a treestand or ground blind. Some crossbows are now extremely narrow, displaying axle-to-axle widths as small as 6 inches or less when cocked. This enables crossbow hunters to take shots from tighter, more narrow spaces than before. Some hunters, however, forget to account for how wide the bow assembly is after the shot is taken. This presents a serious problem if the space that you have allocated for the cocked bow assembly is not wide enough to accommodate the bow throughout the shot. In this scenario, taking a shot can cause the limbs or cams to strike an object as the string accelerates the arrow down the flight rail. This can cause serious damage to the limbs or cams, put you at risk for physical injury, and can end your hunt prematurely.
2. Don’t forget where to safely place your foregrip hand on the crossbow when you are taking a shot.
There’s nothing like the rush of adrenaline and the feeling of excitement when the deer you have been hunting finally steps out in front of you and presents itself to you with a shot. It’s a common human response to become very excited in this scenario. It’s easy to allow that excitement to overwhelm you to the point that you begin to cut corners in your shooting routine that are critical to keeping you safe while using your crossbow. One of these safety protocols is always being aware of the position of your foregrip hand on the stock to ensure that no part of your hand lies in the path of the bowstring. Most modern hunting crossbows now have some type of safety barrier between the foregrip and the flight rail to help prevent your hand or fingers from getting too close. Even with crossbows that have a safety barrier, most hand injuries result when the foregrip is rested on an object like a treestand shooting bar, a shooting stick in a blind or a downed tree trunk, because your hand no longer form-fits to the stock’s foregrip. You can be so wrapped up in making a good shot on the animal that you forget to place your hand in a safe position, resulting in serious injury.
3. Never carry your cocked hunting crossbow into the woods with an arrow loaded.
Most modern crossbows are built to be safely carried into the woods when cocked, but only if the crossbow is unloaded. Crossbows that have a dry-fire-inhibitor device have been designed to prevent the string from traveling down the flight rail with no arrow loaded, potentially causing a dry-fire of the bow assembly, if the safety is not properly engaged and the trigger is accidentally tripped. For your safety and the safety of others who may be hunting near you, do not load an arrow into your crossbow until you are situated at your hunting spot. In other words, do not walk to your hunting area with your crossbow loaded and do not engage in “stalk hunting” with your crossbow. There are many documented cases of loss of life caused from hunters falling while walking with a loaded crossbow. Prior to hunting, check your state’s regulations to determine if it is legal for you to cock your crossbow before entering the woods, or if the crossbow needs to be cased all the way to your blind or stand.
4. Always use a hoist rope to lift your crossbow into your treestand.
If you hunt from a treestand or elevated blind and you must climb a ladder to reach your spot, it is never a safe practice to attempt to carry your crossbow, whether on a sling or not, while climbing your ladder and entering your stand. When hunting from an elevated position, always wear a Tree Stand Safety Awareness Foundation (TSSA) approved safety harness and keep it connected to a rope device, allowing you to keep your harness attached to the tree after leaving the ground. Once you have reached your stand, attach your safety harness to a tree strap to prevent against a life-threatening fall. Only hoist your crossbow into the treestand after you have attached yourself to the tree strap. Be sure to use only high-quality rope or cord for your hoist that performs well in the elements and that is strong enough to support the full weight of your crossbow while lifting it. Also, be sure to know how to securely tie the rope to your crossbow’s butt stock, so that the bow assembly is pointed toward the ground when you are hoisting the crossbow.
5. Always be sure your arrow’s nock is properly indexed and is fully seated against the bowstring.
Many different types of crossbow nocks are available these days, and some nocks require that they be aligned or “indexed” perpendicular to the cock vane (odd-colored vane in most cases) on the arrow to achieve proper nock and string contact. Misaligning the nock to the cock vane can prevent the string from contacting the nock and lead to an overshoot or undershoot of the arrow, where the string slips past the nock and slides overtop or underneath the arrow’s shaft. This causes the arrow to be launched from the flight rail with less energy, since some of the force of the bowstring is lost when the string slips past the nock. As a result, the arrow will likely hit in front of the animal or, if it reaches the animal, it will hit significantly lower than your intended point-of-aim. Additionally, the excess energy that was not transferred to the arrow will travel through the bow assembly and can potentially cause a condition similar to a dry fire that can crack the limbs or bend the cam axles, rendering your crossbow unusable. Even if you have properly indexed the nock, if you don’t slide the arrow into the flight rail far enough back that the nock is making direct contact with the string, the same string overshoot or undershoot of the arrow can occur. When loading your crossbow, especially during dark, pre-dawn hours, verify that you have loaded the arrow correctly and that you have proper nock and string contact.
6. Carefully handle your arrows equipped with broadheads when loading or unloading your crossbow.
When carrying your crossbow and hunting arrows into the field, always use a quiver with a deep enough cup that prevents your broadheads from being damaged during transport and that also protects you from being accidentally cut when handling the quiver or removing an arrow. This is especially important for those that use fixed-blade broadheads. Most broadheads these days employ super-sharp surgical grade stainless steel blades. Broadhead blades can be so sharp that you can cut yourself or your crossbow’s string with a simple graze of a blade. When loading an arrow into your crossbow, hold the arrow shaft just behind the broadhead or field point using your index and middle fingers and thumb. Insert the cock vane into the groove in the flight rail and slide the nock end of the arrow underneath the arrow retainer and into the trigger box, making sure the nock is against the bowstring. Loading the arrow this way ensures that your hand will never enter the bowstring’s path.
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How to Safely Operate and Handle Your Crossbow
