The numbers don’t lie, and they paint a discouraging picture.
According to the 2016 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation report, 11.5 million people age 16 or older participated in hunting-related activities that year. That is down two million hunters from only five years prior and nearly six million since 1980. An alarming drop, to be sure, but even more alarming is the long-view — a trend showing no imminent reversal.
“So,” some may say, “that’s more deer for me.”
On the contrary, diminishing hunter numbers have serious consequences for everyone. With game and fish departments across the country depending on license sales for funding state conservation efforts, habitat acquisition and maintenance (public land hunting opportunities), hunter education and law enforcement, a reduction in hunting license revenue, as well as reduction of funds provided by the Federal Pittman-Robertson Act excise tax on firearms, ammunition and archery equipment, have serious consequences for not only hunting opportunities, but the outdoor and shooting industry as a whole.
Developing solutions to reverse this trend will require monumental efforts on many fronts, but the key is to bring new hunters into the fold.
In the not-so-old days, hunter recruitment wasn’t really thought about. Most of us started hunting because we were raised in families that also hunted, so it was a natural (and often given) part of growing up. Today, that’s not so much the case. Not only are there fewer hunting families to pass on the tradition and experience to the next generation, there are many other factors that have effectively placed obstacles in the way of recruitment. Misguided social pressure against the shooting sports is a big one, as is a reduction in private land access, the increasingly high cost of hunting gear (from a younger hunter’s perspective, at least), and the “electronic diversions” that hold the attention of our nation’s youth. All are negative factors that continue to erode our hunting population and deter entry into the lifestyle for adult and youth beginners alike.
As mentioned, it is a challenge we must approach on several fronts because there is no single solution.
There are, however, opportunities if we will take advantage of them. Crossbows are a perfect example. For mentoring a new hunter, this platform is ideally suited for many reasons.
For starters, crossbows have become legal hunting implements across much of the country, whether as a substitute for a conventional vertical bow during archery season or as a set-aside season of their own. Typically, this means new hunters, who have yet to develop the grit for long sits in a stand when the temperatures are downright frigid, can enjoy hunting in the more pleasant early season.
A friend of mine’s wife is a perfect example of this.
She expressed an interest a couple of years ago in learning to hunt deer, but she couldn’t tolerate sitting in a blind for hours when it was cold, such as it is during our firearms season. Furthermore, her work and general lifestyle didn’t give her the time to acquire the skills and muscle memory needed to shoot a vertical bow for hunting (although she has picked up a recurve with the intention of recreational shooting in the near future). The crossbow, thus, presented the perfect solution. She can sit in the comfort of a blind on those ideal October evenings with temperatures in the 50s or 60s. Now, after her first season of hunting with her husband, she enjoys hunting solo.
Another reason the crossbow offers the perfect on-ramp platform for mentoring a new hunter is the shallow learning curve required to use it. Following the requisite instruction on safe weapon handling and a hunter safety course, it takes only a short time for the beginner to become familiar with the crossbow’s operation and to learn to shoot it accurately and with confidence.
Confidence is another imbued attribute the crossbow offers the beginner hunter. On the practice range, it comes on quickly because a quality crossbow and arrows, working in unison with a good, calibrated scope, allow the beginner to see success quickly. And if the new hunter is already familiar with shooting a long gun — be it an air rifle or rimfire — the confidence and skill builds even more rapidly.
Of course, confidence on the range translates to confidence in the field, and that’s a big hurdle to overcome for the beginning hunter. They are venturing into new waters, and ethically and efficiently taking the life of an animal carries with it a huge responsibility that is certainly not lost on the new hunter. Having confidence in their ability to make the shot eases the anxiety and allows them to deliver a quick, clean kill. As veteran hunters know, that first success is important in setting the stage for lifelong enjoyment of the hunting sports.
Introducing a new hunter through the crossbow platform is beneficial to the mentor as well. Since the crossbow requires minimal movement to set up for a shot and is much more comfortable when waiting for the shot opportunity, it is easier for the mentor and new hunter to work together on a stand than if a vertical bow was employed. The mentor can whisper advice and direction, such as when to shoot, while the hunter concentrates on their hold and aim. The same can be done when hunting with a gun, of course, only there is no big bang at the end.
And that is another reason why crossbows are a good choice for training and for introducing the beginner to hunting. We ultimately want new hunters to pick up firearms as their education and experience progress, but some — especially youth — can have a negative reaction to the sound and recoil of a hunting-caliber rifle. It can turn some folks off completely, or embed bad habits, such as flinching, that will need to be corrected down the road.
Finally, starting hunting with a crossbow can be accomplished with a relatively minor investment. A model like the Wicked Ridge Ranger X2, for example, carries an MSRP of $459.99 and it comes with everything needed to learn to shoot and start hunting, except for the broadheads. TenPoint Titan M1 also offers a terrific entry model with an MSRP of $799.99. It, too, comes with everything needed to get started, except broadheads, and with its 9-inch axle-to-axle cocked width and fast 370 fps velocity, it’s a terrific bang-for-the-buck model that beginners and experienced hunters alike can appreciate.
So, can crossbows save hunting? Not by themselves. That is going to take serious work by hunters from all corners of the sport. To mentor a new hunter interested in pursuing deer, though, the crossbow is an ideal platform that is easy on the hunter, easy on the mentor, and delivers the kind of results that instill confidence and nudge the potential of success in the right direction.
TESTED: TenPoint’s New EVO-X CenterPunch Broadhead
Earlier this year, TenPoint came out with their first broadhead designed for crossbow hunting. Called the EVO-X CenterPunch, it’s a two-blade mechanical head that looked to us, at first blush, to be the epitome of simplicity.
The ferrule is made of 7075 T6 aluminum and is fluted along its length which, we surmise, helps reduce friction for increased penetration. Topping the ferrule is a precision-ground point with four facets. The facet edges are crisp and run from the ferrule to the tip. The tip is needle-sharp and combines with the point facets to punch through tough hide and bone.
The EVO-X CenterPunch blades are made of heat-treated HRC44-48 stainless steel and are a robust .030 inches thick. Securing the rear-deploying blades to the ferrule is a single retaining screw. The screw provides firm retention of the blades in their closed position, so there is no need for a retaining collar or bands. When deployed, the cutting diameter is a generous 1-7/8 inches.
We used the new EVO-X CenterPunch broadheads on a whitetail hunt in early November, just as the rut was starting to kick in around our area. Fortune provided us with a healthy eight-point that stopped 37 yards out for a slightly front-quarter shot.
Making the shot with our Titan Extreme and Easton XX75 Magnum arrow, the EVO-X CenterPunch entered square on the front right shoulder and exited through the other side just behind the left shoulder. The impact on the entrance shoulder was so hard and decisive that the deer dropped where we hit it and never got up.
For testimony of a broadhead’s performance, it doesn’t get much better than that in our book.
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