Why I Embrace the Crossbow Craze
Melissa Bachman 09.05.17
I’ve been obsessed with bows since I was a little girl (yes, that’s me in the pic below!). I started shooting a vertical bow at age 5 and never looked back. Archery takes patience, persistence, and a lot of practice, and I’m pretty sure that’s why I love it. But here’s the thing — the world of archery is expanding, and I couldn’t be happier.
As a kid, I don’t remember anyone having a crossbow, and now they’re everywhere. We had vertical bows that were passed down, and I still remember doing push-ups to ensure I’d be strong enough to pull back the minimum of 40 pounds to bowhunt deer that Minnesota law required. One thing I quickly realized is not every kid or new hunter has the dedication and the immediate love of archery or hunting to get them over the hump where they are an efficient and accurate shooter. Like I said, archery takes a lot of time and practice.
I worry about the number of people we could lose from bowhunting because they’re afraid of getting started, or they might not be strong enough to pull back a vertical bow. In my opinion, crossbows are the perfect bridge to getting new people into the sport. They can be set up and passed down easily, so they fit a variety of people regardless of age, stature or strength. Crossbows have a shorter learning curve, and the best part for kids and new hunters is the fact that there is no recoil or loud noise. And crossbows are extremely lethal.
The technology in both the crossbows and broadheads have come a long way, and I love seeing how companies are constantly improving their equipment to make us as hunters more effective. One of the new advancements that has helped significantly is in broadheads. Rage is constantly coming up with new ideas and products to give hunters an edge. For years, I’ve used the Rage Hypodermic in my vertical bow, and now they’ve designed a Hypodermic built specifically for crossbows.
Check out the video below for a few highlights of the Rage Hypodermic Crossbow broadhead. I absolutely love this broadhead and have had great success with it in the past. Give it a try this archery season!
