I hunted with a compound for years. It was fun, but I lost interest. I'm thinking of looking into getting a crossbow for next season if everything works out. It's something different and I think I'd like to try it. Naturally, I've got some questions.

1) I like the idea of a recurve, and Excalibur seems to be leading the pack in that field. Since I would only hunt with it a few times a year and then spend the rest of the time plinking in the yard, several people have recommended the Axiom, which I believe comes in a kit, because of the cost and ease of setup. Any feedback on that? Good or bad?

2) Strings. This is kind of a trivial matter, but are there places that make custom crossbow strings? I used to love having an orange/black string on my compound (I only bowhunted in October and it just matched with the whole Halloween thing) and that one was made by Winner's Choice. Are there similar options for crossbow shooters? Like I said, not critical but something I'm curious about.

3) Scopes. Are the scopes that come with the kits adequate, or should I look into dropping another hundred or so dollars on aftermarket optics?


I'm sure there will be more, but those are the things that immediately came to mind. Thanks for the help.