Summer 2023
Article and photos by Wm. Hovey Smith
When I unboxed what was advertised as a reconditioned Wicked Ridge Invader X-4 crossbow after deer season closed I did not know what to expect (https://youtu.be/8rVeadZkkZ8).The price from Ten-Point Crossbows was $400 equipped with a scope and ACU Draw built-in rope cocker compared with the company’s price of over $1,500 for their new crossbows. Although this was an older model, it was of the split-limb compound type with a rated speed of 405 fps.
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The reason that I was interested in a new crossbow was that I could no longer draw a conventional crossbow and wanted to buy one with a crank-cocking device that I could cock while in a deer stand. Occasionally a hunter will need a second shot to finish a deer or have a second shooting opportunity at a deer or hog, despite the noise, movement, and time needed to re-cock the crossbow, as has happened to me on two previous occasion
Cocking the crossbow.
Since I wrote my book Crossbow Hunting in 2006, I had forgotten that Ten Point’s ACU Draw cocker was a built-in rope cocker, and not a crank-cocking unit, which they called the ACU Slide. Consequently, I could not cock it not only because of the strength of the draw weight, but also because of the length of the barrel. A six-footer would have no problems, but I did. Fortunately, the units are interchangeable and I was able to order an ACU Slide unit, which arrived a week later and was installed (https://youtu.be/vF3vWppmToU).
The crank-cocking unit.
The ACU Slide came with adaptor plates to allow it to be installed on several of the more recent Wicked Ridge and 10-Point crossbows. Among its useful features was that it had a release for allowing the sled to be pulled down the barrel instead of having to wind it down to grab the string after a shot and a means of carrying the crank attached to the crossbow. Both of these features facilitated more rapid reloading when up a tree.
Now that I could shoot it, I found that although the crossbow appeared to be new, the scope was used. In attempting to sight in the crossbow I found that the adjustment settings had been stripped-out, and it wasn’t possible to make it shoot to the point of aim. Consequently, I ordered a crossbow scope from Hawke, which took another week to arrive. When I had time to work with the crossbow again, I found that one of the interior lenses of the scope had a crack that ran across the lens from about 1 O’clock to 5 O’clock. The scope was new and under warranty. I received a return authorization from Hawke, and they sent me another replacement. This process took another two weeks.
The author sighting in the crossbow.
The Hawke scope features a power adjustment which allows you to use the horizontal crosshatches of the crossbow at various ranges, although these settings need to be confirmed by shooting in the field. I prefer to use 125-grain points, and rough targeted the crossbow in first with blunts and then with field points. After the initial tests, I plan to confirm the zeros with by additional shooting closer to deer season (https://youtu.be/LdBtatkGF_g).
In the meantime, I went to Bass Pro Shops and picked up a 6-pack of arrows to augment the three that came with the crossbow, and discovered that these were proprietary arrows with knocks particularly designed for 10-Point’s line of crossbows which not every archery supplier would have occasion to carry.
Finally, at long last, I had the cocking unit, a working scope, and sufficient arrows to start working with the crossbow in time to be fully proficient with it next deer season. The crossbow shoots and functions very well, and I expect that it and I will be hunting together for many years to come.
Finally ready for the coming deer season.
Crossbow makers are in a continuing race to outdo each other in increasing the power of their crossbows and reducing their dimensions. Although the X-4 unit that I received is not the newest kid on the block, it is better than many of the crossbows that were used in the early 2000s, which had taken all of the world’s game, including elephants. Trying for game animals at ranges greater than 40 yards with archery equipment exposes the arrow to wind drift which can deflect the arrow feet off target resulting in misses or, worse yet, poor hits. Unless you are very well practiced with your equipment, let the animals get close and then nail them. Modern archery equipment is good, but it is not magical. Use your rangefinder, dope your wind, and take your shots within your proven kill range. If you don’t know what that proven kill range is, shoot enough to find out.
The cautionary tale here is to get your new hunting tools early enough, so that you can wring them out before you take them into the woods. Don’t wait until the week before the season to buy that new bow, crossbow, or firearm.
Wm. Hovey Smith is an expert on hunting with primitive weapons and a member of the Georgia Outdoor Writers Association. He makes his home in Sandersville. Contact him at hoveysmith@bellsouth.net.