Knowing how long you can leave a crossbow drawn depends on a lot of factors. Many archers and bow owners might not be aware that duration matters when it comes to crossbow drawn.
In this post, we will discuss reasons to leave your crossbow drawn, the risk involved when you get the timing wrong and how long to draw your crossbow.
Why Leave Your Crossbow Drawn?
As a hunter, leaving your crossbow drawn for long is a common thing to do because games do not come by often during hunting. Having said that, I won’t advise you to draw your crossbow repeatedly because your shooting will be inconsistent.
The other reason is that you wouldn’t want to spend your time drawing your crossbow when faced with your target.
From my little discussions with other hunters, their reason for leaving their crossbow drawn is that they believe leaving it drawn won’t cause any problem- which I won’t advise you.
However, the reason you’re reading this article is that you’re unsure if it’s okay to leave your crossbow drawn for long and you need clarifications if it will get damaged while doing it.
Leaving Your Crossbow Drawn: The Risk Involved
I know that by now your curiosity may have led you to read or hear stories of hunters whose crossbows have been drawn for weeks or even months without any damage.
But one thing they fail to understand is that their bows are going through strains and tensions that can’t be detected at the beginning but damages are happening that will later manifest.
To tell the truth, having your crossbow drawn adds lots of stress to It, and extending it more than its limit can damage your crossbow.
First, your crossbow will be worn out and second, its lifespan will be shortened as well. It won’t stop there, the strings will be overstretched, the cams will get damaged, the limbs extended, the axles will be bent and other components too.
Having established the effects of it on your crossbows, let’s discuss safety. First, no man is an island. You stay in an environment with other people – both children and non-hunters.
This means leaving your crossbow drawn may cause accidents as well as injuries if you leave them lying around. Second, leaving your crossbow drawn, and unsupervised can lead to dry fire and dry firing can damage your crossbow greatly.
How Long Are You Expected to Leave a Crossbow Drawn
Every manufacturer of crossbows designs and produces them to be durable, strong, and to withstand any harsh state they are subjected to. Meaning they are produced to be drawn for a long time, but it will come with great consequences and I don’t recommend you do that.
You must understand that there are different types of crossbows and they vary with how long you can leave them drawn. That’s why you must read and understand the manufacturer’s instructions to know how long you’re supposed to leave your crossbow drawn.
They may say it’s safe to leave it drawn for 8 hours, it might be less, or more but it depends on each manufacturer.
Some experienced hunters may tell you that they leave their crossbows drawn for a day without any effect on them and this I won’t still recommend you do at all.
However, there are some reasons why hunters leave their crossbows drawn for a longer time and one of such reasons is they are stretching their new strings.
On the flip side, if your crossbow is drawn for long, however, know the places where it’s prohibited or allowed. In other places, it’s prohibited while you’re in a car, while in some places your crossbow is drawn during a specific time of the day.
This means you must follow the hunting laws in your area to avoid breaking them.
Safety Measures to Follow When Your Crossbow is Drawn
- Never point your drawn crossbow at others during hunting. Also, while in a stationary position keep your crossbow drawn and don’t move back and forth with it because it could go off and hurt you and even others around.
- Before your hunting session starts, draw your crossbow and face it down. However, it can be raised and lowered with a rope.
- During hunting avoid any distraction, pay attention, and only point towards your target.
- Stay focused: Never shoot just because you heard movement because it could be an animal or a hunter.
- Pay attention to where your hands are placed while using your crossbow to avoid getting injured.
- Wear protective glasses during assembling, maintenance, loading arrows, or even drawing your crossbow.
- Always uncock your crossbow while inside an enclosed space like inside your home or your car.
- Never leave your crossbow drawn overnight. It’s advised that after hunting you uncock your crossbow and don’t dry fire it. It could lead to the explosion of the limbs which could cause injury to you and anyone close by.
Final Thought
Having your crossbow drawn for a long time is a bad idea and it doesn’t matter what someone has said to you before now. Each time you buy a crossbow read the instructions to know the time frame you’re to allow it to be drawn and keep to it. To leave your crossbow drawn for a long time can lead to damages which could result in missing out on hunting sessions with your partners.