Thank you for your input. Like I said, I know nothing. BrowningGuy will be helping, so I have that going for me.IMO, it is highly unethical. Crossbows are very loud and I shoot one. I would doubt any shooting lane ina woods over 40 yards as sticks move anything else can affect arrow flight heavily.
Some guys talk they would do it if they hunted fields, BUT with evena Ravin the sound is traveling 3 times faster than the arrow. We have all seen the videos of deer jumping the string on 300fps compounds at 30 yards, but somehow 400fps fixed all that with a louder bow at 50 - 100 yards.
I think most guys know better and you only hear the hype from the manufacturers and few harry knucklers.
I got a buddy with an old excalibur recurve Xbow like a few guys referenced in here. He shot a buck a year back and shot through the buck and drove it 6" or more into a walnut tree. Clearly even this "old bow" has way more power than needed to do the job. The new ones are marketing to the archery itch to buy the newest and best. I am all for the flattest trajectory pitch, but marketing shots at 50 yards and more on live game with a bow of any kind is going to make a lot of crippled deer.