I am a certified crossbow hunter. After hunting with a crossbow let me tell you from experance that it's not as effective as most people believe it is. You still have to know the distance to your target and I would not shoot at a deer over 40 yards out. They are much harder to shoot a good group with than a strong person with a good compound if you are shooting the crossbow offhand. I always try to shoot off of shooting sticks or brace my elbows on my knees. The only 2 advantages I can see is that the bow is already cocked so there is no movement to draw which is when most deer catch the movement and you don't have to practice as much. But like any hunting implement gun or bow I still practice often and all year long. The big disadvantage is they are very noisy and an alert deer at 30 or more yards will jump the string.