Post-Season Crossbow Care
By Mark Melotik
With crossbow hunting seasons either closed or winding down across the country it’s time for many to inspect and store gear that might not be used again for months. We spoke with Jeff Byrne, owner of Minnesota-based Cabin Fever Sporting Goods, for some tips. Cabin Fever moves a lot of crossbows due to the fact that they have been legal for use during archery season in nearby Wisconsin since 2013, as well as in Minnesota, since 2023.
“As far as repairs go, we actually repair more of the newer, higher-end decocking crossbows,” Byrne said. “You would think that would be the other way around, that we’d repair more older bows, but that’s not the case. And there are several reasons.”
The number-one problem, Byrne said, is that many hunters leave their crossbows cocked when storing. That’s a big no-no that will severely stress limbs and cables, especially over a wide range of temperatures. Blowups are common.
“People spend $2,000 or more on a crossbow so they can decock it easily, but they don’t,” Byrne said.
The situation is further compounded by the fact that lots of people, when storing, cram their uncased crossbows into small, tight areas, where they can be crushed or otherwise negatively impacted. It’s a recipe for serious damage.
Another situation Byrne sees is crossbows being damaged by users attempting to go too fast while decocking. Some brands, Byrne warns, are better than others at preventing problems during this procedure. Patience rules.
“We tell people it might take you 25 seconds to go slow and decock your bow correctly. What’s 25 seconds of your day compared to blowing something up?”
He urges all his crossbow hunters to wait to decock their bows safely at the end of the day. He reminds hunters not to perform this procedure in full dark up in their treestands, or at the base of their tree, but rather, to remove the arrow from the string and decock the bow later — in good light at their vehicle. If it’s too cold and gloves are a factor, wait and decock after taking the time to warm up, either back at a vehicle or at home/camp.
The takeaway here? Safety is first. And along those lines, Byrne says it’s easy for crossbow newcomers to forget critical steps.
“Too many people think crossbows are as foolproof as guns,” Byrne offered. “They think, ‘this is easy,’ and after the initial setup, they don’t shoot it much — if at all. And then, once in the field, they forget an important step.
Byrne’s shop combats potential user errors in a few smart ways.
“We tell people that anything that comes back for repair, they have to shoot here in the shop,” Byrne explained, adding that his shop requires the same from new crossbow buyers.
“We don’t let them out the door without shooting the new bow on our range. And that goes especially for customers who bring in crossbows they bought online. That’s the advantage of a pro shop, to show people the many little things they have to do to ensure they don’t have a misfire, or maybe prevent a horrible accident if they hold the stock with a thumb above the string path, or something similar.”