# Leaving crossbow cocked



## aquaholic2

Does anyone have input on leaving a crossbow cocked for extended periods...? I have left my Tenpoint Titan cocked all day on a few occasions without issue...how about overnight...?toughts...?


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## hunt-n-fish

No problem


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## dipNrip

Definitely not overnight. That’s a lot of stress on the limbs and string
I’d recommend emailing ten point to confirm


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## Misdirection

Guy I own my hunting camp with cocks his 10 pt and leaves it cocked all season. Until he shoots at a deer or his season comes to an end. Overnight is not going to hurt it one bit.

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## Shed Hunter 365

Depends on crossbow, I've seen lower end models that it fractured limbs. Just curious why you wouldn't discharge?


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## STRONGPERSUADER

Leave my Titan cocked also but only during the hunt. I have a blank for the end of the hunt. I wouldn’t leave it cocked overnight, what’s the point? 
Mine does have the built in cocking device though.


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## aquaholic2

I have a unique situation where I have an elevated blind only a hundred yds behind my cabin..very secure area and some health issues makes a it a little diificult to continually rake it up and down the stairs. So it is easier to leave it up there while i am in the cabin. I don't like to discharge it at dusk because of the noise. I do discjarge it each morning when i leave...thanks for the input


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## ranger487

dipNrip said:


> Definitely not overnight. That’s a lot of stress on the limbs and string
> I’d recommend emailing ten point to confirm


I agree with this would never do that when you get home put a field point in and discharge. Knew someone who left there's cocked in the garage and it blew up way to much money for a simple thing to do.


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## Southernsaug

Safety, safety, safety....I am biased in my opinion here for a very simple reason. My buddy left his cocked and an arrow loaded, with a broadhead. well, it went off accidentally and yours truly was shot through the left thigh with a mechanical broadhead. A moment of distraction and absence of caution nearly cost me my life. I nearly bled to death and was life flighted to a major trauma center. It took over a year to recover and thousands of dollars in medical bills, not to mention the legal battles. 

It's hunting season and it never hurts to revisit safety


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## jmyers8

Southernsaug said:


> Safety, safety, safety....I am biased in my opinion here for a very simple reason. My buddy left his cocked and an arrow loaded, with a broadhead. well, it went off accidentally and yours truly was shot through the left thigh with a mechanical broadhead. A moment of distraction and absence of caution nearly cost me my life. I nearly bled to death and was life flighted to a major trauma center. It took over a year to recover and thousands of dollars in medical bills, not to mention the legal battles.
> 
> It's hunting season and it never hurts to revisit safety


That sounds terrible glad you pulled through! Seems like crossbows are one of the most deadly. My cousin tried unlocking his and had an accident with am arrow in and it filleted his arm wide open in the middle of the woods luckily a good samaritan saw him and drove him to the hospital. Never be to safe 

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## Bigfillet

I would not leave it cocked for extended periods. I have friend that used to leave his cocked in the truck in between hunts. His limbs started to delaminate. He was lucky they replaced them under warranty and told him not to leave cocked for extended periods. It was a Parker crossbow.


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## Fish-N-Fool

Guess none of you hunt all day? My xbow gets loaded in the dark and discharged in the dark back at camp most days I hunt. I have mostly camped and hunted alone the last 8 years. I have forgot to discharge my bow a time or two and always just went hunting. TenPoint doesn't recommend that, but it should not be a safety issue with a quality made xbow if you forget and leave it loaded overnight. They are tested and made to stay locked and cocked. 

I can think of no manufacturer that would warranty a bow that is left cocked all season as misdirection mentions and this would never be recommended. 

From TenPoint's website: 

*Is it safe to leave my crossbow cocked for long time periods?
Your crossbow has been designed to be cocked during an entire day of hunting without needing to discharge or de-cock it, however, we strongly recommend discharging or de-cocking the crossbow at the end of each day. 

Do not leave your crossbow cocked for longer than a 24-hour period, as premature stretching of the string and cables may occur, leading to a loss in crossbow performance. 
*
Now if you buy those ultra cheap Chinese made Xbows that do not invest in research and development testing who knows what will happen. Many I see are made extremely poorly with cheap components. The companies overseas perform little to any testing they simply build molds and produce. That is how you see so many packages for $199 and up.


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## FISHIN 2

Bought a Decocker arrow at Rural King. Simply point to the ground and shoot, has a bell shaped flared end, only goes in a bit or flips over. No keeping cocked overnite, too many maybees...


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## Shad Rap

take a crap arrow with you with a field point on it and shoot it into the ground...don't leave it cocked overnight...an all day hunt is fine...un cock after every hunt...it's just not good on the limbs.
And if you're hunting in cold weather it's even harder on the limbs.


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## FlyFishRich

Shad Rap said:


> take a crap arrow with you with a field point on it and shoot it into the ground...don't leave it cocked overnight...an all day hunt is fine...un cock after every hunt...it's just not good on the limbs.
> And if you're hunting in cold weather it's even harder on the limbs.


 Glad someone brought up cold weather/weather situations. I know this isn't a crossbow but many years ago I left a recurve bow strung in a hot car for just 1 day and it warped one of the limbs badly. I don't leave anything strung or cocked anymore after that situation I put my self into.....Rich


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## dipNrip

Shad Rap said:


> take a crap arrow with you with a field point on it and shoot it into the ground...don't leave it cocked overnight...an all day hunt is fine...un cock after every hunt...it's just not good on the limbs.
> And if you're hunting in cold weather it's even harder on the limbs.


 Not sure that’s a good idea. If that bolt hits a rock in the dirt and slightly crackS the bolt (enough that you can’t tell) and you fire that bolt you could explode that bolt and dry fire the crossbow.
Either use an old target or make one with old clothes in a bag to discharge your arrow into. I made one with an old bag target. Took out some of the stuffing and filled in with plastic shopping bags. Wrapped in duct tape. Small enough to fit behind my seat.
Also always check your arrows before shooting by flexing them to make sure their not cracked.


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## buckeyebowman

Yes. And flex the arrow next to your ear and listen to it. If you hear creaking or crackling, do NOT fire that arrow from your bow!


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## Shad Rap

dipNrip said:


> Not sure that’s a good idea. If that bolt hits a rock in the dirt and slightly crackS the bolt (enough that you can’t tell) and you fire that bolt you could explode that bolt and dry fire the crossbow.
> Either use an old target or make one with old clothes in a bag to discharge your arrow into. I made one with an old bag target. Took out some of the stuffing and filled in with plastic shopping bags. Wrapped in duct tape. Small enough to fit behind my seat.
> Also always check your arrows before shooting by flexing them to make sure their not cracked.


Well I wasn't really meaning a total crap arrow...just one you aren't using...and you fire it 10 ft out in front of you, not straight down...I usually do this in the woods right before walking out...been doing it for countless years...of course I always check the arrow too.


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## Shad Rap

Southernsaug said:


> Safety, safety, safety....I am biased in my opinion here for a very simple reason. My buddy left his cocked and an arrow loaded, with a broadhead. well, it went off accidentally and yours truly was shot through the left thigh with a mechanical broadhead. A moment of distraction and absence of caution nearly cost me my life. I nearly bled to death and was life flighted to a major trauma center. It took over a year to recover and thousands of dollars in medical bills, not to mention the legal battles.
> 
> It's hunting season and it never hurts to revisit safety


God damn I can't imagine getting shot with a broadhead...you're lucky.


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## MagicMarker

I carry a small target in truck. Set it up 20 yds and shoot it when done. Let’s you know your still on target for next hunt too


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## Jake.pickett

Just take a crappy bolt with you and shoot it into the ground when you get done hunting for the day...very simple guys. Lol. Did it this way for a long time.

Why would you leave something with that much energy cocked? Sounds pretty stupid to me.


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## TheKing

aquaholic2 said:


> Does anyone have input on leaving a crossbow cocked for extended periods...? I have left my Tenpoint Titan cocked all day on a few occasions without issue...how about overnight...?toughts...?


I have always unloaded mine after each hunt for safety. Have been strong enough to unload by hand up until recently. And after a few long cold hunts years ago, I learned that my bow shoots about 1 ft low if cocked for more than 3 hours in temps 30 deg and below. Tedious work to measure that. It is a Horton Legend bow - composite arm structure.


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## firemanmike2127

A decocking bolt is what I use in my Ten Point. Mike


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## snag

I did the shooting in the ground at end of hunt a few times and hit a unseen rock twice, now I throw my target in the truck to use.


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## Eye Doctor

Leave mine cocked only when hunting. Got a Ravin though and it’s very simple to uncock.


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## turkeyt

Well, if you have a hunting buddy etc. cut an old bolt to about 14”. Load it in the rail and get out your cocking rope. Put your cocking rope on the bow as if you are going to cock it. Pull the rope back and put tension on it and hold firmly. Take the safety off and have your buddy pull the trigger and ease the tension off the bow as the string goes back to uncock position. The bolt will slide down the rail.


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## doegirl

I couldn't even imagine leaving a crossbow cocked over night. My three crossbows have 270lb, 250lb, and 220lb limbs respectively. That's alot to ask for a skinny string and a latch to hold for an extended period of time. Two bows I own I can safely let down the string with their cocking mechanism. The other one I shoot into a small bag target.


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## doegirl

Duplicate post.


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## Fish-N-Fool

TheKing - your bow has something wrong with it. It should be able to sit all day sub zero and shoot fine. Not sure how old it is, but I’d take it in and likely you need new cables or possibly limbs. They are manufactured to be cocked all day in subzero weather.


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## KingSteve

Magic Marker, I do the same thing at my farm. Already have a target set up for when I come out of the woods. Like Southernsaug said, safety first. Anything can happen


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## TheKing

Fish-N-Fool said:


> TheKing - your bow has something wrong with it. It should be able to sit all day sub zero and shoot fine. Not sure how old it is, but I’d take it in and likely you need new cables or possibly limbs. They are manufactured to be cocked all day in subzero weather.


I just remembered that my bow is not a Legend model. It is a Yukon model. Purchased circa 1995. About 25 years old now. I tested it thoroughly for this feature after the second year when a few shots were missed really low in cold weather. It's time to get a new one.


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## fastwater

Just like I don't leave a load on my truck any longer than I have to due to the extra weight/stress on the springs...I Don't leave my Xbow cocked after hunt ...gets uncooked every evening.


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## javacoder

I don't typically hunt with a crossbow but had to last year because of shoulder surgery. Being a newbie, I accidentally left a Stealth NXT cocked for four days. I shot an arrow down the driveway after I discovered that I had left the bow cocked and everything seemed OK. That evening I missed an open, 32 yard shot (low) at a buck. The next day I shot the bow at longer distances and found that it had lost power and shot way low past 15 or twenty yards. I had to have the string AND cables replaced to restore the bow to normal operation. Tenpoint recommends changing the string and cables on your crossbow every two years, but based on my experience, if you spend a lot of time in the stand, check your bow frequently.


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## Fishstix

MagicMarker said:


> I carry a small target in truck. Set it up 20 yds and shoot it when done. Let’s you know your still on target for next hunt too


I do the same thing.


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## aquaholic2

Fishstix said:


> I do the same thing.


I found out about cable stretch the hard way a few years ago....limbs both broke when a grandaughter shot it in the back yard. Lucky no injuries...but scary situation. They said the cables stretch on ALL crossbows eventually and that allows the limbs to over bend which can fracture them where they end contact withy the metal support brackets.


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## rnewman

I fire my crossbow into my target at 30yds and record the impact position of my arrow each time,I never leave it cocked overnight.I have an older huntsmaster crossbow and I have 10PT service my bow.Several times I have had limbs start to crack during hunting season.The only way I knew the limbs were cracking was my arrow was impacting lower after I shot it at end of my hunts.So keep track of your crossbow being sighted in during hunting season or you could be setting yourself for disappointment if costs you a deer or trophy.


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## Samuel Dooly

I left my crossbow cocked overnight by accident, for a total of 16 hours. should It be okay since I just got it and the strings are fairly new, or should I try and shoot it to see if it's still accurate. Please reply to this if you know what I should do asap. Thanks!


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## fastwater

Samuel Dooly said:


> I left my crossbow cocked overnight by accident, for a total of 16 hours. should It be okay since I just got it and the strings are fairly new, or should I try and shoot it to see if it's still accurate. Please reply to this if you know what I should do asap. Thanks!


Have spent many a 12+ hr day hanging in a tree with mine cocked. Four more wouldn't have hurt it.
If bow and strings are new...should be okay. Just don't make it a habit.


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## Buckeye509

Having busted a bolt shooting into the ground with a field point, and tried the single purpose weighted fiberglass discharge bolt, I wised up and shoot into a block target I keep by the vehicle. It reassures my zero and the crossbow goes safely into the case uncooked until the next use. I use a field point to shoot into the block target.


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