Best Crossbow for Deer Hunting

Why this list starts with an energy floor

Kinetic energy is how much work a moving bolt can do when it arrives. The formula is short. Bowhunt America writes it as bolt weight in grains times speed squared, divided by 450,240. The answer is in foot-pounds (ft-lb).

Speed is squared, so it pulls hard on the result. Bolt weight isn't, so it pulls more gently, but it never stops pulling. Think of a bowling ball and a tennis ball. Roll them at the same speed and you know which one you'd rather not catch.

The 65 ft-lb floor is set high on purpose. Easton's guideline, as Bowhunt America reproduces it, puts medium game such as deer at 25 to 41 ft-lb and large game such as elk and black bear at 42 to 65 ft-lb. A floor at the top of the large-game band leaves a lot of room for a deer.

Every crossbow on this list clears it easily. The lowest stated figure is 125 ft-lb, and the highest is 196. So the floor does its job, which is to keep stated, deer-sized energy in the room. After that, energy stops being the deciding number. Kinetic energy is also only one factor in penetration, Bowhunt America notes. Bolt and broadhead matter too.

Eight deer crossbows, highest energy first

Two per brand, sorted by stated kinetic energy. Each label says what a crossbow brings to a deer hunt on paper, from its published numbers. None of us at Hemlock Run has hunted with any of them, and nothing here says one kills deer better than another.

Ravin R470 Stealth Gray: 196 ft-lb, about three times the floor

Ravin states 196 ft-lb for the R470, the most on the list. Quick math: 196 divided by 65 is just over 3. The listing rates it at 470 FPS and names an integrated crank.

The trade for a deer hunter is carry weight. Ravin gives 8.4 lb, the heaviest here, and that's before the quiver and bolts. Width, optic and draw weight aren't in our data, so check Ravin's page before you plan a blind around it.

TenPoint Flatline 460 EVO-X Marksman: 193 ft-lb and a listed de-cock

TenPoint states 193 ft-lb and 7.5 lb. The listing gives 460 FPS, a 7.5-inch cocked width and a reverse-draw layout from the maker.

For deer hunting, two listing details stand out. It names a safe de-cock, so the crossbow can be let down without a shot. And the box holds six EVO-X 16 carbon arrows, enough to keep a practice set and a broadhead set apart. The listing also names the EVO-X Marksman Elite scope and ACUslide.

TenPoint Stealth 450 Oracle X: 184 ft-lb, rangefinding scope included

The Stealth 450 states 184 ft-lb and 7.5 lb from TenPoint, with 450 FPS on its listing. Its 6.5-inch cocked width is the narrowest figure on this page, which is the number to bring to a small blind window.

The listing names a Burris Oracle X rangefinding scope in the box. For a deer hunter that ties straight into range discipline, more on that below. It also lists a safe de-cock, ACUslide, an integrated crank and three Pro Elite 400 carbon arrows.

Ravin R29X: 180 ft-lb at 6.75 lb

Ravin states 180 ft-lb and 6.75 lb for the R29X; the listing rates it at 450 FPS. Divide energy by weight and it comes out near 26.7 ft-lb per pound, the highest ratio on this list. The R470 manages about 23.3.

That's a useful number if your stand is a long walk from the truck. It's not a measure of anything else. The data doesn't state the R29X's cocking method, width or optic, so the table shows dashes there.

Barnett Alpha 410: 138 ft-lb, crank installed

Barnett states 138 ft-lb, a 190 lb draw weight, a 13-inch cocked width and 6.3 lb. The listing gives 410 FPS.

The listing's package covers most of a first deer season's kit: an installed crank, a 4x32mm illuminated red and green multi-reticle scope, a side-mount 3-arrow quiver, two 20-inch Headhunter carbon arrows with 100-grain target points and string and rail lube wax. Two arrows means a trip for more before you split practice and hunting sets.

Barnett BLK OPS 390: 128 ft-lb with a rope cocker

Barnett states 128 ft-lb, a 175 lb draw weight, 13 inches cocked and 6 lb. The listing gives 390 FPS and a rope cocking device.

128 ft-lb is just under twice the floor. The rope is the deer-hunting question here. You'll cock it on the ground before you climb, or in a blind, often in the cold. The package, per the listing, adds a 4x32 multi-reticle scope, a side-mount 3-arrow quiver, two 20-inch Headhunter arrows, two 100-grain practice points, a neoprene scope cover and lube wax.

Wicked Ridge Rampage XS Peak XT: 128 ft-lb, 5.8 lb, widest here

The maker states 128 ft-lb, 5.8 lb and a 15-inch cocked width for the Rampage XS. The listing gives 390 FPS, an ACUdraw crank, a lighted 3x Pro-View scope and three Match 400 Alpha-Nock arrows.

Light to carry, wide to swing. In an open-front stand that width may never matter. In a ground blind with narrow windows, measure first.

Wicked Ridge Invader M1 De-Cock: 125 ft-lb with a de-cocking crank

The maker states 125 ft-lb and 5.8 lb, and the listing gives 390 FPS and a 9.5-inch cocked width. It's the lowest energy on the list and still close to double the floor.

Its listing adds a scope, an integrated crank and a safe de-cock. For deer hunters who sit a lot and shoot a little, that de-cock line matters more than its spot at the bottom of an energy sort.

Crossbow hunting deer happens closer than the spec sheet suggests

Crossbow ratings are written for a long, flat flight. Deer hunts mostly aren't. Bowhunter's crossbow tips put the maximum range for deer at 40 to 50 yards and recommend ranging landmarks around your stand before the season. The Grand View Outdoors writer who drew up its first-crossbow tips doesn't shoot whitetails past 30 yards.

His reason is noise. Crossbows are loud, he writes, and string suppressors and limb dampeners help only to a degree. A deer at 20 yards has less time to react to the sound than a deer at 60. That's a case for close shots, not a bigger number on the box.

So on this list, every crossbow carries far more stated energy than a 30-yard deer needs by Easton's guideline. The extra headroom is fine. It doesn't change the distance you should shoot.

How to choose a deer crossbow once the floor is cleared

Shoot a bolt your crossbow maker approves

The energy figures on this page come with some bolt behind them. Your bolt sets your real number. Deer & Deer Hunting's example shows a heavier arrow at a lower speed carrying more energy: 445 grains at 410 FPS against 370 grains at 440 FPS, about 7 ft-lb in favor of the heavier one. Its advice is to shoot the heaviest arrow that still raises your energy.

The other side of that is a hard minimum. TenPoint's FAQ sets 370 grains finished, including a 100-grain point or broadhead, for TenPoint and Wicked Ridge crossbows made in 2012 or later. Other makers set their own. Read your manual and stay above the line. Bowhunter also favors heavier bolts for downrange energy and penetration.

Plan how you'll unload at the end of the sit

Here's my one opinion on this page: for deer hunting, a listed de-cock is worth more than the last 50 ft-lb of energy. The reason is in TenPoint's own guide. Most hunts end without a shot, and the crossbow still has to be unloaded.

TenPoint says leaving a crossbow cocked for more than a day stretches strings and cables early and can damage limbs, so you release it at the end of every hunt. Without a de-cocking system, that means shooting a de-cocking bolt into the ground or a target. TenPoint also warns that a crossbow that cocks with a crank can't always de-cock with it.

On this list, three crossbows name a safe de-cock in their listings: the TenPoint Flatline 460, the TenPoint Stealth 450 and the Wicked Ridge Invader M1. If you'd rather shoot a de-cock bolt, keep a target at the truck. The crossbow target page covers that.

Match width to your blind and weight to your walk

Stated cocked widths here run from 6.5 inches (Stealth 450) to 15 inches (Rampage XS), with the Ravins unstated. Weights run from 5.8 to 8.4 lb. A deer that steps out on your off side asks how fast you can turn the crossbow through the window. A narrow crossbow answers faster.

Weight works the same way on the walk in. The R29X's energy-per-pound figure is one way to compare. Your own back is another, and it votes on the way out.

Choose a cocking method you can do in the cold

On a deer hunt you cock once, early, often in the dark and the cold. The BLK OPS 390 is the only crossbow on this list whose listing names a rope; the R29X data names no method, and the other six list a crank. TenPoint's cocking guide says integrated cranks are faster to use and can't be left behind, while a rope still asks your back and shoulders for real effort.

In my day job I see what a heavy pull does to a cold shoulder in November. A rope cocker is fine if you've practiced it in a coat, which is a different exercise than practicing it in a T-shirt in August.

Shoot your broadheads before the season

Bowhunter recommends zeroing the scope at 20 yards from a solid rest, then testing the exact broadheads you'll hunt with, since they rarely hit where field points do. The crossbow broadheads page covers head weight and cut, and the crossbow bolts page covers length and nocks.

Who should skip this list

If you already own a crossbow that states more than 65 ft-lb, skip this list. A new crossbow won't change much for deer. Spend the money on bolts your manual approves, a good target and practice at your real yardages.

Skip it too if you're shopping for raw speed. The same eight crossbows sorted fastest first are on the best crossbow page, with the trade-offs read from the speed side. And if a partner or a young hunter will share the crossbow, their height and strength decide more than any energy figure here.

Safety and the rules

A loaded crossbow stays on the ground. Climb first with your harness on, then pull the crossbow up on a haul rope with no bolt on the rail. Keep every finger under the rail when you shoot. Crossbow seasons, draw-weight limits and broadhead rules vary by state, so check your state wildlife agency.

How this list is built

The rule: crossbows whose maker or Amazon listing states at least 65 ft-lb of kinetic energy, highest energy first, no more than two per brand. On this page every energy figure comes from the maker. Where two crossbows state the same energy, they stay in data order.

Other values come from the maker first and from the Amazon listing where the maker is silent; the table marks listing values. A dash means neither source says. Star ratings and review counts play no part. The data does the sorting.

The list is re-checked every week. A crossbow can join, drop out or change places as its data changes. For the bigger picture on how crossbows work, the crossbow page has it.

Energy gets you onto this page. Yardage, a clean de-cock and a bolt that's on your manual's list get you a deer. Write all three on the inside of the case lid.