Over the decades my attitude regarding hunting whitetails has wandered from one extreme to another. When I first started crossbow hunting for deer back in the 70s it was all about the challenge of harvesting any deer. Gigantic, small or in between, they were all the impossible dream. Heck, I counted it as a great week’s hunting if I even saw one, and it took me 4 or 5 years of hard work and experimentation to kill my first deer. Every outing was about the possibility of shooting a deer, any deer; every minute was packed with anticipation that something brown with cloven hooves would happen my way. Happy times!

2009 has been a very “interesting” year for all crossbow manufacturers. “Interesting” in the Chinese sense, as in “may you live in interesting times” that is. Sure, it’s great to see the new opportunities opening and welcome all those new potential crossbow hunters in to the fold, and yes, it’s great to see our sales figures soar in these uncertain economic times. That said, it’s been a madhouse here at Excalibur with new building expansion, new machinery, and lots of new crossbows to build, ship, and service. Personally, I was over ready for the sales season to trail off and I have welcomed the peace and relaxation that deer hunting near my home has brought to me recently....