CROSSBOW HUNTERS – WATCH THOSE THUMBS!

Around the country, hunting season is either in full swing or set to begin. As the popularity of hunting with crossbows increases, so do the number of injuries, particularly injuries involving fingers and thumbs that get above the stringline when firing one of the millions of crossbows in circulation with little or no thumb/finger guards.

The crossbow industry has been aware of the issue for many years. A former employee of a well-known crossbow maker recently told us, “the thumb issue… oh yeah, everyone knows about it.”

Certain brands and models began to add thumb/finger guards as early as 2010, but others, particularly Barnett, failed to add thumb guards until 2013. Unfortunately, even then, the guard added to their basic, entry-level model the Jackal, was woefully inadequate.

The Jackal is marketed to first time crossbow hunters. Many of those same users have a great deal of experience with rifles, but little to no experience with crossbows. The temptation to hold the crossbow like a rifle is ever present. Unfortunately, just one inadvertent mistake with an unguarded crossbow can mean the loss of a finger or a thumb. In short, inadequate warning labels, poorly written manuals, and little to no thumb guard can quickly spell disaster.

And one final word of caution – while inexperienced hunters may be most at risk, these injuries are occurring on a regular basis to hunters with years of crossbow experience. Be careful, and exercise extreme caution when using a crossbow – especially one without a guard!