It’s only midway through many of the 2011 hunting seasons and already I’m writing about new crossbows for 2012. Every year at this time, we start hearing rumors about new crossbow models soon to be revealed from established manufacturers. Also, we start hearing rumors of new start-up manufacturers too. Next year will be no different. With manufacturers selling crossbows as fast as they can make them, and new states lightening up on crossbow restrictions, the demand is high for these new models and manufactures. Here at Crossbow Nation, we’ve already heard the rumors of new crossbow models and product lines, we also have confirmation of at least one new crossbow manufacturer, and we also know of some established crossbow manufactures using technology that may not be new, but will be new to those specific manufactures. We’ve even been able to shoot one new crossbow for 2012, from a new crossbow manufacturer that is offering some exciting new features. While we can’t go into details on any of them yet, just know that it will be an exciting year to be a consumer in the crossbow world.

One concern that I have regarding new crossbows is this. Each year, manufacturers try to rush and get their latest model or line of crossbows out for the ATA show. Many of these crossbows are not even production models that are shown. Then if they are received well by dealers, they rush to get them into production without doing very much testing on them. What we have seen from more than a few manufactures, is crossbows that may not have all the bugs worked out, but still make their way to the market. It seems that some manufactures do not spend enough time field testing their equipment, and leave it to the public to do their homework for them. As a result, we’ve seen recalls and warranty issues arise on these new bows, when there really shouldn’t be. It almost seems to me that some manufacturers are a year ahead of where they should be concerning the release dates of their new technology.

I know that 2012 will be another great year for crossbows. As a consumer, you will have more choices than ever before. And as crossbow enthusiasts many of you will be buying new bows as soon as they are available. Let’s hope manufactures do their part to bring new and exciting products to market, while keeping safety and reliability in mind. For further details about the best crossbow please see http://www.crossbownation.com/