We spent days testing the latest crop of hunting crossbows. Here are our picks for the most accurate, most affordable, and best overall models for this fall
Author: Will Brantley
← Back to All Authors
Will Brantley
Will Brantley sold his first story (about catfish noodling) to Field & Stream in 2006, and has been the brand’s hunting editor since 2015. He was even an F&S gainful employee for a few years, but realized team meetings in November and HR departments weren’t for him. Highlights Education Brantley graduated high school from Dawson Springs Independent, and college from Murray State University. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in print journalism, with a minor in creative writing. Experience Brantley has been an outdoor writer his entire adult life, starting with an internship at Outdoor Life and columns in The Murray State News and The Dawson Springs Progress when he was 19 years old. Prior to that, he was a greenskeeper on a golf course (though he hates golf). Brantley grew up in western Kentucky, and has a lifelong interest in the hunting and fishing in that area. He especially loves spring turkey hunting and bowhunting for whitetails, but he’s also an serious squirrel hunter, waterfowler, fur trapper, and angler. He’s traveled extensively, hunting and fishing across the United States and Canada, as well as in Argentina, New Zealand, and Mexico. In the off-season, he’s into habitat management, including food plots, prescribed fires, and forest improvement. He and his wife, Michelle, live in Kentucky with their son, Anse (yes, named after Devil Anse Hatfield), where they run a guide service on the side specializing in archery whitetail and squirrel hunts. Brantley is an NDA-certified Level II Deer Steward, and was recognized as the 2015 QDMA Signpost Communicator of the Year. He’s made appearances on multiple outdoor television shows including Mojo TV, Yamaha Whitetail Diaries, and Kentucky Afield, and been published in numerous outdoor magazines including Petersen’s Hunting, Wildfowl, American Hunter, Ducks Unlimited, Outdoor Life, and Fur-Fish-Game. F&S Lightning Round Favorite Place to Fish: Kentucky Lake,Favorite Critter to Hunt: Eastern wild turkey,Bucket List Adventure: September archery elk in Arizona or New Mexico,Most Prized Piece of Gear: T3 Bolt Bag (a turkey-hunting satchel),All-Time Favorite F&S Story: Oh, ****! by David E. Petzal Notable Work
You are looking at the best new crossbow of 2026, according to our testing. Check out our expert’s full review
A look at the all-time best rifles, shotguns, and handguns for chasing America’s favorite small game
Ravin’s latest is the most accurate new crossbow of 2026. Check out our expert’s full review
The 300 Blackout is a handy hunting cartridge. But what are the top loads? Our hunting editor put them to the test to find out
The author used to think box calls were for beginners, until a world-champion call-maker—and a gobbler that wouldn’t come to anything else—set him straight
From callers to crawlers, the spring gobbler woods are full of characters. Here are some to be on the lookout for in the next couple months
Our expert tested more than 50 mouth and friction calls and relied on nearly 30 years of gobbler hunting experience to pick the best new yelpers
South Florida’s canal system yields the chance at peacock bass, clown knifefish, and some iguana hunting in grocery store parking lots
Should you run-and-gun, sit and wait, or try reaping? Our resident turkey nut explains when and how to employ turkey hunting’s top tactics
