Nick Buckman
Contributing Writer & New Hunter
- 2nd season hunting
- Whitetail & elk
- 6 beginner guides
- Beginner-first testing
About Nick
Nick Buckman is ProCrossbow.com’s contributing writer and resident beginner. He is new to crossbow hunting, and that is exactly the point. Nick is passionate about whitetail deer hunting and elk hunting, and he is learning the craft one season at a time, asking the questions every new hunter asks and finding honest answers.
While David brings 8 years of experience, Nick brings fresh eyes. He tests crossbows the way a new buyer would: is it easy to assemble out of the box? Can a beginner cock and decock it safely? Does the manual actually make sense? Can a first-timer get it sighted in without a headache? If a crossbow confuses Nick, it will confuse any beginner, and he will tell you so.
Nick started with whitetail deer close to home and has his sights set on a first elk hunt out West, the kind of trip he is actively preparing for. His content is written for hunters at the start of the same journey: what to buy, what to skip, and what he wishes someone had told him on day one. Read our full testing methodology.
My second morning ever in a ground blind, a doe stepped out at 25 yards, broad daylight, completely calm. My heart was doing things I did not know hearts could do. I raised the crossbow, found her in the scope, and then I saw the angle: quartering toward me, hard. Everything David had drilled into me said not this shot.
So I did the hardest thing I have done as a hunter so far: I lowered the bow and watched her feed for ten minutes until she wandered off. I came home with an unfilled tag and a grin I could not wipe off, because I had just learned the most important hunting lesson there is. The shot you pass is what makes you a hunter, not the shot you take.
That is why I write the beginner guides the way I do. Nobody told me how much of hunting is patience and judgment, so I am telling you.
Articles by Nick Buckman
- Best Crossbow for BeginnersStart right: easy, safe, forgiving bows.
- Best Crossbow for WomenFit, weight and draw weight that work for you.
- Best Youth CrossbowSafe first bows for young hunters.
- Crossbow vs Compound BowWhich one fits your hunt? An honest comparison.
- How to Sight In a CrossbowZero your scope step by step.
- How to Cock a CrossbowRope, crank and safe decocking, explained.
Just getting started?
Nick’s beginner guide is the friendliest first read on the site.
Read the Beginner Guide