Glad to see another hunter on the site, I've shot both compound and crossbows. As time moved on - work/kids/wife etc. I've found myself losing the free time needed to shoot, shoot, shoot a compound bow enough to be lethal. No one wants to be wounding animals, especially bow hunters. I would recommend the crossbow and it don't get much better than an Excalibur, easy to change strings, no cam wheels or anything to really go wrong. Been using one Excalibur model or another for 25 years now, scopes are good and accurate and can shoot left handed if you need to - try that with a compound bow. But you should get a hunting spot before you make any purchase, it aint easy. Most of the 'open minded' landowners already have someone on their property and the rest are dead against the idea of hunting. Good luck, its a tough decision