Comparison Guide
Brush Bullet vs. Crossbow Herbicide
If you've been mixing, spraying, and re-spraying liquid brush killer, there's a simpler way. Here's how rain-activated Brush Bullet pellets stack up against Crossbow on the things that actually matter on a working ranch.
The short version
No tanks. No mixing. No off days.
Crossbow is a liquid 2,4-D + triclopyr herbicide that has to be diluted, loaded into a sprayer, and applied in calm, dry weather — then reapplied where coverage thins out. Brush Bullet is a dry pellet you drop at the base of the plant. The next inch of rain activates it. One pass. No equipment.
Side-by-side
| Factor | Brush Bullet | Crossbow (liquid) |
|---|---|---|
| Form | Dry pellets — drop at the base of the plant | Liquid concentrate — mix with water and surfactant |
| Equipment required | None. A glove and a bucket. | Backpack or ATV sprayer, hoses, nozzles, PPE |
| Activation | Rain-activated — uses up to ~1" of natural rainfall | Foliar — needs leaves, calm wind, dry weather window |
| Drift risk | None — stays where you place it | High — wind and temperature inversions move spray off-target |
| License | No applicator's license required | Varies by state and use; restricted in some areas |
| Best on | Cedar, mesquite, locust, prickly pear, individual woody stems | Broadcast pasture weeds and small foliage |
| Labor | One pass, no mixing, no refilling tanks | Mix, load, spray each plant, refill, clean equipment |
The $500/acre conversation
Mechanical clearing of cedar and mesquite routinely runs ranchers over $500 per acre — and the brush comes back. Liquid herbicide programs add fuel, sprayer maintenance, surfactants, PPE, and the labor to walk every plant with a wand. Brush Bullet replaces all of that with a pellet, a glove, and the next rain.
Estimate your acre costWhy ranchers switch from liquid
Rain does the work
Apply dry, then walk away. The next inch of rain dissolves the pellet into the root zone — no spray window to chase.
No tank, no drift
Nothing to mix, nothing to overspray onto pasture grass, fences, or your neighbor's hay field.
One pass per plant
Drop one pellet per three feet of brush height. No second trip with the sprayer when coverage thins.
No license required
Built for ranchers and landowners. You don't need a commercial applicator's license to use it on your land.
Species-tested
Effective across listed invasive species — speed of control tracks how fast each species takes up water.
Beats $500/acre clearing
Mechanical clearing runs over $500/acre and the brush regrows. Brush Bullet treats stems directly, for less.
When a liquid herbicide still makes sense
Crossbow is a useful tool for broadcast foliar spraying on dense pasture weeds and small saplings where rain is unpredictable. If you're targeting individual woody stems — cedar, mesquite, locust, prickly pear — Brush Bullet does the same job without the tank, the drift risk, or the second trip across the pasture.
Ready to put the sprayer away?
Start with a bucket and treat the worst stand on your place. One pellet per three feet of brush height. The next rain does the work.