I don’t know why an able bodied “avid” bow hunter would want to switch it would take the fun out of it for me Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I don't necessarily think crossbows played a hug role in the limit. For years deer numbers in say Champaign county have been on the decline. If stopping the doe harvest for two weeks helps more females survive I am good with it. If anything it shows that our DNR is actually being proactive and trying to grow the herd in this area. If they want to negate the perceived crossbow impact then they just need to make IL a 1 buck state. I would be all for it! At a time when hunter recruitment is at an all time low I would think offering an "easier" option for hunters to use to harvest a deer would be a positive. I have never been a big fan of Don Higgins. I have heard him speak a few times and just never liked him. Most of his opinions can be traced back to his business interests.
Not everyone has our passion for using a bow. Some people just don't have the time to dedicate to practice or to learn to shoot a bow. I am not going to deny those people the chance to hunt. They may not have the ability to gun hunt either due to only having public land access. Also I have a friend who doesn't have much money and usually has to make some hard choices when it comes to how he spends his money. When his bow broke he had to make a choice because his boy was getting interested in hunting and would need a bow soon too. So he bought a crossbow to use so his son could also use it. Eventually he wants to get him a bow but for the time being this is what works for them. I get both sides of the argument and I do tend to agree that if you can shoot a bow you should make the effort to do so but in order to keep hunters and recruit hunters I think crossbows are a necessary tool.
Crossbows are a tough subject. In interests concerning youth, age, handicapped, and bringing in more hunters it is imperative. The slippery slope begins with this present generation and it's tendency to lean towards instant graduation. I will NEVER oppose anyone using a xbow even if I think they should be using a compound. But I think we need to remain vigilant about the opposition of it taking over reg season. For NY it shares gun season and the last week or so of bow season. That in itself is quite a concession and I pray it will never migrate beyond that.
My September has come and gone, and no elk to show for it. I had an awesome season and definitely got my non-resident tag's money worth. Lots of encounters with tons of bugling the last two weeks. I learned a ton of this last month and am sure I am a better hunter because of it. Less than a month and I will be in a tree stand in my home state of NY! Hoping to be a little more active on the site with you guys!
So guys I have had crazy up and down with the farm and what they planted this year.... The new edition and fresh hell is the farmer disced under all the radishes he planted in August and green beans are cut.... So I have no food for 1000 acres around me. I have a small plot but it didn't turn out all that well.
I was under the assumption that hunting numbers have been steadily going down over recent years. I have never been a fan using a crossbow myself. I bought an old cheap one for my wife when we got married thinking she might get Into hunting. She never got into it but I dusted the thing off the shelf and took a kid out last weekend and am using it to take another kid out this weekend. To me that's a victory, introducing people into the sport. That would just not be possible with my compound bow. One of them wouldn't be able to pull it back and the draw length would be too short for the other one.
Well after what seems like forever... I'm in the stand. I'm not going to that farm until this weekend but my house will do for now
For a lot of states October 1st is the start of the season, CT has always been the 15th of September unless it falls on a Sunday in which they push public land opening on the 16th
Two doe so far, not in range due to heavy green but action is good. NY had been oct 14 but few years back changed to oct 1
We’re always October 1st and I hate it as well that it’s a Tuesday Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Buy a couple bags of throw and grow and just broadcast them out in front of your stands. That rye grass will grow at least and give them something to graze on for a short time.
Got the blind set up to take my friend out Saturday and just decided ehh why not go ahead and give it a go since I'm already here.
