Should Crossbows be Allowed During Archery Season?

Absolutely. I my area, crossguns have been legal for years but only within the last 10 have others discovered this. When you ask someone who hunts with one and you get replies like " I don't have to practice", "it's so easy" " it's like shooting a gun" and my favourite" If I had to hunt with one of those DG things (referring to compounds and recurves) I'd never hunt" My concern is the extra people out there hunting a herd that CAN'T handle the extra pressure.

 

The real problem isnt should crossbows be allowed in the archery season, too many states(eastern ones atleast) have already let the camels nose in, it has generated quite a bit of revenue for them and I don't think they would side with more traditional bowhunters and potentially kill tens of thousands of tag buyers.

Even if you were to make a special season for crossbows with the special stamp that would accompany it of course. Or worse make it disabled and youth only again, you would generate enormous amounts of backlash. the only thing the Game Commission will do is shorten the seasons, probably cut out the rut here in PA if the demand for that keeps growing.

the real question should be "what has their impact in my state been like, and how will the affect the future of bowhunting"

 

How come all the deer are not killed during gun deer season? I mean if ease of method is going to raise the kill rate then the herd should be wiped out by now! Back in the 70's the same debate arose over sissy-boys and their bows with training wheels and beer can shafts. They have to use mechanical heads to get their bows to hit anything and need 3 inch cuts to kill anything.
But most of the people who buy a crossbow and bag of corn the day before season opens do not take many deer. Lady luck blesses a few but most give up. Some however may stay with it and in a few seasons with some success move up to a compound and one day find their inter Nimrod (a mighty hunter from the Bible) and hand make their own bow and shafts and take a deer.
If you took Hunters Ed you should remember there are 5 stages to becoming a true hunter. Most of you are not being very good mentors! You are worst then the slobs who leave trash in the woods and poach from the road driving your out of state SUV.
I wished you had to pass a proficiency test with your equipment before you would be issued a license. Archery would be required to put 3 arrows in the kill zone of a 3d deer target at 25 yrds and firearms to put 3 rounds in a 4 inch circle at 100 yrds. No pass, no license. The Urban deer hunts in Arkansas require a test and weed out several every year. A $25.00 fee when you take a Hunter's Ed course for a range test with endorsements for bow, crossbow, muzzleloader (pre 1860 design), pistol and modern firearms. This would solve several issues.

 

Because The season has more restrictions. People have been asking to increase the length of the gun season in WI for years. Reason they don't is because the harvest would become to high.

 

Sir, depending on which state you are from the use of a crossbow could have minimal impact, for instance if wyoming allowed the use of a crossbow during the archery season(I dont believe they do) you probably would not see a huge impact, as their are more sasquatches living in Wyoming than people I think

However in states such as PA, Ohio, Michigan etc with very high hunter densities, allowing a crossbow has a far greater impact. What might be a postive thing for bowhunting in one state might not be good for every state. I summarized their affect in PA on Pg 1 of this thread using the harvest estimates and archery stamp sales over the past 10 years so feel free to educate yourself there or better yet do your own research.

Now to address your accusation that we are all bad mentors, I don't think you can conjure up a post on this thread stating that children or mentored youth shouldn't be allowed to use an xbow. I have no problem with people who want to try out a new form of hunting, but lets be honest, the majority of new bowhunters who buy a crossbow aren't ages 9-16 are they? They are people who do not make the time to practice with a compound bow.

Why should my season be shortened or otherwise impeded upon for the guys who want all the benefits of hunting a month before rifle season but don't want to put any effort into earning that privilege? I'm really not trying to be harsh to the guys that work hard all year long but it is the archery season afterall, if you can't or won't make time to practice, then maybe you should just stick with the rifle season. Again, I am not really against those who do use a compound/stickbow and just can't make time to practice. I am talking about those who just want to cut corners.

 

Not all new hunters are 9 to 16. Some grew up in non-hunting families or Cities. I am personally glad they do not start out blasting with an AR in gun season. They need hunting buddies who do not belittle them. They need to feel the love and encouragement.

 

Crossbow for youth, seniors or handicapped is because they are unable to draw a bow with enough lbs to be an ethical weapon. Somebody older just starting should easily be able to draw enough weight to not need a crossbow.

 

I agree with you man, there are lots of people out there who would like to try bowhunting or hunting in general who we should welcome. I just feel there needs to be a balance, at what point do we stop watering down archery for people? archery season is supposed to be more challenging, thats why we have longer seasons and lower harvest rates. If harvest rates rise, which they have and will continue to do then more regulations, restrictions and shorter seasons will be pushed on us, that's just how state wildlife management works.

Just the perspective of an eastern hunter.

 

Because the gun season is so short. In WI you get 9 days to gun deer hunt but about 4 months to kill one with a bow and arrow because the human powered, short range weapon is a bit more difficult to get it done. ITs a combination of weapons type and duration of season.

That was very easy to answer.[/QUOTE]

 

You're grasping at straws. I grew up (and still live) in a very big city. My close friend and hunting partner grew up in a non-hunting family. Neither of us have ever hunted with a xbow, nor did we need one to learn the ropes.
That said, I'm fine with youth, women, elder and disabled folks using them during archery season. Everyone else is simply looking for a free ride. End of story.



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Nobody is excluded from bowhunting. Its a human powered season and the max power limit of the weapon you use is based on your ability to pull back the peak weight. Bowhunting is meant to be challenging and rewarding. If you cant master the rigors of real bowhunting, there is always crossbowing to fall back on or guns to hunt with. If you think you "owe it to the deer" (I always laugh at that excuse) but you cant get it done with a bow, then take up crossbowing. IF you do that, You WILL NOT and cannot be a bowhunter but you can be a crossbower and that's almost like bowhunting.

 

I see this is a very heated topic among hunters and it should not be we are all hunters no matter what equipment we use I've been watching reading and I think everybody needs to take a breath we should all have as many options as possible to get as many hunters in to the woods to enjoy the out doors next thing fly fisherman will want there own season and stream I have had the opportunity to hunt Ohio with a crossbow and took a nice buck but since then I've been using my compound with hopes of shooting a great buck with my stick bow one day don't dwell on the negitives embrace the positive of our sport if it was up to the antis we wouldn't be hunting at all

 

I just threw up a little.
Memo to Joe: Ohio's public lands are FAR too overcrowded. Our deer herd could not handle that kind of pressure, so it's now half the size it was 5-10 years ago. Do some research! The party is over... and guys like you are precisely who ended it.
Forgive me if I seem a little bitter, but I am... most of us (BOWhunting residents) are.



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Would I be cool if I hunted with a human powered crossbow?

Innovative Outdoorsman you seem pretty handy, will you make me one?

 

Oh that would be easy to rig up, just take the stock off and remove the scope and trigger mechanism and your all set. although it would be a little hard to hold the bow horizontally, they do make these kinds of crossbows to be held vertically I think they call them compounds or something. They are really revolutionizing the industry from what I can tell

 

You would have to ask my father. He makes stuff. I doubt it can be constructed since a crossbow is locked at full draw by a mechanism. If it were drawn by human power and held at full draw by human power, it would just be a bow and arrow.

 

I am with the majority. handicap only. I am against the youth starting out with crossguns, it is too much like gun hunting for them. they need to realize it is more than just pulling the trigger. since crossguns will be here to stay all I can wish for is that they make them shoot pins instead of electronic red dot scopes. give them more of the same challenge that vertical bow guys have. not sure anymore here in PA but used to be any electronic device on a vertical bow was illegal. so when I see a hunter with a crossgun all scoped up it makes me cringe a bit.

 

So Innovative Outdoorsman - from your diatribe, I assume that you only hunt with a long bow, right? I mean bowhunting is supposed to be challenging and rewarding and you must have mastered the rigors of real bowhunting in order for you to look down upon the rest of us. So what particular long bow does the master bowhunter use? What wood do you find makes the best shafts for the arrows that you make yourself? And tell us IO, do you flint your own arrowheads? I mean, only a REAL bowhunter makes their own arrowheads. Shouldn't you long bow users get a longer season than those bowhunter wannabees who use those things with wheels and cables and stuff? Those compound users aren't really bowhunters - hell they don't even make their own arrows and they use store bought broadheads. Sheesh!

 

Did I miss something? I can't find where Innovative Outdoorsman implied that compound bows and crossbows are in any way similar.


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Right off the bat you are mistaken. At no time does the term you manufacture ("diatribe") apply. Mine was a simple telling of the situation. You want to apply a pejorative since you seem offended by the message.

I hunt with all manner of human powered bows. Hand made longbows, recurves and human powered compounds. (the tools of a bowhunter)

"Mastered" ? Like golf, bowhunting cannot be mastered or won. It can only be participated in. We apply the challenges we want to increase the level of satisfaction in human powered bowhunting. It may be via types of human powered bows we use or only taking killing shots at "X" yards or less or only killing animals of a certain sex or age. Once you have successfully harvested an animal with human powered archery gear, you have only "mastered" that animal or event and the next day you are back to square one and the challenges of human powered bowhunting and may fall flat on your face due to the limitations you place on yourself because of the limits of your strength and ability (practice).

This is another strawman you have invented. In your head you manufactured that my comments are looking down on you or others. That is in no way factual and is a distraction created by you that is false.

Fred bear did not use a longbow. Howard Hill did and used those of his making. Not sure why you want to know.

We use P.O. Cedar and we fletch them with feathers from turkey we kill. We also make aluminum and carbon arrows.

I think you mean "Knap" . "flint" is a lithic material used to knap broadheads. But yes we do knap our heads and we make broadheads from old Circular saw blades. (not sure how this applies to the conversation either but thanks for asking.)

Not so and another invention of your (I'm guessing for drama's sake)

No, all human powered bow users are in the same pool. They must use only the strength they have to pull back the peak weight of the max. bow weight they can muster. Then they must (with only human power) go through the draw cycle with the related noise and motion and all while in close quarters to the game they intend to harvest. as such, they are bowhunters because of those acts and the gear they use.

Again, you are incorrect (a very repeatable pattern you have exhibited) Whether hand made by the user or purchased, arrows tipped with a broadheads that are launched from a human powered bow are tools of the bowhunter. There is no requirement that the bowhunter make his tools. If that is your stance you clearly agree that no crossbower can be a bowhunter. (and on that we agree)