Xbow is surely a weapon and it was invented during the Middle Ages.. to ME, the compound still requires more skill and a bit more preperation...draw and hold steady and shoot all at the same time, Xbow not so..it is more like a gun to certain extent..
A crossbow is basically a hybrid "Gun/Compound Bow". I really do not care who uses them, or what part of the season. Kinda like being hacked because there is a electric/gasoline car on the road beside you. You can like it or lump it. They will still be there tomorrow.
It still has a preloaded projectile with a freakin stock and scope on it. Put some gunpowder and a rifled barrel around that arrow and what have you got?
They don't affect me..I still hunt the same. I just don't like em and there are a lot of guys around here that use em because they believe they can shoot long distances with them without the practice..that's my beef. we enough guys taking bad shots with compounds and recurves already.
Wow, I'm suprised at all the negativity about crossbows... You may see it that way, but hunting in general across the country is a dying sport... face it. If someone hunts with a crossbow during archery season and falls in love with hunting the same way I love "hunting" (regardless of type) that's awesome. I won't ever turn down a soldier on the army of hunters because I don't like a weapon. To think that you would keep someone from experiencing that thing that you love so much because they use a crossbow and they'll be in YOUR woods... that's about as selfish as it gets. Furthermore, what if you kill a deer at 20 yards with a recurve, compound, crossbow, slug gun, rifle or slingshot... does that make you any less of a hunter? Not in my mind. You did what you had to do to put yourself in the position to kill that animal. So that brings us to the question do bowhunters put themselves on a pedestal above other hunters? I sure hope not. If you love gun hunting and that's your passion, so be it... we're all hunters. Some people need to get over themselves. Your a deer hunter and you select a to use a different means of taking. It's attitudes like these that are separating hunters and weakening us as a whole instead of making us stronger. On another note, how many of you "haters" have ever even shot a crossbow? Most won't admit it but the grand majority hasn't. I have a crossbow permit for my shoulder, if I were to use it, kill a deer with it during bow season and you don't like it because I'm an "extra" person in the woods... go pound salt. We're bowhunters NOT God's gift to the hunting world.
i have no real problem with 'em... though I'd admit that I like them restricted somewhat, like for the disabled or seniors, I would set it up so that even temporarily injured folks could get access to 'em (like our recently injured rotator cuff guys) and the senior exception I'd set that age at about 50-55ish... if you physically can't shoot a vertical bow then a cross bow SHOULD be a realistic option without question... I would also include the atl-atl in the bow/primitive weapons season as well as spears and other hand held non-gunpowder/explosive charged weapons...
I am not sure if it has officially become law yet, but if not it is in the process of becoming law to allow xbows in bow season in Texas. Since Texas is basically all private land, it has no bearing on me and I am indifferent. I have never shot one and likely never willl (if I get to the point I can't shoot a bow, I think I would go muzzleloadder, but I HOPE I never have to find out.) I currently do not have any neighnbors that bow hunt period so I have my woods all to myself for the first 30 days of a 100 day season. If allowing xbows changes that, so be it. As has already been mentioned trad bow hunters could make the same arguments against compounds and they would be just as valid/invalid, depending one one's point of view, as those made against the xbow.
The crossbow may bring back the 55 plus hunter that had to put down the bow, not because he wanted to, but because of physical issues. I for one, also tend to believe that once a person gets into it, shoots it a few times, will enjoy the time in the stand in October who now has a chance to get interested in archery in general. If not that is ok, but I would think that a Bowhunter Education Course for PA would make sense to have one be eligible for purchasing an Archery Stamp.
They will indeed be allowed in Texas during the archery only season this year for the first time. In the past they were allowed only during general season unless you had an upper limb disability. Of the 15 members of my hunt club, 4 of us are and have been bowhunters. Of the 11 other members 4 will be joining us this archery season with the new crossbows they have purchased recently. One of those guys doesn't feel the need to practice. His comment to me was," Its sighted in at 50 yds. I'm good to go now and I'll be good to go on opening day." I doubt he'll shoot another bolt until hes shooting at an animal. The other three guys have a much more responsible approach, they are practicing and limiting shot distance. Those 3 responsible guys are responsible and ethical hunters who have my respect. If one gets a deer by X-bow I'll be proud to help drag it out of the woods. That 4th guy, well, with someone like that the weapon of choice doesn't matter. He's the same guy that doesn't take his rifle to the range and make sure its still"on". He's the same guy that gives up the blood trail after 50 yds because the animal didn't lay down and die in a nice close convenient spot. Anyone that sits in the Texas October woods with a crossbow will have an archery stamp that cost the same $7 I paid for mine.I will do my best to welcome them to the sport of archery if they are new. And new or old hunter I will do my best to be an example of an ethical hunter. I won't turn my back on any of them. Some of them need more encouragement than others to do the right thing. I'll also do my best to try and get them to expand their horizons and see if they would like to shoot one of my bows a few times to get a taste of vertical bows be it compound or trad.
I have come full circle.I used to be very much against them.Now I really don't care.They are not legal in NY yet.
Its now legal in Mich to use them in the lower. IMO its about time. To many older and physically hampered people could not get the permit to use them so they had to stay at home and what for gun season. Also, to me its all about choice. We need to stand together as hunters and support each other.The flint lock guys say inlines are not real muzzleloaders, Trad Archers say compounds are not real bows, etc etc etc its all B.S.! Its the hunt that brings us together and all that comes with it NOT the weapon. Now to answer the question, It doesn't bother me at all.
It has been made offical law. It doesn't bother me that x-bows are going to be in our archery season.........yet. The area I hunt is fairly heavly hunted and I'm praying I won't see deer running around with bolts sticking out of them.
I see it as a good thing. Most of southern MI is overpopulated with deer. From what I have seen and from talking to the local shop, most of the guys buying xbows are the guys that would try to get their bow ready the day before the opener. They aren't going to practice no matter what weapon they used. So if a xbow requires less practice to be accurate, I say its a good thing. I'm hoping it leads to less wounded deer and more dead does. I know a lot of bowhunters like to label xbow users as slobs. Slob hunters are going to be slobs no matter what weapon they are using. I'm strictly a bowhunter, but I could care less what someone else is using or whether or not it is considered archery equipment. I really don't see it putting a bunch more hunters in the woods. If guys didn't hunt the archery season here before, I'm guessing most them might hunt 2-5 days of the 45 days season prior to firearm. Again, that is just a guess.
