You don't want xbows in the compound season but at the same time you would want to hunt in the xbow season?? What do we do when compound bows start going over 500 fps...600 fps?
Why not? Here in GA I can hunt with my bow from the time archery season opens on 9/12 through the end of gun season on 1/1.
And like i have said, where i live, The majority are crossbow hunters, who end up trying unrealistic shots because they see them on TV, but thats another story :D
You know the majority of crossbow hunters where you live? Heck, I haven't even seen one where I live but I can see plenty of bowhunters in walmart 2 weeks before the season.
My township has 3,000 people Im related to roughly half I went to school with the other half :D Me and Isaac spend more time in the woods and on the public land that anyone else that i know, I have a general "idea" :D
When I used to watched the lame hunting shows on TV, all the unrealitic shots where not taken by xbows, don't get me wrong, they were taken but I don't ever remember seeing one taken by a crossbow!
It was just a statement i what i have witnessed over the last 4 years, nothing more Like i said, i support any ethical hunting :D I think i have put enough of my views into this thread (though they dont really matter:D) Carry on boys :D
Much ado about nothing. i see no reason why they shouldn't be allowed during regular archery season and here in VA they are. When they were first fully legalized there was a bunch of this same blah, blah, blah about being like a gun and all of these hunters pouring into the woods from gun season with their newly sighted in x-bows. But what actually happened was nothing like that, sure there were some guys like that and I know several of them. The thing they didn't account for is bowhunting is much different than gun hunting wheter you choose a x bow, compound, or traditional. Long sits in hot weather enduring bugs, sweat, and other common bow season negatives(so to speak) was a real culture shock for guys that start most of their hunting stories with "So I rolled the window down real slow like...." The wanna-bes weed themselves out in short order and guys that actually enjoy hunting with crossbows remain. The ones I know and the few I have encountered seem to share a similiar hunting drive and committment as myself and I welcome them to the woods. The gun comparisons are such a joke, as if the only part of "BOW"hunting is the final seconds where the shot is taken. The argument lacks any real substance it just sounds like whining. As far as what is easier to shoot, please lets not kid ourselves, raise your hand if you think shooting a compound is hard. In one trip to a bow shop I can have a newbee tuned and deadly to 20 yards easily, and I'm pretty sure most here can do the same. I haven' shot my compound in several weeks and I can 99.9% guarantee a first shot out of the case solid heart/lung shot on my 3-d out to 40 yards, granted I will practice more before season it's not because if I don't I will forget how to shoot it is for conditioning. I have shot x-bows many times. My opinion: they are fun to shoot but not practical for me the way I like to hunt out of my treestands, they seemed heavy and awkward. I still may get one someday and put a little ground set on a field edge or ditchline and whack something, I like having that option. I can't speak about the dynamics of whitetail hunting in other states, my opinion is formed from what I have witnessed in VA, but many other states x-bow battles sound similiar. Haterade....the drink of chumpions.
I couldnt care less. Longbow, recurve, compound, xbow, muzzleloader, shotgun, rifle..... All weapons to hunt with, take your pick and have fun.
Actually what New said is correct....most Xbow guys in Va don't even make it a season, too hot and still too much leg work for em...I still don't like xbows either way, but Im not gonna get to the point I would lobby to keep out of the woods, I simply am not bothered by them in my woods..
First of all... Could you be more selfish? Who said anything about "fixing" Iowa? Admit it, the ONLY reason you don't like crossbows is because they would interfere with YOUR hunting and a deer that YOU might kill. Saying Iowa doesn't need more bowhunters is like saying Ft. Sill doesn't need more military personnel because there are already a bunch there. You honestly don't give a damn about the growth of bowhunting, in fact, you like to impede the progress for YOUR own benefit. Secondly, are you referring of my views as "liberal"? That would be laughable in itself. Buckeye posed the question: "Why do you care if xbows are used during your archery season?" You could have saved a lot of typing and agreed with GMMAT's first post, because you don't want them to shoot YOUR deer. Period.
while I agree with the sentiment of your post brotha, don't we all hunt for selfish reasons??? I know I'm certainly not doing it for the good of society... :D just bein devil's advocate a little...
I live in an area where crossbows have been legal for several years now and honestly it hasn't affected my hunting at all. With that said I have seen some guys crossbow hunting and with the exception of those that are older or have an injury many are not what I'd call bowhunters. Those I'm referring to hunt for deer with their crossbow as they gun hunt, using drives, shooting at running deer, not waiting for a proper bow shot angle, etc. These same guys employ the same tactics while gun hunting. So I don't know if it's a matter of a lack of education or just not caring on their part to learn how to bowhunt. I would say that making the crossbow legal statewide here in PA and putting it in the archery season there should be a mandatory bowhunter education class required for ANYONE getting an archery tag. Then there could be no excuse as to not knowing how to bowhunt. I believe that would eliminate a lot of these "slob" hunters that believe that picking up a crossbow is like picking up a rifle because they would be too lazy to take the class. Everyone else would be educated and armed with the information to hit the woods in archery season. I think this would be a decent compromise for the situation. As I've said many times, I have no problem with the weapon, I have a problem with some of the hunters that use the weapon and how they use it.
