I agree with needing to open more areas and I wish there was more closer to me. I'll be using my compound either way.
Some people like my dad can't pull his bow back any more so he is selling his and going to a crossbow.
my dad got a permit for a crossbow 20 years ago because of shoulder surgery. He got a nice 6 pt with it.
Both have their points.... I'm saying this because of experiences from Georgia with it.
There WILL be in influx of licenses sold. It will be small. Most of these people that buy them will only hunt a month or so before they are selling their brand new crossbow.
Non bow hunters don't understand what it takes to be a bowhunter. They don't realize how difficult it is to bring one close and have a completely unobstructed shot. They'll find out though. A healthy adult with the capabilities to draw back a recurve or compound that only hunts with a crossbow USUALLY are doing so because of a lack of time to dedicate to perfecting their shots OR they have the time and would rather find other things to do. Usually with these two factors in place, they also will not have the time or patience to see deer all day, day in day out, and not take one because its 10 yards out of range... or in range every day, but behind that one spot you didn't notice before in order to trim.
A crossbow is accurate RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX. If you can fire a rifle accurately, you can fire a crossbow accurately. That plain and simple. There isn't much tweaking that has to be done. So anyone can go out today, buy one, and call themselves a bowhunter.
This arguement has taken place on every single hunting board out there, and it covers everything from baiting to hunting with dogs. Someone will always take offense to anothers methods. So here ya go.... Here's my two cents. Take it or leave it, but it is what it is.
1.) We felt the need to hide ourselves... we traded mud for camo.
2.) Someone told us we stunk..... we developed cover scents.
3.) That same fella said "Deer can see in UV"..... we developed detergent that got rid of UV rays.
4.) Someone mentioned rut..... we figured out that using doe pee (while they are all randy) helps bring in big boys.
5.) Someone said flintlock was old news.... we developed centerfire.
6.) Someone complained that they couldn't see that far..... We threw on a magnifier.
7.) They said one round wasn't enough..... we made a gun that holds more.
8.) We need SPEED!!!..... someone put wheels on their hickory bow.
9.) Someone saw a deer eating.... we realized that seemed like a good time to catch em off guard.
10.) We got tired of standing on the ground.... someone stuck a ladder in a tree.
12.) Someone heard a buck grunt.... they realized they could make that sound too.
13.) That ole fella got tired of carving rock and bone.... metal sure made a better, stronger broadhead.
14.) Someone mentioned crossbow.... just so we'd keep on complaining.
Look... No matter how you choose to hunt, where you choose to hunt it, or what method you choose best suits you... please remember that MORE THAN LIKELY (i know that even though thats capitalized, someone will still misconstrue it) You are doing something that someone else considers cheating. I've got my own personal reasons why I'll never hunt high fence, I'll never hunt over corn, and I'll never use a crossbow... but I don't fuss at those that do. If their method works for them, so be it.
Going back to the begining of this book... it will sell more licenses and you will have more people in the woods. For awhile. So what? If they aren't mature enough, responsible enough, or educated enough, they'll think its as easy as setting up on a power line with a 30-.06 and won't last one season. Once they've kicked off a limb or two, maybe they'll learn something and actually become a better hunter. Who cares either way as LONG AS WE STILL HAVE OUR RIGHTS TO HUNT.
We are in this together. Remember that.
I'm a little curious as to why some of you think this would make the woods more crowded? Especially on quota hunts? The concept of a quota hunt is that the number of hunters are controlled at any one point. They could allow the use of them and not increase the numbers of permits. In other words, it would just open up the choice as to what someone wanted to use but not necessarily increase the number of people in the woods at any one time.
Crossbows have been around for hundreds, if not thousands of years. They have found them in archeological digs all over the world. Matter of fact, in the big sceme of things, they're a lot a lot more of a traditional archery platform than a modern compound bow is.
Additionally, they have the same range as a regular bow. It's not like they're something that can be used to shoot hundreds of yards. Physics and gravity don't change just because one arrow is shot from a longbow, another arrow is shot from a recurve, another arrow is shot from a compound and another arrow is shot from a crossbow. None are more effective or more deadly than the other. Arrows weighing close to the same, fired at equal velocities and tipped with the same heads will all fly pretty much the same. What affects one, will equally affect all.
I personally don't hunt the archery season. But I have shot longbows, recurves, compounds and crossbows. I doubt if a deer really cares what was used to put a broadhead into flight. I will grant that it takes a lot longer to get proficient with a longbow, recurve or compound, but so what? It takes a lot longer to get proficient with a flintlock than it does with a modern, scoped inline. But, both are legal in the muzzleloading season. Should we outlaw inlines and only allow flintocks and percussion capped rifles during the muzzleloadig season?
It appears to me that the same rationale people use to complain about crossbows could be used to divide hunters along other lines. And that, my friends, is a dangerous path to begin walking down. As hunters, we can not afford to let something like this divide the ranks. When it becomes "us against them" because of the tools someone wants to use, then the anti's have won a significant victory.
Just my 2 cents worth. Fell free to disagree if you wish.
Cheers :cowboy
It takes skill to shoot a bow.. anyone can shoot a cross bow with a scope. It keeps bow season uncrowded. IF they open up a bow season everyone will get a crossbow and it will be like general gun. packed like a bus full of fat camp graduates on a day off at the buffet.
