Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Bowhunting Bow vs Crossbow

Should Crossbows be included in true archery season?

Ric

No.

Why not? Compounds are used, as are recurves, longbows, and crossbows are permitted for disabled (an increasingly broad category) hunters.

They use cables and pulley like compounds and launch a broadhead-tipped shaft.

Dividing and limiting hunters and hunting is a losing proposal in the long run, making us fight amongst ourselves over "bow v. crossbow; inline v. percussion v. flintlock; turkey with rifle v. turkey with shotgun" arguments.

We ought to be celebrating any increase in hunting and/or hunting opportunities, welcoming in new members, and fighting the antis rather than engaging in these arguments within our own ranks.

Just my $0.02

The question is whether crossbows should be allowed in the true archery season.

The answer is no. It's not a true, handheld bow, as it locks at full draw. Call it anything else you want, horizontal bow or whatever, but it's not a bow in the true sense.

WRT adding numbers, I'd bet you don't have any significant amount of crossbow shooters who aren't hunting some other way, so it's splitting the same pie.

Sure, ..... but only if used by true archers. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

First, you have to define "true archery season"........does that mean strictly a wood bow (NO fiberglass or modern resins) shooting wood arrows fletched with traditional feathers.........or.....is your definition of "true archery season" stretched far enough to include modern compounds, carbon arrows, mechanical broadheads, releases, sights, stabilizers, etc???

More state wildlife departments are saying yes to crossbows every year.......why???.....because there are generally more than enough deer to go around and, more importantly, they are beginning to admit that, contrary to popular fairy tales, a crossbow and a modern compound bow have virtually the same performance......same broadhead at the same speed........same limited range......same success ratio......

Couple that with the fact that compound users can no longer argue that their 85% let-off bows shooting carbon arrows equipped with mechanical broadheads and fired by mechanical releases are more "primitive" or "traditional" than crossbows .....and, it's just a matter of time before most states will allow crossbows during archery season......

We wore this subject out back in the late winter or early spring. gator1 was in on it and it looks like he is trying to stir the pot again. A certain amount of the bow people think that they are elite and everyone else should stay out of their woods. miles

Yeah, I thought I remembered this one.

BTW - this whole debate has never made much since to me. It's akin to arguing whether in-lines ought to be allowed during ML season, or scoped rifles during the general firearms season. Either way you cut it, those are just improvements on the original design that was available when the season was originally instituted, and are just better, more efficient, more effective hunting tools.

Miles,

Not trying to stir the pot, just looking for enlightenment(sp?)

Thought hearing some unheated points of view might help my hard head.

Ric

Amen, we've got enough anti's trying to take away hunting in general, let alone type of means. This will be the first year that TN. has allowed crossbows to be used in the archery only hunt dates of the general deer season. Prior to this it was allowed only for disabled hunters. Last year it was OK'd for non-disabled hunters to use a crossbow, but only in conjuction with a multi-means type hunt, gun,muzzleloader, archery. Now this year anyone, anytime can use a crossbow. I spoke to a wildlife agent as to why the change, his response was to attempt to get more people to hunt and buy an archery permit. The TWRA has gone with the concept Many people may only gun hunt or muzzleloader hunt, this may entice them to archery hunt. Considering that TN & VA border it may change in VA in the coming years.

I would be shocked if Virginia allowed it during archery season for non disabled hunters any time soon.

You would most likely see them allowed during general firearms season first like here in Texas. Virginia does not have the huge bag limits that states like Alabama have. In most counties you see a maximum of 4 deer and the counties that are close to TN have only 1 or 2 deer bag limits.

However, Parker makes crossbows and is located in Virginia and might have the correct people in place to lobby for the weapon.

On the one hand I'm opposed to any special seasons based on weapon choice, however I can understand letting archers hunt first before the Elmer fuds come out and spook the game so that a bowhunter wouldn't have a chance at getting within range.

Technically, there really isn't any difference between a modern compound with a release and a crossbow. With an 80% let off you can hold a compound for an aweful long time. They both have the same effective range and accuracy. It kinda comes across to me as elitist to say that the crossbow folks can't hunt in the archery season, ie the "real" archers don't want to share the game resource with "those crossbow guys".

Technically there is a world of difference between a compound and a crossbow. A crossbow you shoulder like a rifle but a compound has to be drawn back, anchored at the same spot, bow had to be held verticle etc. If form is incorrect the arrow will not go where you want it to.

I think people have to rethink their position on crossbows as if any one of us was to sustain an injury debilitating enough to not be able to draw back a bow I think any one of us would be purchasing a crossbow.

I don't see modern compounds as that far away from a crossbow, IMHO. I had fired a bow in nearly 20 years, and visited a friend who let me shoot his compound. With a bow that wasn't set up for me, I could easily keep all my arrows into a lung sized target at 30 yds after a few familiarization shots.

Yes, you still have to draw and anchor, but I don't think the accuracy or effectiveness of a modern compound is any different then a crossbow. One could spook game just as effecitvely raising a crossbow as drawing a bow.

I used to be of the opiunion I would rather have a sister in a brothel than a brother who hunted with a crossbow but I have softened my opinion on crossbows.
There are guys using traditional tackle who are not committed to the practice necessary to become a good instinctive shooter. They go to traditional tackle for its simplicity and there is nothing simple about being a good instinctive shooter, it take a dedication to practice. If these guys had an ounce of respect for the animals they hunt they would carry a bow they could shoot accurately, be it a compound or crossbow.
I have never even held a crossbow but I am starting to form the opinion that better accuracy equates to less wounded animals and I don't see this as a bad thing.
Don't get me wrong, there are some incredible accurate shooters using traditional tackle but thesre hunters/shooters are prepared to do the practice to become and remain proficient in the skill of instinctive shooting.

70 pound draw weight......85% let-off bow......actual weight held when bow is at full draw.....10.5 pounds

7mmSAUM,

Well, you can start being shocked <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/hunting/crossbow.asp
At the June 23, 2005, meeting of the Board of Game and Inland Fisheries the Board approved the use of crossbows for hunting during the upcoming fall hunting season. Previously, only disabled hunters could hunt with crossbows.

Crossbows will be legal to use by any hunter during the upcoming 2005-2006 hunting season.

It seems as if one state does it, those bordering look at it also. Va. probably like Tn. wants to increase the license sales to help boost revenue for both state's game dept's.

Read an interesting thing on the Alabama Fish and Game site. Seems that in 1970 there was 1 youth hunter to 4 adults. Today it is 1 youth to 10 adults. My guess is they are all looking for any way to bring new people into the sport. If not, in a generation, the vast majority of their revenue base will be gone. Just a thought! TM

It's a sad truth, that we're losing the youngsters regarding hunting. I hate to see that here in the SE. It wasn't that many years ago in this area, that kids could get their hunter safety cert. at school.

Those days are over, most liberial school admin. would never allow such classes to be taught. There's still large crowds at the hunter safety courses in this area.