Sliverflicker

In my state you can hunt with a X bow as long as you have a disability thatkeeps you from shooting a long, recurve, or compound bow. I have helped several get their permits.
You need the proper paperwork filled out by a Doctor and the State will issue you a permit, that is, if you do indeed have a disability and just not a slacker!
Not wanting to take time to practice, shaking,or justbeing a total spaz with a real bow is notconsidered aDisability for a X bow permit!
The form is minimal and most go to the doctors office for shots and whatnot durring the year especially if they have a disability, so it being a hassle is a crock if you really want to hunt!
Whoever said above that Xbow manufactures do not lobby to get it into our archery season is in La La land, They have been trying to do this for about 25 years now and are getting closer and smarter every year, just like this law using an age limit to slip it in by making you think a 62 year old is going to crap his pants if he has to pull a regular bow.
There is major money to be made if they get an open season on Xbows if they can even turn 10% of gun hunters over to hunting with the Xbow.

It takes archery skills to be an archer, if you are proficient with a rifle you will be proficient with a Xbow.

bowman15

First off, I didn't read all the previous posts, so if I say something that's been said, I apologize.

I'm 40 years old right now and I'm starting to have some major shoulder problems. I've been a carpenter for almost half my life and between that, a couple motorcycle accidents and a few bad fights, I don't know if I can draw a bow much longer. I think I may have 4 or 5 years left, but after that, what should I do? Quit hunting? Our firearms seasons in Illinois only last for 13 or 14 days total, but our bow-season goes from Oct. 1st to the second thursday in Jan. That's alot of hunting I'd be giving up on when I can't draw my bow. Would it be that bad to use a crossbow? I never have, and actually was against them at one time, but I sighted one in for a friend of mine who was in from Ohio and bought one at a clearance sale and I'll tell you you still have to practice and execute some sort of good shooting-form to hit where your aiming.

People need to remember if we don't stick together on all these hunting issues we're going to fall one after the other. The state is making it easier for more hunters to get out there and take deer. First Illinois goes over-the-counter with tags (about 13 years ago I think), then 2 years ago, we went to a phone-in check-in, which made checking your deer in alot more convenient. Then they made it where we can hunt with handguns, muzzleloader and shotgun through all the seasons (I might be wrong on one of those seasons. Please excuse my mistake if I am). And now they're letting older guys get out there with alot less hassle. What's the problem? It's getting more and more people out there hunting. Let's support it and embrace it. Then if something comes up later on where the traditional equiptment is under fire (as an example), I'm sure all these crossbow shooters will step up and defend and support like we should be doing now.

I just think we should support each other alot more than we do. If you don't like hunting with a particular type of weapon, then don't hunt with it. But don't condemn others because theirs doesn't measure up to yours in your eyes.

I'll get off my sop-box now.

GrumpyTom

Your ignorance is unbelievable. Just because you have shot one does not mean you know alot about them. Your spreading these LIES & UNTTUTHS only hurts the whole hunting comunity. These lies, to the uneducated, become what they learn from, just like what you now believe. What ends up happening is that the crossbow world needs to re-educate these people as to the truth about crossbows and their ability.

Yes you can shoot and hit bulleyes at 20, 30, & 40 yards with little practice, is that a bad thing, no it is not. I would rather have a hunter able to hit their target then someone that hunts with the vertical bow, that does not practice and can't hit what they are aiming at. They still hunt, even though they are not accurate. Do not way that this does not happen, because it dioes all the time.

Now a little education on crossbows. You can't snap shoot a crossbow like a gun. It takes the arrow time to leave the rail after you release the arrow. THis is simular to the muzzleloader in the time delay. Actually it is even more of a delay then your vertical compounds. You have to learn to hold onto your target after you shoot, or you will never be accurate. There is a shooters form that you need to achive if you want to become accurate when hunting. There is also some major safety factors that you need to learn about, without practice, I doubt that you will ever learn it untill it is too late.. Many gun hunters, the fore hand will grup all the way around the forestock and barrel, do that with a crossbow and your on the way to the hospital. Even just haing a part of your hand above the tope of the weapon will possibly send you to the hospital. For a shooting window, you need a horizontal window for the width of the limbs, not the vertical window which the vertical bows use. This is a huge diosadvantage as trees normally grow vertical wish makes it easier for the vertical window over the horzontal window. Even after all that, you need to learn the tradjectory of the arrow. Only practice of shooting will give you that or let you learn that. They are not flat shooting like you try to make them out to be (just like a gun). There are many things you need to learn, and only practice will let you learn that. Yes it is an easier transition for the vertical archer to the crossbow then a gun hunter, but you still need to practice to learn what is needed to be learned. This was just a minor lesson, there are other things which need to be learned as well.


Now this above statenment is just plain ridiculous. With todays bows and advancements, you can pull back a bow (vertical) a long time ahead of when your going to shoot, espically with the higher poundage bows (90% and greataer). With those bows, are you not only holding back 5 pounds or less when at full draw. Now what about that bow which is 99% let off, that would be less then one pound at full draw. I do not know if this is true or not, but I was told that with that 99% bow, wonce it was at full draw, the actuall weight of the bow, if the limbs hung down would hold the bow at full draw. Who then needs to draw back the bow when the deer could see you.

Even with what I said above,how many hunters hunt from blinds. Not just the popup blinds, but ground blinds, hunting boxes, treestand boxes, treestand blinds,ect.. All of these totally hide you from the animal when you draw back the bow, so there goes your main argument. And BTW, the very little movement you claimn is a little deceiving science the crossbow is larger, bulkier and causes more visable movement then your vertical bows. You see, the vertical bows are vertical like the trees, the crossbows are horzontal which makes it movement more noticable because it is different then the surrounding area.

As I said above, this thread was started on choice of bows, not as a BASHING CROSSBOW THREAD with missleading untruths........ I think it whould get back on topic.

janesburg

I have no problem with the law.

GrumpyTom

Sliverficker I see you believe all that garbage ........ too bad as it is not true. Yes some States the forms are not that difficult to get, but some is very restrictive and difficult. Not only that, it takes a trip to the DR's which costs time and money. Usually the Dr's chage fees to fill out forms.

Now about your comments of calling me a LIAR or in LA LA LAND. I think you need to rethink your accuations. I said I did not know about these new companies in the crossbow world (but they are so knew, they could not have much effect correct) but I only knew about Excalibur and what they have done. Excalibur choose many many years ago not to apply pressure on the governments to allow crossbows. What they decided to do was to educate hunters and shooters with a web page and forum. YOu see, people have more pressure then a small company, mostly because a company would be looked as something only after money, but people are look at as a POSSIBLE VOTE. The more people that learn the truth, will then start to sway others as well. IT is the people that are applying the pressure on the governments. That and the Legal Courts in the USA. You see,a little while ago, there was a guy that won a lawsuit (a fedual lawsuit) againt his STATE (Col) for discrimination. With this ruling, other States decided to allow crossbows becasue there had been lawsuits started against them or were about to be started. THey choose to allow them so they would not be sued.

Why do you think that BowTech entered the crossbow world. They wee that the truth about crossbows are coming out and that crossbows are going to be another tool for a hunter to choose from.

That brings up back to what this thread was started about ...........It is nothing more then another choice of a tool for a hunter. It may not be a choice that you want to use for yourself, but others that need it, have that ability to choose, to continue to hunt, just like bowman15 is facing in a few years.

davidmil

Well, I'm done. Obviously Grumpyoldtom is an Xbow shooter and I'm ignorant to the point of being unbelievable. LOL I know, Xbow shooters need lovin too. Although, I don't think I'd go as far as you did in saying my lies are hurting the whole hunting community. God help you if anything real serious comes up. LOL

huntinboy1122

I think its a good thing, my grandpa could no longer pull back a compound but now he is able to hunt with a crossbow, I for one am fortunate that they passed this so that I can continue to share time and memories in the field with my grandpa.

Arthur P

I think I'm done too. Don't want to hang around for the punching, scratching, gouging and kicking. [8D]

Schultzy

Where does one draw the line Grumpy? Come on now, were all going to get old eventually and there's going to be some things were not going to be able to do anymore as we get old, thats life and reality! If and when I get to that point i'll go out and buy a ML. Whats next? A gun shooting arrows? (Thats what crossbows are to me). Some people are concerned for the right reasons that bow hunt! These crossbows should be called crossguns and then some bow hunters probably wouldn't get so offended with them. Bow hunting already has moved way beyond what I thought it would and should like Art had said in his post! They too often get put in the same category as a bow and arrow and thats the farthest thing from what they are, at least compared to what I shoot anyway. If they actually changed the name of these things to something without the word bow in it i'd probably never say anything about them.

Hotburn76

The thing that makes the compound alot harder IMO is finding a shop that not only sells the stuff, but knows how to tune it. Most shops have people in them that are hunters and shoot compounds so that is all that is needed for a job. Then these same people sell equipment and accessories that they have no idea how to tune properly. I have one friend that had a well tuned High Country and I was able to shoot four inch groups one afternoon with only a little work. Most that walk out of shops are not set up right, so starts the quest of trying to find the right stuff for the shooter. I used to think not having to draw on a deer was a advantage but I feel that it is not any more. I always sit in my stand and most of the time deer sneak up on me as I am thought about other things. This year I stood up, readied a camera, was ready to shoot, then had my grunt tube that was on the tree get tangled in my wide recurve Excal, which is about as wide as the newer parallel limb bows. Then had to turn in stand all while the Buck was about fifteen feet away. Sometimes I think drawing on a deer would not be so hard if guys where shooting bows that they could draw without aiming at the sky as they do so because they are shooting bows bigger then they are capable of. You can argue that the CB is easy to use, but a CB does not make deer walk into range with magic. It still takes the same skills to master the 20 yard game. Most think the CB is a 50 yard tool. They forget that it sounds like smacking a hammer on a table and string jump is a big problem for the CB. I consider my max 30 yards.

What it all boils down to is selfishness. We all do it, Compound, CB, and Gun. We are scared to death that more hunters will fill the woods and shoot all OUR deer. A skilled hunter can be one of the most selfish hunters you will ever meet, some are, some are not. But we are all in the start of the season for change on this. Ohio and AR have set the model that the CB will not ruin deer hunting, we both have been doing it for over 30 years. Now there is nine states that allow pretty much full use of the CB during the archery season, more states are on the books and the change is coming. I think we will see in our time the stores just as full of CB's as compounds. Bow-tech is just one recent example of the Compound maker lining up to make his share of the pie. It may take time, but soon they will all be making them and then will stop paying the antis to fight for them. As soon as the makers stop funding the anti's there will be fast change.

One thing that is the worst about this entire thing is what this thread does. Makes fellow hunters fight each other. We all hate Peta for trying to limit and stop our hunting, we despise them for it. What do we call a compound guy that wants to keep a fellow sportsman out of the woods? Is this anger toward the CB not insane?