Blodg

Just curious what your opinion is for a 10 or 11 year old kid using a crossbow? Just curious what your take is on a child. As you may have read, I got my son a crossbow to use until he is strong enough to meet the state min. of 40lbs. draw weight. He shot a 146 6/8" buck with it for his first deer and I could not have been happier.

In Ohio they are legal throughout the entire archery season and I have never liked that idea. I agree they make sense for someone unable to draw a regular bow but not for those too lazy to practice. I guess I still feel the same way because a child falls into the category of someone not able to draw a regular bow. My friends who have similar aged kids all take their kids gun hunting but I have not went into the woods with a gun for 16 years and I like the crossbow option much better. Another option would have been to wait until he is older and can draw a compound, but we would have missed out on some wonderful experiences sitting together on stand.

By-the-way, we are already starting to shoot for next year and I think it is possible for him to get to 40 lbs. by this fall. If he can shoot 40 lbs. accurately then one slightly used crossbow will go up for sale. Prior to this year I had never shot nor even seen anyone shoot a crossbow before. My experience is that they do not increase your effective range as some people say but it was very accurate once setup with no practice needed.

silentassassin

I don't have any problem with it what so ever. It's legal here in Arkansas and I just haven't seen any problems with it. I tend to be very opinionated on how I prefer to hunt and how I rank the accomplishments of different equipment. However, I am never going to try to impose those beliefs on others by telling them they shouldn't be allowed with their prefered method. There was a lot of "to do" about my opinion that gun hunting didn't deserve the respect that bow hunting does but at the end of the day it was just my opinion and I wasn't trying to censor the way anyone else hunted like some people here are advocating.

ArthurP,
I am not sure which one I am but I would certainly be one of those in your opinion. I just don't get the leap there. You call it a blurry line between a compound and crossbow when there are so many overwhelming differences between the two. But you make the distinction that's it's ok to shoot the compound as long as you shoot it with fingers I shot fingers for 11 of my 16 years in archery and I just don't see much difference between the two. In fact in many ways it's simpler to shoot fingers. I agree that hunting with traditional equipment is more challenging but the "there's no dfference between crossbows and compounds , unless you shoot the compound with fingers" thing looses me everytime

Bad Hayes

Here in Ontario we have been able to use crossbows during the regular archery season for years. This was my first year hunting during the archery season and I bought a crossbow. I just didn't have the time to get proficient with a compound. I even skipped the gun season here this year and just waited for archery to start back up. I've been having a ball. Hunting from the ground with my crossbow is some of the most exciting stuff I have ever done. If you ask me...allowing use of crossbows is a great way to introduce new hunters to the bow season. One day when I have the time I will try out a compound. For now I am just glad I could experience my first bow season.

silentassassin

Do you guys realize that it's just your opinions that crossbows shouldn't be legal and that you are trying to impose your views on others whether they agree with you or not. It's one thing to disagree, but it's another to try to make something illegal so you can impose your will. These kind of stances where legislation is involved is a very slippery slope. Basically, you could be helping to prevent a law that could potentially get more hunters invoved and therefore make the hunting industry stronger just because you don't agree with it. Everyone has a right to have an opinion and everyone has a right to voice that opinion (and should be encouraged to do so) but it's a whole other thing when you say there should there should be laws put in place so everyone else has to abide by your opinion.

GMPT

I've said this a thousand times and will challenge anyone to argue it - if crossbows are not a negative to the deer herds or hunting seasons - meaning they don't take away deer tags available , or the DNR's taking away days of hunting etc, then there is absolutely NO REASON to not allow them. And I challenge anyone to show me that a crossbow is a negative in archery season.

That they are not the same as a compound is like saying a compound is not the same as a recurve or longbow. Vastly different bows - yet they are all bows, and you still gotta get within 20-25 yards of the animals regardless.

Any takers on my challenge ?

mrlizzzard

I have read all posts on this issue and you guys make sense.If I could I'd use a traditional bow.My arm won't take it .I would use a compound but in fairness to the game my arm won't take it.My neighbor kids all shoot comp's and they are as accurate as I am.I believe in what so many here have said,and as far as numbers believe me in Ohio the deer are winning.I'd rather hunt with a cross bow at 60 then sit home and watch the OLN channel. I did see where in Ohio crossbows only had a 3% higher kill rate than compound bows.
all the best!
lizzzard

Arthur P

Quite the contrary. SA. I haven't heard of anyone who is out to make them illegal where they are legal already. But I am out to keep them ILLEGAL in our bow season. Various polls taken of bowhunters over the years have shown that 90% of Texas bowhunters oppose crossbows in our piddly month-long bow season. When someone starts trying to get crossbows legalized for bow season, that is somebody trying to impose HIS opinion on everyone else.

Blodg, what about all those kids who started shooting and hunting with bows before the compound was ever invented? You make it sound like we were some kind of superhuman beings. My kid just turned 16 and he could easily handle a 40 pound compound by the time he was 10. He's not a football player either. Plays trombone in the marching band.

GMPT

Arthur P - For every reason you give to remove crossbows from archery season the very same reasons - read this again - the very same reasons can also be applied to compounds.

Compounds are too easy, they bring too many hunters to archery season, theres too much letoff, too many gadgets, they can be used to poach with, they encourage slob hunters, too much technology there etc etc etc.

Unless you can shot me that in states where legalized crossbows in archery season exist are a NEGATIVE towards hunting - ie theres been a reduction in tags, a reduction in season, a negative impact on the deer herds etc etc, then I submit to you, using the same reasons you are representing, that compounds should also be removed from archery season.

Your ball

OntElk

Well said. Is it hypocritical to say you don't have a problem if it's already legal but do have a problem making it legal where it now is not?


I don't see that at all. Not trying to change existing bowhunters methods or opportunities. Forcing them to change to using crossbows would support the point.

Blodg

Well I guess maybe my son is a weakling, although he has never been accused of that. He IS a football player, started at middle linebacker and also played fullback for his peewee tackle football team. Not a big kid but pretty tough. He may have been able to shoot 40 lbs. this year but notice I said "shoot accurately". I have higher standards than most and don't think anyone should shoot an arrow at a live animal unless they know where it is going. Before the compound was invented any kids shooting a 40 lb. longbow accurately WOULD have been superhuman. Most adults I see at 3D shoots with traditional gear have no business hunting, but like all these posts, that's just my opinion.