DJH -------

SEPARATE SEASONS
I, for one, support a separate season and license for the crossbow, regardless of how it overlaps other seasons. All seven of the states that allow crossbow without any restrictions and the eighteen that allow the crossbow for hunting during parts of their seasons, include the crossbow under an archery or general deer hunting license. It may be simpler for them to do the paper work that way, but I believe they are missing the boat.

In Ohio for example, there is just a deer license. With that license, you can take you deer with traditional archery equipment, compounds, crossbows, muzzleloaders or firearms. Consequentially, they have no accurate records of how many hunters hunt with each discipline, only estimates. These estimates are based on the animals registered, where you must declare the weapon used to harvest your kill. That seems to me to be pretty loose bookkeeping and just one more reason that throwing around their statistics doesn’t mean much to me because you are talking unsubstantiated numbers. If the states had a separate license for each season, they could do some real documentation and we could discuss the real facts.

I read earlier on this thread the claim that Ohio was loosing gun hunters to archery. In a sense that may be true. If your license is good for any weapon and you have filled it before gun season, you will not be heading out to the woods with a rifle. There are probably thousands of bowhunters in each state that hunt with a rifle or shotgun when that season arrives. I know of many bowhunters in my own state that do that and also pick up a muzzleloader when that season arrives if they have not filled out their tags. I have a number of bowhunting friends that can’t wait for gun season to come so that they can use their pistols to hunt the wily whitetail. Does that make them less of a bowhunter? Not on your life! All I can say it go gettum, Tiger! Bearing that in mind, can we definitely state that a person is either a bowhunter or a gun hunter. I believe not. However, can we state with complete accuracy that we are all hunters regardless of what we use.

The thing that is really amazing about not having a separate season for the crossbow is not only are state wildlife management agencies passing up accurate record keeping, but they are also passing up a fortune in revenue. If they are so crunched for the dollars needed to run their programs, it would seem to me that one more license to sell would be to their benefit. With all of the cross-over hunters claimed by both sides of the debate on this thread, it would seem like they could gather up additioanl fees that would amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars. I would gladly pay for an extra license if it meant having a record of success rates that were worth the paper they were written on.

Therefore, I am strongly in favor of a crossbow season and license that is separate from vertical archery and firearms. I do feel, however, that the crossbow season should overlap the existing archery season (That’s my opinion and I am sticking with it). If each state would implement this policy, they would improve their bottom line and have an accurate record of exactly who is doing their part to help manage the herds they claim are out of control.

DJH -------

Data - I am sorry, but they did not break down the archery harvests. Arkansas seems to be one of those mythical places that believes the crossbow is a legitimate piece of archery equipment. I have read that they don't exisit, but I know that they do.

The Deer Hunting Almanac does have the same type of information for every state in the Union, however so it does make for an interesting reference source. I get it free each year when I renew my subscription to Deer and Deer hunting. It has been very useful to me over the years. Some great stuff in it.

thesource

Oh, I don't know. Anyone who started bowhunting before 1990 or so has a pretty good feel for what you're saying, even with compounds.

Heavy arrows, finger shooters, rudimentary sights (if any), low letoff. Traditional equipment has always been tougher, but it is not heaven and earth tougher.

I think stick bows are easier to shoot than compounds - they're just tougher to shoot well.

datamax

Expand on that. What is the PURPOSE of hunting with a bow ?

thesource

Relax, dude ....

I should have put a after the last line. I was joking.

My mistake. For the record, I am a firm believer in accuracy (regardless of weapon) and probably hold myself to tougher standards than most.

datamax

thesource - If crossbows are more accurate bows ................. you get my drift huh ?

Back to the question ........ why do we hunt ? Why do you hunt ? Why do I hunt ?

Use to be I shot compounds a LOT - it was the hunting part that I wasn't very good at. Persistant - lucky .......... but not a really good hunter. As I became a better hunter, I realized that any deer coming within 30 yards of me had a very good chance at death. And I could go 6 months and not pick up my bow and then do so and shoot apple groups at 30 yards.

The shooting lost its appeal, its challenge. Enter the OL Adcock longbow ! DAMN !!!!!!!! Tough to shoot - I mean REALLY tough. 4 arrows in a 4" group then 6 arrows splattered from the neck to the ass of my McKenzie - either my focus was off and my anchor good, or my anchor and focus good and my release poor - or all came together and I just hadn't shot enough instinctive to put the arrow there .......... shooting a trad bow is about control, its about mastering the mental aspect of archery, its everything a compound isn't.

So last year I found myself in Kansas, and the bow I took was a new one, and I wasn't shooting it well. Long story short I had to make a decision - continue with my longbow and chance missing/wounding, or switching to my Dad's compound (I hadn't shot a compound hardly any in 3 years) and be armed to make the shot when I got one. I picked up my Dad's compound, 30 shots later was drilling the target and went hunting. 4 mornings later I tagged my 14 point non-typical Kansas deer.

I shifted from the challenge of the Hunt and the challenge of the shooting to the challenge of the hunt and knowing I would kill whatever came my way. And I did just that.

I have 5 acres of land, quite a few deer. I have a 6 year old girl. When/if she ever wants to hunt at an early age - I'll buy her a crossbow and we'll sit together and see what happens. Ya'll have your ways and that would never materialize. I'll be the happiest Dad if/when that happens - and some of ya'll wouldn't even call her a bowhutner and look down on her for joining the ranks of bowhunters.

[&o][&o][&o]

recurver67

[quote]its about mastering the mental aspect of archery Datamax, where does your crossbow fit in to this. How to cock it ,don't forget to add the bolt, safety on/off. Scope or pin . I would never raise my kids to think they were a bowhunter if they did'nt carry a bow ,compound or traditional. I had a hard time talking them into a compound.

I shifted from the challenge of the Hunt and the challenge of the shooting to the challenge of the hunt and knowing I would kill whatever came my way. And I did just that.


And you did this with your crossbow or what ever and why?

recurver67

She would be a deerhunter and a good one , I would be proud of her also.

datamax

I chose a compound . a crossbow would have been virtually the same.

recurver67 - she will be a Bowhunter, and I hope I teach her better than to look down on others choice of weapons like you do [&o]

recurver67

You still did'nt answer the complete question. I don't look down on anyone, I just call a spade a spade or a crossbow hunter a crossbow hunter. I have'nt taught my daughters to shoot everything in range that they can. Take your crossbow in the the woods undrawn and draw it only when the animal is in range, then I will call you a "BOWHUNTER".