sproulman

why dont you see hunters with crossbows in virginia

Cornelius08

"poacher wants a QUICK KILL so he can load deer up and get out of "

Because the noise of his weapon makes it necessary. Also, a lung shot deer with an arrow (or bolt in this case) don't run very far. Might even be better for it to get out of sight slightly.

"using say a 22 mag , he aims for head of deer.
deer will go right down."

22 mags are loud.

"respectfully to you, you are right but i feel the 22 mag is one they use most unless a shot will alert others like in a state park area or near homes ."

Id say now that probably is the case because xguns arent widespread due to not being legal most areas during archery.Id imagine it would matter how "remote" your area was as well. There are plenty of farmland areas and other areas of the state that arent the big northwoods that one wouldnt be very wise to crack off with a 22 mag

Judging by all the poachers Ive read about being caught by wcos while on night patrol ineven the big woods areas in game news and others, Id say less noise would be wise even in the less populated areas if possible.

bowtruck

they wouldnt want the deer to run so i dont think they would use x bow
most probaly wouldnt shoot that close to a house and most times
you see 2 or3 guy jump out grab it within a min there driving down the road
22 or 22mag would be my guess as to what they use 99% of the time

Cornelius08

I disagree. I think most wouldnt be concerned about a deer running 20-75 yards with its lungs shot out. Especially when it is no harder to get it than it would be if it were shot with a rifle at 100 yards. And NO noise. One guy dropped off to get it. Piece of cake.

Also we are talking only about night hunting from the road... What about sitting in a stand? What about hunting on foot near home?

Ihave zero doubtthat crossbows will add to the poaching. How much is debatable. Might not be a ton more, but just some "switching over" from time to time.

My main reasons for being against inclusion are not poaching, that is just a secondary maleffect concern. Ive already addressed the others which I feel much more strongly about anyway.

Screamin Steel

For that matter, a good archer with a compound bow and access to a bait pile can quietly slaughter dozens of deer, esp in late winter when the woods are empty and food in limited supply. No matter the weapon, poachers have been doing their deed for centuries. Recent surges in the privatization ofwildlife only encourage the practice as an act of defiance.

sproulman

HORNS are driving most of it in my area.

Buck Hunter 1

here you go w/ all of your accusations about Xbow hunters. Parking lot talk because you won't open your eyes to reality. My mother who is 83 doesn't spread rumors as fast as the bunch here. The dirges you sing amuse me. Elitism shows in everything you write and the more i push back the more your true colors are uncivered. You are the only true hunters, you are the woodsman, you are the only guys who spend time in the woods patterning, working and spotting the buck.........Sproul, I love you man but 43 bolts? The rest of you guys on here, God Bless you and your stubborness. Your belief that because i shoot a Xbow I am an inferior hunter is so misguided and wrong.You ask for all the shots you get because your thought process are so narrow and wrong. I'm a bait pile hunter because i use a Xbow, now I'm a poacher because I use a Xbow, next you reason I am going to be thesevere reduction of the herd in PA because i use a Xbow.Let me clue you pal, your game program was screwed long before any Xbow came into the woods legally. 900,000 hunters and shrinking, why??? Probably because you definitely do not present a very welcome attitude w/ this elitism spewed on these pages. If i don't step in line w/ you I am an Ohio hunter w/ no skills, not a progressive hunter, not a land manager and not welcome! great job all of you! All your powerful Organizations in PA have reallyt made a difference in the PAPGC attitude towards hunters! Oh that's right you got what yopu want and to h_ _l w/ wvery other hunting discipline! Now I get it and you have proved it, if i don't hunt compound only I am not worthy to hunt the same woods as you. Great.........I will continue to support the Xbow lobby and will start supporting the Inline Lobby as they battle your narrow minded thoughts and anti hunter diatribes. Yes, I shoot the flintlock as well, but i wear my goretex and hand warmers, so traditon don't count it's plain fun. I will support these high powered lobbiebecause your narrow sights and anti hunting speeches will be the death of any hunting futures in PA.

the outsider

Pandora's box was opened a long time ago when the PGC allowed compound bows in PA. Then along came in-line muzzloaders with scopes(may as well be usinga centerfire rifle)I disagreed with both decisions.

So unless you are a purist using a bow with no mechanical advantage (i.e. longbow), or you use a flintlock with roundballs, I don't see how you can b*tch about crossbows. It's way too late for that.

Confused

That was a pretty good post.

Lanse couche couche

When i was younger and didnt know any better, i spent a lot of time hanging out with guys with .22's and headlights in their trucks, if you know what i mean. Trust me, compared to a .22 carbine, a crossbow is too expensive,too big andclumsy, andnot accurate enoughfor "after hours" deer hunting, especially if it is being done from an automobile. Those who think that the crossbow is some sort of night time poacher's dream weapon are just flat wrong. As for those who want to poach during the day, agood compound bow is gonna be preferred over a crossbow because it provides a much quicker second shot, andmostpoachers aregonna go for more than one deer in a group if they have a chance.