Crossbows proposal would provide more opportunity for disabled, seniors
Saturday, April 07, 2007
By Bob Gwizdz
LANSING -- The Natural Resources Commission will consider new regulations at its monthly meeting Thursday that will make it easier for people with disabilities to qualify for a crossbow permit for deer hunting and will automatically allow all senior citizens to use the licenses.
The proposed regulations will reduce the threshold of disability from 80 percent to 60 percent to qualify for a crossbow permit and will streamline the process, making it easier and in some ways less expensive for hunters to be certified by the medical community.
In addition, anyone who is 65 or older would be allowed to use a crossbow during archery deer season.
"There have been concerns in the past that the restrictions for those with physical disabilities were a little too stringent," said Rod Clute, the big game specialist at the Department of Natural Resources. "We're looking to relax those a little bit to make them a little more user-friendly."
Among the recommendations is that would-be crossbow users would no longer have to see a doctor to be certified, Clute said. Currently, those seeking crossbow permits must be referred to a physical therapist by a doctor before they can be certified.
"I don't think there's any controversy on that," Clute said. "It streamlines the process."
Clute said there is a lot of support at the DNR for automatically qualifying senior citizens to use crossbows, especially in the law enforcement division.
But organized bow hunting groups have often taken a dim view of crossbows, and many members are not pleased about the senior citizen provisions.
Clute, however, says he has no problem with them.
"Our society has arbitrarily established age for a lot of things -- getting a drivers license, possessing alcohol -- and we have arbitrarily decided that 65 is the prevailing line that people cross that makes them senior citizens," he said.
Clute said the issue is biologically neutral.
"If you look at other states that allow crossbows, they appear to be no more or less efficient than a vertical bow," he said. "And it's a situation where we as an agency want to provide outdoor recreational opportunity to as many people as possible.
"We're not saying that when you turn 65 you're decrepit, but there are a lot of people who have difficulty using a conventional bow. We're not saying that when you turn 65, throw your compound bow away and get a crossbow, but this gives an opportunity to those people who just had to do that."
The NRC will hear testimony and debate the proposition at Thursday's meeting with a final decision on the issue expected in May.
If you live in MI and are for this bill, I would urge you to go to the meeting so your voice can be heard. There will certainly be peolpe there against it.
Randy
Thats pretty cool! I would also say this is them loosening there belt a little and you can see the writing on the wall for where it will be headed! I think its great! Any one that thinks a person is over 65 should not be allowed to go back into the woods is nuts!! Hope it works out.
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Hunting is like Marriage, you get out of it what you put in it. Sometimes you score and sometimes you don't, but its always fun going out!
MI Disabled and Senior Bill
