Michigan Legislature to vote on Crossbow Bill.
A bill that would provide for the inclusion of crossbows during Michigan"™ s archery hunting seasons (HB5741) is currently under consideration by the House Committee on Tourism, Outdoor Recreation and Natural Resources and is expected to be brought before the entire House of Representatives in the immediate future.
If you are supportive of eliminating the overly restrictive requirements involved in obtaining a crossbow permit and for allowing Michigan hunters freedom of choice regarding what sort of bow they choose to hunt with during archery season then we encourage you to contact your Representative and urge them to support the passage of this bill (HB 5741)
Here is a link to find out your Representative"™s e-mail address. Please include your name and address on any correspondence that you send them.
http://house.michigan.gov/find_a_rep.asp
Below is a draft of a letter that you can use to voice your support, simply copy and paste it into your e-mail program and fill in the name of your representative and then add your name and contact information or if you prefer simply send them an E-mail voicing support for HB 5741 with your name and address attached so that they can verify that you are a constituent.
The anti-crossbow forces are already rallying opposition to this bill so if you are in support it"™s vital that you engage in the process and voice your support to your Representative.
Dear Representative ______________________
I am writing to urge your support of a bill to amend the crossbow permit application process (HB 5741) Introduced by Representative Sheltrown. I would also strongly urge you to support a revised version of this bill which would eliminate the permitting process and allow the full and unrestricted use of crossbows during any of Michigan"™s hunting seasons that currently allow the use of a bow as a legal weapon.
The current application process for obtaining a crossbow permit is extremely arbitrary and places an undue hardship on individuals who are simply seeking to increase their recreational opportunities and enjoy the pursuit of hunting during archery seasons. There is clear and compelling evidence, from a number of other states, that the expansion of the use of crossbows offers significant positive benefits for the State of Michigan, both from a fiscal standpoint and from a resource management standpoint.
For some time, Michigan has been steadily losing hunters and the related revenue that hunting creates. In the last decade, bow hunter numbers have dropped by 22% or over 80,000 hunters. The DNR depends on hunters to accomplish their management goals and declining numbers of hunters complicates this task. Fewer hunters also reduce the amount of revenue generated for the State and for the DNR. Allowing the unrestricted use of crossbows during archery seasons will help to reverse the trend of declining hunter numbers, with a number of ancillary benefits and without any negative impact on the resource.
As has been demonstrated in many other states, the expansion of crossbow use in archery season presents Michigan with the opportunity to increase hunter participation, increase opportunity and contribute to the responsible management of one of Michigan's most important public resources. I strongly urge you to support the amended version of House Bill 5471 and allow Michigan"™s hunters a choice when choosing which type of bow to use during Michigan"™s archery seasons.
Sincerely yours,
Your name
Address
City, State, Zip
MI Crossbow Bill
