I am not sure where to start here, so I will try to address your comments in order...

Let me first state that I am NOT trying to argue with you, ELK guy(too many letters in your name!) I am merely addressing the crossbow issue, and you seem to be the only one discussing it right now.

What do I do with my old bows? First, I thank you for getting more people into our sport....

I sell some of my old bows(I get 3-5 new ones per year)and like you, I give many of them away. I am finishing up putting different cams on my 2004 Hoyt XTec now to send to a serviceman in Iraq right now.

You say that it is EASY to shoot 3" groups all the time at 40 yards with a crossbow. Can we agree that that translates into 1.5" groups at 20 yards?

The most EXPENSIVE target crossbows cannot seem to accomplish that feat at Vegas every winter, and that is with serious archers shooting them.
quote:

I think people will use the xbow as a cruch.I allso think people will try to get there little kids shooting animals befor they have the maturity to BOW hunt


This may be true regarding the young kids, but if a dad is gonna do this, then he would do it with a rifle just as quick.

Look into the state of Ohios statistics with crossbows....they have been legal there for many, many years...and Ohios deer herd is as healthy as can be.
quote:

It will allso give a bunch of rifle hunters the eazy way out.


This have not been the case in any states that have legalized them yet, but if it were to come true.....would you not prefer to have these hunters making clean hits with a crossbow, as opposed to the alternative?

You sound like you have been hunting for a long time, as have I....so you already know that a HUGE portion of our verticle bow hunters really have no business flinging arrows at live game with the lack of practice they put in. This is sad but true.
quote:

You would have to SHOW any kids the how the xbow and bows are the same.


While a crossbow is not EXACTLY the same as a verticle bow, it does shoot an arrow at speeds almost exactly the same as a good compound.

It does have the same effective range as a compound.

It does require the SAME skills as a hunter to get the game within those same range limitations.

It does propel an arrow with limbs and a string.

Lets face it.....for a bowhunter that has put in some practice, compound bows are 1000 times easier to kill with than a traditional bow, and a crossbow is NO easier to kill with than a compound bow.

That is just the way it is.

Remember, I do not hunt with a crossbow. I do not own a crossbow. I do not even really like crossbows. But they are coming, slowly but surely, because there is no legitimate reason to keep them out of archery season.

So you and I might as well get used to the idea......

_____________________________

Team NON-TYPICAL!