I hunt New York, mostly archery but some ML and shotgun.

The only issue I think I have with combining archery equipment (and by that I mean bows) and crossbows during the same season is what has happened in Ohio. 60+% of all deer killed during archery season are shot with crossbows in Ohio. That scares me frankly. 60% of archery deer are killed with crossbows. Bows do not take 1/2 of the animals in that state's archery season. Ohio has a 7 day gun season? Why... I think because they kill so many deer with crossbows and bows and ML's that the fire arm guys are forced to hunt with another weapon if they want some time in the woods. Reduce the crossbow season, lengthen the fire arm season and you have balance. Crossbows are a more efficient hunting weapon than archery equipment. Not by much, but enough to make a difference. As many have said.. look at Ohio. The success percentage of crossbow hunters is greater than archers. By lumping them together you have to manage them together.

One other issue I have with crossbows is their exploitation by the anti-firearm crowd. New York has it's shotgun only areas, with the addition of the crossbow we all KNOW it will be just a matter of time before the anti-gun crowd will see the more efficient crossbow as an excellent gun alternative for hunters.