Forgive me for taking part of your comment out of context, Scoobie, but that is a well worn crossbow catch phrase and I think this would be a good time to discuss motivation.

It's not fear. It's not even 'selfishness'.... another time-honored crossbow hotword. It's simply that bowhunters believe archery season has always been, and should always be, for BOWS. Curiously enough, the same arguments that are floating around now in the crossbow debate are exactly the same arguments that were floating around 35 years ago during the compound debate. We knew way back then the compound would lead directly to the crossbow.

There is not a whole lot of functional difference between crossbows and one of today's high letoff bows. Whether you lift the crossbow into position and flip off the safety 2-3 minutes before taking the shot or whether you draw the bow and hold for the same 2-3 minutes before taking the shot - either way, you are NOT drawing in the immediate presence of the animal. So that argument is now moot. Does it matter that the mechanical release is integral to the weapon or a seperate, stand alone piece of equipment? No. Also a moot point. A 300 fps crossbow bolt is no more deadly nor does it have greater range than a 300 fps arrow. Another moot point.

There are only two advantages a crossbow has over a high letoff compound... 1) It can be shot from a rest. 2) It can be shot from the prone position.

I am thoroughly disgusted with Pope and Young Club for breaking faith and dropping their maximum letoff rule, not to mention all the state organizations that have followed suit. The PBS anti-crossbow committee is a wonder to behold. They can't come up with any arguments against the crossbow that hold water without also condemning the modern high letoff compound, so they make up stuff. None of these organizations have any credibility left on their anti-crossbow stances.

And that's where I find myself. I cannot oppose crossbows while saying high letoff compounds are acceptable. I may be a lot of things, but I am not a hypocrite. Having said that, I still think bow season should always be for BOWhunters and crossbows limited to the *truly* disabled. HOWEVER, if I were king, I'd have to make changes: Any bow over 65% actual letoff would be defined as a crossbow and be subject to the same exclusion. I would also limit mechanical releases to the disabled.

Actually, just getting rid of the mechanical release would erase 90% of the similarities between compounds and crossbows.

Cardeer, the Texas law would prevent you from hunting in bow season, but that's only the month of October. It'd leave you another 2 months, even 3 months with a little careful planning, of general season to hunt deer with whatever weapon you want.