I have talked with alot of people that tried to get permits (different States, different regulations). Prime example I will use is me, so I will not infrenge on someone else's privicy. Many years ago, when I was 19 I dislocated my shoulder playing a pickup game of football. I already had 4 years of shooting a Browning Bushmaster 50% let off compound. I could constantly stick 7 arrows inside a 3 inch plastic lid at 30 yards so I do know what it takes to be efficent with the vertical bows. Well my shoulder, when it was dislocated, rolled out of the socket on the bottom. It was my left shoulder and I am right handed. When I tried to shoot my compound a few years later, I felt the shoulder start to roll out again and was able to release the arrow safely before the shoulder popped. I no longer feel that it is safe for me to shoot the compound, I believe that most everyone else would feel the same.

The trouble is, most States would not reconize me as having a disability so I would be limited from archery hunting. Is this fair, no it is not. The only reason people like me are stopped from hunting is because of people like the anti-crossbow groups that cry to your government claiming that you want the woods all to yourself and do not want more people into it. Heck in New York, if you have the ability of moving a trigger finger, you are not disabiled enough to qualify. Now an example of a friend in the southern States, he messed up his shoulder this year and could not pull back his bow. He did not hunt at all because of this. Is this fair, no it is not. He should have had the right to go and pick up another bow (crossbow) and do his hunting. The crossbow is only another hunting tool, that is all it is.

Now back is 2001 or 2002, the US Federal government ruled that it is discrimination to stop hunters from using the crossbow to hunt if they have a disability. That is, any disability that restricts the use of a vertical bow. They also ruled that there should not be any extra costs assosiated with any permits that may be needed unless every able bodied hunter has to incure the same costs. Interesting HUH!!!!! Now abouut the extra costs, I do not know about your area, but most areas when you get a Dr to fill out a form, you have to pay him. Then, you might consider the possible time off work needed to get to the Drs for him to check you out for the disability, also the gas to get you there and back. Might even be parking fees when you get there. These are all expenses that the disabled hunter would have to go through which the abled bodied hunter does not. It this fair ..... NO IT IS NOT!!!!!

You see, people are getting tired of being discriminated against and when comments are made by anti-crossbow groups, basicly saying that I do not want you in my woods becasue I do not want anyone else there, they get upset. I honestly do not blame them. On top of that, they are talking about hunting on PUBLIC LAND, land that they have as much right to hunt on as they do, it is not your (the anti's) perrsonal land.

Now to the point of the elderly or slight bodied people. I had a Girlfriend a while back that was 5'5" and 120lbs. She was not very musciular and would never be able to draw back a hunting bow and hold it to be eithically compitant to hunt. There are also many youth that are in the same situation. I know many youths that have started to hunt with the crossbow and switched to the compound when they got bigger. Now they have the choice to choose what ever bow they want that day. I also know of many elderly that stop hunting because they can no longer safely draw their compounds.

We as hunters need to increase our numbers becasue we aer constantly fighting a fight to keep our rights of hunting. New youths need to start earlier (before the girlfriends/boyfriends get into their life) so if that means they start with the crossbow, then that is good for everyone. If we do not increase our numbers, the antihunters wil win out and you will not have a season to hunt in or ague to stop us from hunting in. That is just the basic facts and the truth. I am sorry if I was too blunt for you.