Vern, my knowledge has been accumulated over the past 25 years when I got involved in the anti-crossbow campain. Not long after compounds were generally accepted, crossbow makers decided that maybe the time was right for them to push for legalization and several of them have gone whole hog ever since. Especially Bernie Horton of Horton Crossbows and his gang of lobbyists.

I've done a lot of research about crossbows and have done some hands-on experimenting with the things. The latter is something I would guess few of the anti-crossbow crowd has actually done. My take on crossbows is a little different from most. I do not see them as the scourge of the woods.

Actually, and this is one area where I thoroughly disagree with the propaganda put out by PBS's anti-crossbow committee, I have grave doubts about crossbows as hunting weapons due to their power, range, noise and accuracy. Most of the high end crossbows give performance that today's average, run-of-the-mill compound can meet or exceed. The compound also shoots a longer, more stable arrow with better accuracy, higher retained energy downrange and does it much quieter. As we all know, a quieter shot is less likely to spook an animal into jumping the string, so there is a better likelihood of a clean kill with the compound.

A 70 pound BowTech Black Knight easily equals performance than the meanest crossbow on the market that meets the legal maximum limit of 200 pounds draw weight. A properly set up crossbow in that class is fully capable of taking animals at 50-60 yards in the hands of an expert, but the low end K-Mart specials are so bad - slow, noisy and with so much aim disrupting recoil and shock - that same expert would be a fool if he attempted a shot further than 20 yards with one.

The downfall, just as John Nail pointed out with compounds, is that the crossbow is very appealing to those who percieve it as an easy way to hunt in archery season. We already have far too many so-called 'bowhunters' who refuse to even touch their bows until immediately before the season starts and lock them away again immediately after the season closes. The crossbow would make that problem far worse. The crossbow advocates will debate that point as a gross generalization, but a great many - probably the great majority - of our fellow 'bowhunters' have shown the true depth of laziness inherent in human nature. And it's also human nature to buy the cheapest thing available if you don't intend to make a serious hobby out of shooting.

So. You wind up with inexperienced hunters going into the woods with inferior K-Mart weapons that they have done little more to than a basic sight-in. It's bad enough with bows. Worse with crossbows.

That is why I have always been opposed to crossbows. And that is also why I say compounds have advanced to the point where it's getting very difficult to argue against the crossbow at the same time we're defending compounds.

When compounds were mostly round wheeled and finger shot with speeds less than 250 fps and moderate letoff, we had plenty of room to talk. Now, with speed ratings well over 300 fps and rumors of 400 fps bows, high letoff, mechanical releases, holographic sights, telescopic sights and lazer sights that can be hung on compounds - just as easily as those same type sights can be mounted on crossbows - we're out of wiggle room.

Hand held and hand drawn is the only criteria left to differentiate compounds from crossbows and that is an awful thin argument when comparing the two weapons. Especially when you're splitting hairs in front of a game commission that probably doesn't have a great deal of knowledge about archery in the first place.

For instance, is a bow shot with a mechanical release hooked to the string, and the hand itself not making any contact at all, really hand drawn? How do you hold a crossbow to shoot it if not in your hands? In your mouth? No, it's 'hand held' too. Splitting hairs, as I said, but those arguments are going to be presented. How do we answer so that non-archers can understand?



Edited by - Arthur P on 01/19/2003 01:06:47