First, I am NOT an advocate of the crossbow. I have shot one and killed deer with one and I personally much prefer the compound.

That being said, I hunt a lot in 2B where crossbows have been legal for some time now and I haven't seen any real difference in hunter numbers. This is a very populated area and hunting pressure has always been high including in the bow season. As a nmatter of fact, all hunter numbers in both archery season and gun season have declined slightly in theparts of 2B whereI hunt. I even notice fewer trucks and cars parked in areas that I dont hunt butthat I drive past in hunting season.One mans experiences cant always be expected to represent a whole area but my experience has been that very little difference has been made by the crossbow in 2B.

Again, I don't really care for crossbows but I no longer fear them as the ruination of our bow season. If anything, maybe we ought to use the controversy of this issue to press for mandatory bowhunter ed forall weapons that propell an arrow, bolt, atlatl dart, or whatever.

Mandatory bowhunter ed wouldprevent a swell of miguided hunters looking for a shortcut or the "easy way" which is what many crossbow opponentsseem worried about.

Personally, I dont worry about a few more hunters in archery season no matter what they caryy, but the thought of anything that would encourage the opening day wonder type does worry me.