I would say that the main argument that bowhunters put up is that in order to shoot a bow, you have to do a lot of setup and practice to be able to hunt with it. It is not something you do overnight, although many an idiot has tried. Not so with a crossbow.

The main fear is that you will have a bunch of yahoos that will buy their crossbow one day and be in the woods with it the next. They also have a decided advantage over a regular bow because they do not have to be drawn. I would have put many more deer down myself if I didn' t have to get the draw on them. It is definitely one of the more difficult aspects of bowhunting.

Plain and simple, many bowhunters feel that a crossbow is a shortcut that takes away the very challenges that we all live for. I love the challenge myself and would only use a crossbow if I couldn' t use my compound.

Personally, I' m not against them. I am kind of on the fence as to whether they should be allowed during archery only season though. I feel that they would fit in better during the muzzle loader season, but that' s just me.