Buck Magnet,

Your estimate of new bow/X-bow hunters amazed me. You said that Pa. has one million hunters of which 350,000 are archers. If the X-bow attracted 350,000 new gun hunters to try the X-bow that would require over half the gun owners to buy a X-bow. Not very likly. Perhaps 10% at most. And many of them won't last more than a few seasons when they find out that except for being held at drw for them the X-bow has all the other limitations. So five years after the X-bow was allowed I doubt you'd have more than 40,000 "new archers" that you other wise wouldn't have.

I learned a number of things from the other thread that got locked about this issue.

1. BOTH weapons have a good number of "bells and whistles" that can be added at extra cost. I first though that the X-bow had a advantage in this area when looking in my hunting equipment catalogs. The X-bow can use a scope after all. But when I consider just how much help a scope would be at 30 yards or less vs. a scopes limited field of veiw I don't see one having much advantage over the other.

2. Many long bow (all types of verticle bows) hunters seem to have a real fear of allowing the X-bow for fear it will shorten their seasons.

3. A perception by many that the X-bow is somehow "unfair". I don't get this one at all. If true, then the compound should also be condemned as it shares many advantages over recurve and long bow. I alos wonder why the state of Ohio has more verticle bow hunters than X-bow hunters even though both have been legal there for years. Choice of the individual. Or just because the X-bow isn't as huge a advantage as some think.

4. A allowance of the X-bow as a legal to use for all sportsmen for deer hunting would be a help in areas that need greater numbers of deer to be taken. Although this would be mimimal as Ohio shows the X-bow wouldn't add greatly to hunter numbers.

5. both these weapons use stick and string and suffer the limits there of. Both require a strong commitment to time scouting, placeing of stands, good camo, use of wind and many other factors that could be included. What it all boils down to is one is already at drawn when the deer arrives, the other isn't. The holding of the bow at draw means little or nothing. With compounds now being sold with a 83% let off there isn't much to hold, only the motion of drawing it. And there is motion in raiseing the X-bow to shoulder it for a shot as well, NOT as much as the long arm movments required to draw a bow of any other type but still a fair amount. And any movement can easily spook deer.

The question asked by HNI Visitor is, I think, really asking why they arn't allowed for all hunters to use. And there isn't any reason based on biology or any other sound proofs. Only bias amoung hunters themselves, and that is a sad thing.

While I don't hunt with either of these two weapons I do think the X-bow should be allowed to all. Let all hunt with the weapon of choice. The seasons will be set acording to what the needs are of the resourse, as it should be. The choice of weapon to use to take a deer, should be a individual one.