Originally Posted by Pydpiper

No offence taken, I have seen this mindset many times.
First thing I need to address is that I do not in any way think gun hunters are dangerous, but this is a perfect example of what I am attempting to relate to you. It appears you are determined to seek out the worst in your fellow hunters, and I am going to make an attempt at explaining "the mind of an arrow-gun shooter". Before I continue, I need you to know that I do indeed hunt with a crossbow, I also hunt with a compound and as of the last couple years I have been shooting a recurve in hopes of getting good enough with it to pursue game.
You made reference to me saying that gun hunters are unsafe, I will use this to set precedence as to how I am beginning to understand how you think. If you look back you will see that I specifically used the words "where I hunt", I chose those words because it is all I know, here, where I live the hunting parcels are small, a guy with a gun on one side of a 2 acre bush and a bowhunter hidden in a tree on the other has potential to be unsafe. It is becoming apparent that you are going to try to put words in my mouth, but so it is clear right now, I will not let that happen. I do not think gun hunters are unsafe, clear?
Now back to the bows.
I am probably about to show some of my lack of experience here, but I have never heard the term "selfbow", I have spent years reading about bows and bow hunting on forums, in books and I am a bit disappointed in myself for not understanding what you feel is appropriate terminology. When I got to the term "arrow-gun" I figured this thread just may have something new to teach me, unfortunately I was incorrect.
It seems that most people of your prejudice feel that a new crossbow hunter in the woods is going to alter your hunt, be it by reducing numbers or what ever the complaint of the day happens to be. You then mention swapping bows with another person to prove your point, and if you are offering up a long bow or recurve than I would absolutely agree with you, the difficulty level of using one of those bows is significantly harder than using a crossbow. If it is about a compound, then I wholeheartedly disagree. Seeing how you decided to use a doe as a target for your "challenge" opposed to paper then I can only assume that you hunt. What separates you from a gun hunter when you are in the woods? It is range, it is your ability to get "arrow close" to a deer that makes you a bow hunter. So what if every guy in the world can pick up a crossbow and shoot it with enough skill to kill a deer? If a moron can pick up a crossbow that doesn't automatically give him a magical ability to get 20 yards from a deer, does that make sense? Idiots come in all flavors, and I assure you, I have met my share who carry crossbows, but I have met the same amount who carry vertical bows in to the field too. The only people who will succeed at being a "bowhunter" are those with hunting skills, and if you have those skills the tool in your hand is not important.
I am saying that crossbows will have no influential impact on deer herds, only a skilled bowhunter can do that, a skilled bowhunter can harvest a deer with what ever tool he chooses.
If you want a real good look in to the mind of a crossbow hunter, just look in the mirror, you have it in you, but first you will have to step back and look at the facts, put your prejudices aside and understand, if even for a single moment that a crossbow is not a magic tool that kills deer all on it's own, there has to be a man behind that bow, and I assure you, if that man is successful he is indeed a bowhunter.

One more quick peek in to the mind of an arrow-gun guy..
There will be a time when I am proficient enough to take my recurve in to the woods to harvest a deer, when that time comes I will never turn my back on other hunters. I think you will find that with most hunters of every discipline. Our sport of hunting will always be polluted with people who think that what they do is best, and we ever do see a collapse it will be at our own hands, your post is a perfect example of why, it is derogotory to hunters as well as their ability to choose.
Your profile says you are an engineer, if that is the case than I really don't need to explain to you why a "gun" is comprised of more than just a trigger. My compound has a trigger too.
Most importantly, I do understand that an arrow is just an arrow.

If you are trolling for an argument then I am out, but if you are serious about understanding what the heart of a bowhunter sounds like then keep the questions coming. And please, spare the "I think they just need their own season" for someone who doesn't know better.