Originally Posted by
WV Gino
> Just remember you have 300,000 bow hunters after the crossbow was made le
gal, but very few prior!!
There were actually tons and tons of guys hunting with x-bows before PA made them legal statewide. 30% of 2B, 5C and 5D archery season harvests were by x-bows. In the rest of PA the figure was around 15%. The GC has had to issue something like 60,000 handicapped permits allowing x-bows. Guys who wanted to hunt with x-bows were already do so via "handicap" permits.
PA has a long history of "bow" hunting. X-bows were made legal from the get go in OH. I expect the perctage to rise in PA but I doubt it ends up as high as the 60% in OH.
WV Gino
In 2009 bow hunters harvested 30.59% of our total antlered buck harvest. Even when our bow hunter numbers were at its highest point did we hit the 30% mark.
And you havent seen nothing yet, just wait another 4-5 years and see what % of the total antlered harvest took place in archery season. Heck just wait fot the 2010 harvest numbers!! It will take a few years of bow hunters converting, gun hunters taking up hunting with a crossbow and new hunters to the sport starting out with the crossbow to see the true results. I know numerous hunters that purchased new compound bows in 2007-2009 that cannot wait until its time for their next bow purchase because they cant justify spending another $700-$1,000 on a crossbow when they just recently spent the same amount on a compound that is still in brand new condition. The UBP better start kissing the crossbow hunters butts and atleast offer them a seat at the table with open arms. Because in less than 5 years the crossbow hunters will make up the majority of bow hunters and the UBP. will be lucky if the crossbow hunters decide to give them the scraps from the table let alone a seat at it. The UBP is about to learn that if you lay down with dogs (AKA. the PGC) you get flea's. Pike