RE: Crossbow ?
"Why is Ohio's crossbow harvest higher than it's vertical bow harvest?"
Because there are more folks hunting with crossbows than regular bows there according to their 2003 Harvest Summary . Crossbows were liberalized in Ohio over 20 years ago .
Currently Indiana is relaxing a bit on the crossbow and the bow hunters here are just as worried as you are . They've been fighting it tooth and nail for all of the reasons that you stated , and some that just don't make sense . If lazy stupid hunters are all you're worried about then relax , crossbows are intimidating to someone who only gun hunts . They don't like to fuss wth all the things you have to do to send an arrow downrange with accuracy . They also don't like knowing that they only get one shot with no chance of a follow up shot . At most you'll probably have some muzzleloader hunters continuing with it after the first season .