whats your question, first you sound like your downing the guys using them and then you say your wife is looking at you funny while your looking at them, if it seems like an unfair advantage go to the traditional bow hunting page and tell them your thinking about buying a compound bow, but i'm having a hard time understanding what you want to know.

, those are the rules, there not saying you have to do that but you have the option, use a shotgun , use a traditional gun hell use a bow, if you want to be a purest build another gun but this time make the barrel, cut the tree for the stock, do some smith work for a trigger, that would be blacksmith work, and hunt with that. i don't care what you hunt with if the state you live in has determined it's leagal, my state, Alabama, has declared crossbows leagal, do i have one, no, do i want one, no. i'd rather use my compound, its all a matter of choice and the crossbow would not extend my season, but i dont mind that other people like the idea...............