It's a tough call, and certainly there are lots of opinions.

I think a lot of it is grumble by hunters who don't want more hunters in the field. You'd be amazed how many people I hear complain about the youth only gun season we have that is like a week or two before the major gun season. Why? because kids get a chance at big bucks before the regular guys......sad really youth is the future of this sport, best to give them good experiences. You have guys so bent on getting a big buck they practically force their kid into the youth season. The archers complain that the gun season is during the rut and the gun hunters complain the archery season opens 2-3 weeks before the gun season. Then the gun hunters complain they have to enter a lottery for a specific area for their deer tag where the bow hunters can hunt anywhere for any type of deer. The bow hunters argue rifle hutning is too easy, and the gun hunters argue how hard is it to shoot a deer under a bait site. If hunters argued less and worked together more we'd have a lot less worry about our hunting rights.

I've shot a friends crossbow a little and they most certainly take practice, anyone that thinks they are like shooting a rifle has never tried one before. I'm more accurate with my compound bow than I was with that crossbow, at any yardage. It would take me a good amount of practice to get anywhere near as good with one.

No one would be forced to use a crossbow but it would be a nice option for youth who may not be capable of drawing and accurately shooting a 40lb bow or more depending on state regulations.

New technology has always been fought, before compounds were allowed the traditional archers were up in arms about letting those in the bow seasons, then it was range finders, lighted pins are still illegal many places, everytime the let off % goes up people are up in arms about that.

I mean maybe bow season needs to go back to traditional only, no release, no cams, no sights, frankly I feel sorry for the deer then because I've seen most of those traditional shooters shoot, a very small percent of them are very good, some even amazing, but most of them can't hit a whole deer at 20 yards reliably, much less the vitals.

Muzzleloading is getting to be as much of a joke, these days you can buy a muzzleloader that will shoot 4" groups at 500 yards at close to 3000 fps.....mise well put them in with the normal gun season.

Maybe that's not a bad idea.......put all the seasons together, You have a 6-12 week season whatever your state decides is good, and during that season any legal weapon is allowable. If you want to use a crossbow, muzzleloader, gun, traditional bow, handgun, etc. so be it.

I believe as someone else said if a person is going to hunt unprepared and unethically, they will do it with any weapon, if they are not going to practice to ensure they make a good clean kill, it won't matter what weapon they have.