Bob H in NH if your archery season is that crowded, perhaps you need to start an intiative to ban compounds ? I bet 95% of your archery hunters are compound shooter are they not ? I looked and could not find what total percentage of your states deer harvest was gun killed and archery killed. Do you know ? My point is, most states from a harvest/management tool views shows archery kill a minimal impact. In states that they have a significant impact, its compound shooters doing the killing. So suggesting that a crossbow would be an impact like you suggest is merely pointing out the existing impact and subsequent problems that the compound bow presents, doesn't it ?
Your claim of 3-5 inch groups at 20 yards, I don't consider that hunt ready, consistent 3 inch groups, sure, but 5 inch groups, nope
Then you must be 100% against recurve and longbow shooters ? They do not hold near that kind of grouping.
I have taught new archers to shoot compounds and had them inside 5 inch groups in well under 30 minutes. I have helped new crossbow shooters, who were already gun shooters, and they were slapping arrows against each other within 15 minutes. HUGE difference.
30 minutes to accuracy vs 15 minutes ........... thats not huge at all. A rifle takes that long to sight in. 3" groups with a rifle aint bad and you're expecting this of compounds ? But for arguments sake, let us assume that the crossbow, compound shooters can hold 3" groups to 25 yards. A recurve/longbow shooter can never hold those groups even the best of the best can't.
It seems that people use the " crossbow is easier " argument to validate banning them from archery season when compared to compounds. Yet when people say " compounds are easier " to validate banning them from archery season when compared to recurve/longbows it gets very quiet.
Can you explain that based on your views of accuracy between those weapons ?