Datamax, I hunt with a compound and a recurve and have taken quite a few deer with both.
As far as state of NH's rule -
The Department also offers permits to people with disabilities who want to hunt using a crossbow. To qualify, you must have a permanent physical disability that prevents you from using a conventional bow or a compound bow.
You BLOCKHEAD... .it states that in order to hunt during "ARCHERY" season you can't be able to use a "conventional bow or a compound bow" in order to use a crossbow. So they allow you to use equipment not considered archery gear .... which backs up my point 100%, crossbows are not considered archery hunting equipment in NH. They appear to make exceptions for those unable to use archery equipment though.
I think disabled people have had some tough brakes and it's time that they were given some help in order to make their goals more easily obtainable. I find it very disturbing that people like you want to make it so difficult for people to get out and enjoy the beauty and majesty that is hunting. I will admit that you are one of the greedier and more cold hearted people that I have ever run across.
Disabled people .... not perfectly able bodied hunters who want to get around the difficulty and practice necessary to hunt with a bow. As far as me being "greedy" and "cold hearted", there are more than a few on this board who know me personally. More than a few of those are guys I have helped introduce to archery, and helped in getting them access to decent hunting areas. Being considered those things from the likes of you, considering how little thought you have drafted into your responses ... I can live with it.
Does anyone feel that we have to make it so ANYBODY can hunt during archery season? If you physically can't hunt with a bow, you are an exception .. and I showed you above there are options even then. If NH allows crossbow use for the disabled during archery season, I'm 100% ok with that. As far as "Crossbow Hunting", I still believe it should be in a Crossbow Season, just like a Muzzleloader Season, if they had an over lap with Archery Season, I would be ok with it.