Yes but I was NOT pushing for the states legal definition rather I was pushing for the ACTUAL definition. To be honest, I don't care what the states think is or is not a bow. It dosen't matter what they think when it comes to "is a crossbow actually a bow or not". When it DOES matter is when the states vote on whether you are allowed to use that weapon (any weapon) or not. That however still does not CHANGE what that weapon (or any weapon) is, it just makes it illegal, thats all.

As of now most won't allow you to use them with the exception of the handicapped, they are allowed to. Some are allowed in the archery season, like here in Illinois and some are allowed in the gun season. It does not make either one right or wrong, just that particular states decision, for whatever reason.

I do believe a crossbow is a form of a bow and therefore belongs in bow season. Now that being said, I also understand (what I believe to be at least) everyone's main problem with them, and that is you don't have to draw in the presence of the deer and you don't have to worry about an anchor point, bow torque etc....and because it has a stock and you can rest it on something, assuming a rest is available.

I understand these points and they make me think as well. I guess (to me at least) they are not enough to overcome the obvious similarities that both share. To me there are so many similarities ie: limbs, cams, cables, string, projectile, type of energy, how said energy is stored, sights, trigger releases, arrow rests, attached quivers and the list goes on and on. It's hard not to consider them bows.

Then I factor in the fact the the actual hunt is the same and nothing changes in the set up or stalk or stand selection or anything for that matter. I believe if you saw a person in the woods without a weapon, and this person was just scouting for a place to put his tree stand or ground blind. You could not tell by the location of his stand if he was a compound bow hunter or a crossbow hunter. But if he was a rifle, slug gun or muzzle loader hunter you could tell, because there would not be that attention to the small details that would enable him to get close enough for a clean kill. It would not matter because lets face it you don't HAVE to be that close to get a clean kill shot with a rifle, slug gun or muzzle loader.

I think if there was ever a point I was trying to make that everyone here can understand, it's that one.

Now I'm not going to muddy up this post by listing all the differences between a compound bow and a long bow. I just want to make the point that pretty much the only thing that the two have in common that a crossbow does not, is they are both hand held and hand drawn. Other than that they are day and night. I bring this up because at one point in our history this "new and different" bow was trying to inch it's way into bow hunting and was eventually accepted. By doing this the whole face of bow hunting was changed. Some say for the worse and some say for the better but all agree it was changed. I know you don't see the differences to be that big now, but you are used to compounds. Imagine how strange and different they must have looked back then? Hell look at some pictures of the first compound bows, they still look strange

But, the bowhunting community opened their collective arms to them and here we are today. Where would we be if they didn't?

I only make this comparison between the long bow and compound bow to get some of you to think "outside" the box if only for a second or two. I am not basing my argument on it (I left that for the similarities between the crossbow and the compound bow) because it IS so selective. I just wanted to give you something else that you can add to the whole thought process.


Please try to see it as I do. After factoring in all of the similarities in the one case and the differences in the other case. I can't help but deduct that a crossbow is more bow like than anything else.

Then add in the whole dictionary definition thing on top of all that. Is it really that far of a stretch.....is it?