RE: New Bowhunting Law in IL
 

Well said brother.

RE: New Bowhunting Law in IL
 

I agree w/most of the others here. You've earned a right, & contributed enough all the licenses bought over the yrs. At least they'll be out doing what we love. I hope that I can still pull a bow when I'm 62, but would be devestated if I had to give up bow hunting.

RE: New Bowhunting Law in IL
 

Lmao Germ! Good humor, that was needed! Wouldn't that be something if our kids actually hooked up! That would be a site!

RE: New Bowhunting Law in IL
 

You wrong there. I do have a "dog in this fight. As I said this is the internet and has no boarders. There are very many Canadians on here that read posts to learn. When these posts are incorrect and misleading, they can and do lead the uneducated into believing the untruths as the truth. There are still areas in Canada that believe that crossbows are this secret weapon which is way above what it is capable of. This is slowly being corrected. Most of these people learned their ideas from the misleading statements from the anti crowd. You see, this is not just your fight. BTW, I get requests from individuals regually to help them out ...... why is that .. maybe because you Americans are not carring on well enough.

IT is also sad that a people from one country will not accept help from another, which comes with no strings attacked.

RE: New Bowhunting Law in IL
 

I also have a problem with hunters which they they have an effective range out oast 35-40 yards on deer. The trouble is that the Anti-crossbow world has been telling the world that they (the crossbow) is effective out to 100 yards and people have believed that. It is real sad, because that only hurts the whole hunting world. But those people are not only in the crossbow world, they are also in the vertical world. I few weeks ago, I watched a TV show (North American Hunter) which was actually promoting long distance shots. They had a part of the program (3 man pannel) which was "call the shot". THey had a deer out to what I think was 70 yards and asked if you would take the shot. They all basiclly said that if there was a clear shot and the deer was at ease, they would ............ they use compounds.

UMMMMMMM wonder why hunters are taking long shots, which in my opinion is uneithical because of the time it takes the arrow to get there from release.

RE: New Bowhunting Law in IL
 

Uhhh.... yeah. Right... We've already got Mexico trying to help us with our immigration laws. That's aboout all the foriegn interference I think we need for now. Thank you though. I'm sure you're get a letter from our President when we require your assistance with crossbow laws.

RE: New Bowhunting Law in IL
 

Arthur P I think you should fight a fight were you need to fight. As I said, I am not fighting your government or even lobbing them to change their laws. All I am doing is correcting incorrect statements ................. If you do not like that ....... then tooo bad. As I said before ... if HNI wants me to leave, then I will but you are not going to stop me from doing this as the internet knows no boundries and is really callsed as international. Which is why when you purchase a product (unless it is from your own state) your not charged tax.

Sorry to see that your OK for the spreading of misinformation and untruths.

RE: New Bowhunting Law in IL
 

Hey, spreading lies and misinformation is something our government is good at.[8D]

RE: New Bowhunting Law in IL
 

Grumpy, I don't disagree with what you're saying. I disagree with the way you say it. I disagree very much with your combative attitude. Frankly,it's people like you that have so polarized the disagreement over the years that it's contributed to the misinformation, lies and hard feelings.

RE: New Bowhunting Law in IL
 

Arthur I was not combative only corrected their untruths. Then they attacked me, called me names, faulsely accused me of things so I confronted them. Asked them to clarify and then answer a question, but they only sided stepped that question to call me more names and spread more lies.
They still have not answered a simple question, why is that, becasue they know they have no answer that will support their faulse claims.

If your t6alking bout combative ...... then look at them. If you have a problem with what I say, then forward a complaint to HNI

RE: New Bowhunting Law in IL
 

I think its really ridiculous how an issue like allowing an elderly person to use a crossbow in ONE State has turned in to an International incident, and bashing our President!

I'm relatively young, but I would be very happy for senior citizens if the Stateof Michigan allowed them to use a crossbow!

RE: New Bowhunting Law in IL
 

I think I have the solution...........lets just put all the seasons together. Rifle, shotgun, muzzleloader, crossbow, compound, and traditional. Use whatever weapon you want. Everyone wear blaze orange all season long.

RE: New Bowhunting Law in IL
 

Its just a matter of time Greg, I look back over the years at a once very generous archery season that some fought so hard to get, only interrupted by a 2 week gun season. Now we have a youthdeer season 1 week befor bow,we get about 3 weeks to ourselves, then a disabled firearm season, 3 more weeks to ourselves, then the 15 day firearm season, 2 weeks to ourselves, then ML for 10 days that starts mid Dec, with a late firearms that starts while ML is in and goes to the end of the season. So my season has already been cut from 77 down to 57 archery only days in the last 15 years by special seasons, thats about 20% of my Archery only deer season gone!Next it will be the 62 years old season that wants their week or weekend and we will loose another 2 to 7 days. There is now not a period over 3 weeks long that someone is not shooting at deer with a firearm from the end of Sept to 1st of Jan!

In the early to mid 80's X bow manufactures made major improvements to the X bow and knew there was big money to be made even if they could turn 10% of gun hunters over, after all they are shoulderd and shot just like a gun, theystarted lobbing big time using the handicaped as an excuse to get the Xbow into the regular archery season, and today 62year olds.

They use the excuse that compounds and Xbows are the same, and the 10% of Gun hunters that resent the fact that we get to hunt first, and at the best parts of the season in most states will use the same reason I keep trying to keep them out of our season, locked cocked and ready to rock, and shoulder fired like a rifle, to claim there is no diferencebetween a Xbow and a Gun toeither have their seasons extended or all the same season which means ours will be shortend.
10% Those that cry the loudest, get the most!

RE: New Bowhunting Law in IL
 

There you go cougs, when all else fails through out all reason and logic[8D]

RE: New Bowhunting Law in IL
 

Exactly what he said. Heck, the manufactures of Xbow's even had a get aquainted day in Maryland with lunch,Xbows to shoot and all that with a bunch of the legislatures.

RE: New Bowhunting Law in IL
 

I thought my response was pretty clear. I did not say the people that can not shoot a bow for physical limitations should not be allowed to hunt with a crossbow, just setting an age was a bad idea in my opinion. A law like this opens the door for this to become the norm and before you know it the age gets changed to 55 and then 50 and then pretty soon they lift the restriction all together. Pretty soon you are the only guy in the woods with a bow amongst all the crossbow hunters.

Also SteveBNy, your statement on being 10 feet up in a tree stand hides your movement and to out law treestand hunting. It may help reduce the chance of being seen somewhat if you move at the right time. If you don't believe me, go ahead and draw your bow back the next time a big buck is within 20 yards and in plain sight of you. You will see whatI mean then.

RE: New Bowhunting Law in IL
 

Make it 20 ft then.

What about pop ups with mesh?
Big bucks got xray vision now.:D
What about high let off that lets you hold that "real" bow for several minutes - especially when seated and resting the lower limb on your leg.
Make it apples to apples - no blinds - no treestands - ground only.

Steve

RE: New Bowhunting Law in IL
 

I wanna see you or the man that is going to hold my 73lb recurve back for several minutes! Don't put all of the compound crowd and other Archer's in the same boat! Not everyone has the high let offs! And if these High Let off's are so easy to pull back and simple like you say, shoot them then! Problem fixed! Get over it already!

RE: New Bowhunting Law in IL
 

This is all much ado about nothing. Unless you're running down deer with a knife or killing them with a spear, you don't have any right to complain about someone else's prefered method of hunting. If it brings more hunters into the fold or back into the fold, i'm all for it. All of you holier than thou folks need to find something else to whine about. The world won't stop turning if Illinois allows senior citizens to use crossbows.

RE: New Bowhunting Law in IL
 

In Texas, we've got most of the month of October for our bow season. I say 'most' because there is a youth rifle season that is concurrent with the last weekend of bow season. We bowhunters actually managed to get that youth rifle season limited to the last weekend. They intended for it the be EVERY weekend of bow season.

For the past few years there has been intensive lobbying by the big hunting ranches to extend general season through October. Adding that extra month will mean at least25% increase to their cash flow. They know they can make a lot more money off gun hunters than they can bowhunters, so we're kinda the vermin of their world.

Naturally, extending general season through October will do away with our bow season and the state will lose archery stamp revenue. But they began preparing forthis losssome years ago when they introduced the Super Combo license that includes all state issued stamps. Now most folks who hunt multiple species or hunt in several special seasons just buy the combo package and not the individual stamps. It's a lot cheaper to buy the combo.

So, now the commission can say that bowhunters aren't supporting the archery season, and have dismal archery stamp sales records to support their contention.And that will give them just cause to discontinue it and includeOctober in the general season. Whatever small number of archery stamps were still being purchased will bemore than offset - by ahuge margin - by the number of nonresident license sales for newOctober gun hunters.

It's coming. No doubt in my mind at all.

Of course, our general season is exactly what CougarMag describes. Bring whatever you want to the party -including crossbows -and hunt...while wearing hunter orange. Most of my bowhunting over the past 25 years has been on public land in hunter orange anyway.

So, with the demise of bow season looming on the horizon, why should anyone in this state be fussed about crossbows?

RE: New Bowhunting Law in IL
 

I haven't read all 14 pages of this thread, and I'm not going to either, but the crossbow, IMHO, is actually at a disadvantage vs a modern day compound. I say that with the qualification that the ones I've heard shot on the indoor range at the Archery Shop where I go to shoot almost every Saturday are VERY loud!

I have to tune my hearing aids to program 2 when someone is shooting a crossbow on the range. I also use program 2 when I'm on a riding lawnmower, if that will give you a feel for how much silencing it provides. I also use it when I want to tune people out. PLEASE don't tell my wife I said that !! ;):D

The crossbows are loud and they are not fast enough for the bolt to get to the deer before the sound does. To me that spells disadvantage to the crossbow.

Bill

RE: New Bowhunting Law in IL
 

Arguments that a crossbow is not a long range weapon is pretty well null and void. Reason? Because most shots at whitetail deer with traditonal equipment and compounds are 20-25 yds. and less, nobody can dispute that.

Compounds are easier to take a deer with that traditional equipment, and so crossbows are easier than a compound to take a deer with. No dispute when it comes down to the actual method or aiming and shooting.

Whats missing in this discussion is that bowhunting was meant to be harder and more challenging than using a firearm. In fact most bowhunters that I talk to use a bow because of that very reason. Sure, using a compound to take a deer with is easier than using tradtional equipment but its still hand drawn and hand held. Shooting a crossbow most resembles shooting a firearm except for the actual projectile being propelled.

RE: New Bowhunting Law in IL
 

Bingo! I've been saying that the last 2 days on here, i'm glad someone else can see that simple fact too! Thank you Cougar!

RE: New Bowhunting Law in IL
 

I saw this product on TV the other day. It goes on a compound bow, itinserts where the cable slide is and holds your bow at full draw with an integrated release. This would be another option for people that are disabled. You still have to hold the bow like a bow (not a gun).

I don't think all this stuff is good for the real hunters.

RE: New Bowhunting Law in IL
 

I suppose a gun is not good for "real" hunters either because, as has been stated by "real" hunters, they are so easy to use, unlike a bow :eek:?

RE: New Bowhunting Law in IL
 

Gun is fine in gun season but not bow season. I use a gun sometimes during that season. I use a muzzleloader, bow, shotgun or bow in gun season if the State permits it and I feel I can be effective.

RE: New Bowhunting Law in IL
 

Here is a real hunter. Wild hog taken with a spear.

RE: New Bowhunting Law in IL
 

Bingo revoked:D

Penality on cougs, LOL Easier, there is no way it would have been easier to shoot the shots I had with a x-bow.

Each weapon is ideal for differnet situtaions. If you want to argue x-bow is more accurate I agree. With the way some guys shoot; I would rather they had aXbow.[&:]

Here is my ?
We have 2 hunters
1.Great Traditional Hunter(Arthur)
2.Lousy Xbow hunter(QuickSilver)

Who shoots more deer;)

No argument from me that it is easier to shoot, but hunting methods are more at play than weapon IMO

Again
2001 vertical bow succes rate 21% Ohio
2001 XBow bow Success Rate 23% Ohio
2% We are all up in arms about a 2%?

Ohio is a great state to look at, x-bows are legal, and hunting is just fine IMO. I hunted Ohio the guy on the next property was hunting with an X-bow. We had a good talk, he told me about deer movement and help me out. Told me if i shot a deer to just come get it if it crossed the property line.

Just a great hunter, I could have cared less what he was shooting.

RE: New Bowhunting Law in IL
 

Funny story about Ohio: I checked my buck at some hole-in-the-wall diner...So the lady at the counter is filling out the paperwork...she looks up and says "Crossbow?"

"Compound bow."

She looks at me likeI'm speaking Chinese - as if to say "Buddy, WTF is a 'compound bow?'"

So I kinda spin the paper around to read the available choices: "Longbow."

She says "is it Longbow season? I thought it was crossbow season?"

RE: New Bowhunting Law in IL
 

60% xbow40% vertical bow

RE: New Bowhunting Law in IL
 

Apparently, in the area where I hunt, it's more like 99% x-bow and me. LOL

My guess is that she wasn't the person who normally handles the deercheck-ins, and was unfamiliar with the terminology. She probably just saw my ravishing good looks, and wanted to talk to me. Can't fault her. Ya know?

RE: New Bowhunting Law in IL
 

I think she was just stunned by your good looks and Giant Python arms;)

RE: New Bowhunting Law in IL
 

So since you feel this is the only major Advantage andis the art and skill of vertical bow hunting you will agree that any compound or long bow hunter that uses a ground blind with shoot through mesh is taking the easy way out and putting him self pretty close to the CB hunter, right?

I will repeat my self from before. The ground blind with shoot through mesh windows is accepted and most would be willing to hunt if they came to Robs house or Justin's and they said this is where you should hunt today. Most all would gladly get in and hunt. The vertical crowd has gladly accepted them with little problems. Why? cause they give the current hunters the advantage, not a possible new hunter. It all comes down to people afraid that a onslaught of gun hunters will buy a CB and kill allTHEIR deer. You folks are IMO opinion are either scared or selfish. Ohio and AR has the data to prove that the CB will not be the down fall of deer hunting. If you go to the ODNR site and look up historical data since the opening of the CB in the late seventies the deer numbers have only gone up, year after year. What you use has nothing to do with killing deer, if you can't win the 20 yard game you go home no matter what is in your hands. One also can look at Tennessee and Virginia, they have recentlyallowed the unrestricted use of the CB, and the sky is still standing there.

You can talk about heritage all you want, but why force your heritage on others? I have no history to a long bow, no heritage for me, why should your heritage be forced on me and decide what I use for a hunting tool? Just look at us in Ohio, you will still have deer to hunt, I promise we will not kill all YOUR deer.

RE: New Bowhunting Law in IL
 

And no one sees a problem with that in the few short years its been in place? Good Lord whats it gonna look like in 10 more years when the kids that are being introduced into the archery season with the X Bow, you think their going to switch over to conventional archery equipment, most are so lazy now you cant lure their chubby little butts away from a game boy without a twinke in your hand!
I can tell you right now, if the rest of the States in this Country matched those # in Ohio,we would be having this chat over keeping gun hunters out of our Xbow season instead of talking about keeping X bows out of our archery season today.

RE: New Bowhunting Law in IL
 

Excellent post!!;)

RE: New Bowhunting Law in IL
 

Next they'll be wanting to dance with our women.

Then.....then we'll catch 'em ridin' our 4-wheelers!

The horror![&:]

RE: New Bowhunting Law in IL
 

Why force the Xbow into a season intended for the bow and arrow?
I dont want to share my bow season with gun hunters either!
Does that make me a greedy person?

RE: New Bowhunting Law in IL
 

it's been in place over 10 years I think

At this point, lets get kids into hunting;)

RE: New Bowhunting Law in IL
 

My take on this law is that the guys taking up the crossbow are the ones that formerly used regular bows and had to stop for health reasons.At least thats the case with my father and uncle who crossbow hunt in Illinois. So, i can't quite imagine that the woods are gonna start swarming with thousands of new deer hunterswaving crossbows. And if they do, so what. Many areas of Illinois have so many deer that they are becoming a nuisance.

RE: New Bowhunting Law in IL
 

Cougar Mag your arguements would have alot more truth to them if there was not compounds on the market that have let-offs at 90% or greater. These bows take away most of the crossbows advantages and then they still have the advantages which they have always held over the crossbow.

Archery hunting is more difficult more matter what piece of archery equipment you choose to use. Compounds are easier to move about with, easier to choose a shooting window to shoot through, faster to get a second shot, more accurate (in hands of compitant shooter). With these highter let-off compounds. they are holding only 5 lbs or less (99% would be less then 1 pound) when at full draw. These could be held at full draw for a long time (not to mention that you could be hiden inside a blind from the deer).

Yes not all bows have the higher let off, but some do and they are allowed, I do not see you arguring against the higher lets offs because you can draw and hold them back at full draw well before the deer comes into range. When I have Stated that the compound and crossbow are generally equal in advantages (over recurve and longbow), that was with normal letoff compound, not these higher lets offs. Remember that the 99% let off can seem to be able to hold itself at full draw just by the weight of the bow itself, if hung upside down.