Big Duane, are you not able to comprehend that is obvious, now double that by allowing crossbows in PA. Do you live or hunt in PA? If not, you absolutely don't have a clue what goes on in PA. I lived here, hunted here all my life. IT'S PATHETIC.

Look on the bright side fellas. If the woods of PA are populated by an army of slobs, then maybe new crossbow laws will actually bring a better class of hunters into the woods. Hell, if things are that bad, then you dont really have much to lose.[8D]

15yd penalty for piling on.....[8D]

This thread is really starting to sound like the generic, "hunting on public ground is like being in a war zone" that one can find in relation to lots of states.

LOL, bwanajim. Don't need to come to PA. We've got plenty of horn porn here in Texas.[8D] The current state record non-typical was taken in a draw hunt on a WMA, about 75 miles from where I live.

http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/hunting/news/story?page=h_fea_TX_record_buck_Burkhead

Lanse with all due respect you've never bow hunted in a heavy populated area of hunters. Bow hunting is tough the way it is and the more yahoo's in the woods the harder its going to be in getting your animal. If your sitting in the woods gun hunting its going to be a little easier being you don't need the deer as close. More hunters makes it tougher on bow hunters then it does the gun hunters.

Edit: You would think there would be more hunting accidents as well in high populated hunting areas. Thats not a good thing either!!

And what really sucks is that its public land. You can't hunt there without being drawn and that is against staggering odds. Much of Tx public land is by draw only the rest is so highly pressured letting more hunters on with any weapon is gonna hurt.

Shultzy,

I would not deer hunt in an area heavily populated by other hunterswhether it be guns, compound bows or crossbows.That's why i pinched my pennies and bought my own ground. However, until the DNR or whoever, decides that some sort of critical mass has been reached on public ground, then i am not gonna try to tell one style of hunters that public hunting groundis off limiits to them.

Availability of a crossbow season will not make anyone unethical. They either are or aren't already. Any effect on the herd will probably be negligible. Just look at the facts from states that allow them. After an initial rush things will settle down when the new crossbow hunters realize there is little advantage to using one. It is a short range weapon that requires skill similar to bow.

Here in New York few seem to want to add crossbows to the regular archery seasons that were hard fought to obtain and hold on to. Some hunters are concerned about lower hunter numbers but refuse to add another segment. Some like lower hunter numbers but do not realize the lower hunter "power" (political) that comes with the lower numbers.

On a crossbow hunt in Ohio about 5 years ago that our club won (I and another club member took the trip) we received new crossbows as we were leaving to return home. I shoot that crossbow every so often. My kids and grandkids shoot it also. But we like to shoot anything. Pellet, 22, muzzleloader, rifle, bow just as long as we're busting balloons, knocking over cans or hitting bulls eyes...or hunting. I don't care what anyone shoots. I don't think New York will add crossbows to any hunting season soon but don't really care if they do. And I will hunt with my bow...not the crossbow.

I understand where your coming from but Damn I can see where Rybo is coming from too! Is it going to take people getting shot during deer hunting to hold back on the amount of hunters??? Its not worth it if you ask me!