RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

I like your idea Bruce. One nice long hunting season for all weapons. If folks can't play nice, then they can go play golf. [&:]

RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

Then you should move to SC. Sounds like paradise, for you.

RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

I'm sure it is paradise...compared to Dayton[8D]

RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

That’s about the dumbest thing that could happen here, and probably in most places.
Yea I could see it now. PA institutes one season any weapon for 4 months. You would have a 4 month long rifle season, with everyone crowding the woods from the first week of October thru January. Yea that’d be a real smart way to run the hunting seasons.

RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

The word selfishness gets brought up way to often in these crossbow threads! Its time to think of a different word.[8D]

RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

Exactly. Wonder how some of the opinions would change after surgery?[&:]

RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

Fine....

"Greed"?[8D]

RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

Suppose the rifletag allowed for just one, maybe 2 deer. You would think some of them might fill their tags and not keep crowding things ;).

RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

ML or a much lighter bow.

RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

Wow, PA folks must have lots of time on their hands if "everyone" would be crowding the woods every day of the hunting season. I would think that folks would hunt according to their particular circumstances (day shift vs. night shift, morning hunters vs. evening hunters, working vs, non-working, weekend vs. holiday hunters,etc.).

RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

I absolutely love bow hunting but If I can't do it the way I see fit for me as a bow hunter I'll have to try something else. That would be a ML for me.

RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

Better make that a flintlock ML. Percussion isn'tsporting[8D]

RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

Lmao Lance!;)

RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

In some cases the lighter bow is not an option. The ML limits the time one could spend in the woods as the season is shorter........

RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

Until you come over here and experience first hand how crowded things can get in some places, your opinions are not valid.

RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

Your right Gus. I don't disagree one bit.

RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

In NJ since the woods aren't the biggest, I do NOT walk into gun/bow public land once the gun season starts. I hunt archery-only public lands because you would hope that the typical archer uses more discretion than most other hunters. I wouldn't have an issue with crossbows being classified as a firearm so that they wouldn't be allowed to hunt in archery only grounds. This is because I feel that taking the 'drawing' aspect out of archery also takes some critical 'thinking about the shot' time away from whomever will be using the crossbow. I'd still hunt if crossbows were allowed in my archery only public woods, but the walks in and out of the woods would be much more nerve wrecking.

RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

Some of them might fill their tags and go home, but there would be a lot of guys that become Mrs. Poacher, and Jr. Poacher and fill some more tags. That is, if they bother buying more tags at all.[&:]

It's funny how many guys you catch talking about all the bucks they got last year in a 1 buck state and when you ask what other states they hunted to get other bucks they just trip all over themselves.

RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

Rybo,

Unless you have experiencedall or most of Pennsylvania's hunting spots, I doubt that you are exactly an expert on what should or shouldn't be done at the state level either.

RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

[/align][align=right][/align][align=left]Actually, I have experienced many parts of the state, from suburban style hunting to farmlands to the big woods of PA. I've also gained a good idea of how hunters in PA think and act from following the years of debates over the current management plans. There is less than amillion to one chance thata one season all weapons scenerio would EVER be implented here in PA. It's just that far fetched and dumb of an idea for this state. [/align]

RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

You've yet to demonstrate that it is farfetched and dumb. Can't do the same in terms of crossbows either. So, you might want to get out there and experience things a bit more:D

RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

Somebody simply post up the numbers for # of hunters in PA.......and then we'll all see how UNfar-fetched Ryan's thoughts "really" are.

From everything I read and hear about PA hunting......I believe the guys who LIVE there 100%. I can't fathom what they have to endure.

They have "roughly" the same deer herd we have, here.....and 3X+ the # of hunters. That's freakin "real".

RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

Well GMMAT, when the majority of those guys in PA vote that they want the crossbow to be used are you gonna believe them?[8D]

RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

I don't have to demonstrate how far fetched it is. The game laws are what they are, and never once has our Game Commission proposed that type of statewide season. That kind of speaks for itself. Take away Pa's traditional rifle season, and they'd burn down the PGC headquarters in Harrisburg.

As for the X-bow issue, I gave my feelings as to why I am against it. I know the arguement on both sides, I'm not debating that issue any more.

RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

Nope. But I've never been a proponent of letting the inmates run the assylum, either.;)

RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

Well the game laws were once as such that you couldn't hunt with a crossbow, and we now see where that is heading.

And "feelings" seem to be losing out to the facts in the CB debate. But I'll leave you alone now. Peace.

GMMAT: yeah democracy does have its down side[:o]

RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

RE: CrossBows are comming to town.

A very similiar thread that went 20 pages or so, maybe read this that way we can skip doing it all over again.

If you don't feel like reading it allthis is one of my initial quotes in that thread and another quote below that from another thread that shows some infromation on the number of crossbow harvests in VA.(sorry for the print size/bold)

"I live in VA and it wasn't too long ago when they changed the season to allow crossbow hunters. They had only let disabled people use them prior to that. At first there was a bit of "ruckus" about it but that slowly went away and turned out to be much ado about nothing. I see some guys crossbow hunting (rarely) and the occasional people shooting them at the range but it's not like there was some massive takeover of archery season.
I initially was worried about the weekend warrior gun hunters buyingcrossbows just to hunt during archery season and while I did see a couple of guys like that it wasn'tas bad as Ithought it would be.crossbows still require time, effort, and money to up keep and stay proficient with. Most of the guys that fit the description above never even thought about it again after they lost their initial batch of bolts and end up selling their equipment cheap to get back a few dollars.

Having had some time to get used to them I couldn't care less if someone wants to hunt with them. They are fun to shoot and not a bad way to introduce newer people to a form of archery and shooting.They are consideredarchery equipment (whether you like the label or not) and despite not having to draw them(like a vertical bow anyway)they are limited in their capabilities and range justlike other archery equipment. While they share some characteristics of a firearm most of those characteristics do nothing to enhance the actual technology of the weapon they simply make it possible to shoot a bow horizontally and release the draw with a trigger. As far as effective range, ke,one shot hunting, shot placement importance, method of killing(bleeding out/cutting off oxygen), and just about everyting else they are likeother bows (IMO).

I find it kind of comical to hear guys say they are so much easier to hunt with because you don't have to draw and hold back and you shoot it with a trigger like a gun while at the same time they are shooting their 85% letoff compounds with all of the bells and whistles holding back a whopping 10-15 lbs of draw weight with their $100 release aids(many of which have a........you guessed it........a trigger). Yeah, that is so much harder;);).

There are plenty of deer for all of us and while different from traditional bows and compounds,crossbows are archery weapons that have been around for centuries, I welcome them in the woods and hope they draw some more hunters to the field, which is a good thing for hunting. I certainly won't turn them away or tell them to get their own season."

2nd quote

"It baffles me how funny we hunters act. Who cares if a guy hunts with a crossbow during bow season? When should he hunt? It is obviously not a firearm and it is not a muzzleloader. Now it might not fit some peoples definition of a bow but the season it most fits in is archery it is a primitive weapon with a limited range, no gun powder, limbs/strings. In VA they recently changed the law from only handicapped hunters being allowed to use crossbowtoeveryone being able to(2005-2006).
There was a big stink about it that first season, now you hear nothing because it does not matter.


Here are the primitive weapons numbers from last season.

Archers, not including crossbow hunters, killed 17,335 deer. The bow kill was up 1% from the 17,160 deer taken by archers last year. The bow kill comprised 7% of the total deer kill.

Crossbows, which were legal for all deer hunters for the first time in fall 2005, resulted in a deer kill of 8,549 deer or <4% of the total deer kill. The crossbow kill was up 21% from the 7,069 reported last year.

Muzzleloader hunters killed 55,434 deer. The muzzleloader kill was up 6% from the 52,386 deer taken by muzzleloader hunters last year. Muzzleloading comprised 23% of the total deer kill.

Out of 200,000+ deer killed inVA,Bows & Crossbow counted for like 24,000 or11-12%. I guess why I don't care is there are obviously plenty of deer to go around.Why do we have such a sense of entitlement/ownership of our seasons/deer and what's worse is the attitude thatif you don't do it like me then you shouldn't get to hunt the early season. Why? Crossbow hunters killed 8,000 deer. Did that prevent some "true" bow hunter from getting his deer? Let's do the math (VA) 1,000,000+ deer population minus 8,000 deer(killed by crossbows) that leaves about 992,000+ deer for the rest of us "true" bow hunters to hunt before anyone else. I like my odds and I am grateful for the early season and furthermore I don't mind sharing it withcompound, longbow,recurve, or crossbow hunters.I think that what I see more than elitist attitudes in hunting is simple greed. The concept that we as hunters choose to divide ourselves based on the weapons/tactics/regional differences rather thanshow a little more acceptance and solidaritywill always baffle me.

Shotgun, rifle, pistol, crossbow, recurve, longbow, self-bow, compound(with or without the Whisker Biscuit;)), muzzleloader.....I don't care...good look and sincere congratulations on anyand all successes.

Wow, what would that worldbe like? Never happen.:(

RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

Perhaps a fewpeople should read this again, or for the first time if it was missed. I base this statement on 6 years of huntingon state land.And please don't confuse this with me defending the use of CB's, because I'm not!;)

RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

here you can use one during late season or if your disabled you can use it year round

i have a bad back and shoulder it hurt pulling the bow back
but for me not enough to stop using the compound
i say use it when it is legal and if you need to

RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

I can't believe you guys don't support crossbow rights.

Crossbows are a highly effective mechanism of self-defense, and are protected under the penumbra of the 2nd amendment.

If you don't support crossbows, then you simply do not support the Second Amendment, the NRA, the Republican Party or the right to defend oneself. You are un-American, and quite possibly an enemy of the state.


I Support Crossbow Rights

RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

[:@]

RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

I have noticed that everyone always seems to forget to mention the use of scopes on CB's, and their light gathering abilities. Anyway, I just "choose" not to hunt with mine anymore because "Ibelieve" it's too easy. This is just my "opinion".;)

RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

Oh, we must disdain crossbows for having scope mounting capability! But wait... What? You can put them on conventional bows too? Even RECURVES??

Stiennen Telescopic Bowsight 1963



Some define 'traditional' as anything predating compounds in the late 60's. By some definitions, mounting a telescopic sight on a bow is traditional. We've still got scope mounts using long eye relief scopes for bows today. Some who visit this forum use them and still others swear by using red dots on their bows. So I have to say that's an argument rendered moot.

edit:

Rereading, my sarcastic humor looks a little overboard. Shoulda put in a ton of smilies. ;)

Just pointing out one reason why the scope issue hadn't been brought up. It's one of those things that can't be griped about with crossbows that can't apply just as equally to compounds. Even though scope users are a small minority, the capability is there. Just as the capability is there to use a crossbow with peeps and pins, or even no sights at all.

RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

I have yet to see a recurve with a scope on it and I'm 34 years old and have been around traditional bows all my life. But then again the group of traditional hunters I hunt and hang out with are not big archery/target/competition gurus. Were more into the bow hunting aspect of it.

RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

I'm 56 and have seen a whole bunch of stuff used on recurves that traditional guys today would be up in arms about. All manner of sights and mechanical rests, release aids, stabilizers, mechanical broadheads... Honestly, what we call traditional archery today is a highly idealized invention. There used to be a great many aiming systems and shooting styles that are now considered not traditional for example. At this point in history, archery is at it's very lowest level of diversity that has ever been.

If you've never spent an hour or two looking at stuff on www.archeryhistory.com you should. It's incredible how many things were tried back in the olden days. It's even more incredible how many of those old ideas failed at the time, only to return as 'hot new technology' today.

RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

Very true Art!! Good post once again big guy!!;)

RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

It's a shoulder fired weapon, let them keep it in the shoulder fired weapons season.
Fact is, I think all but maybe 2 states allow a person with a handicap to use aX Bowduring the general bow season with a permit or have their own season, and most states allow them in the general gun season.
Problem is the manufactures dont want a pice of the pie, they want the hole pie! So who is the selfish or greedy one here?
If I offer you a pice of my candy and you try to take the hole bag, you better be ready to scrap!
Manufactures and dealers are the push behind the X Bow, it's not Joe blow that actually has a disability and can already hunt the whole dam season!
People like to throw out the numbers for Ohio but always seam to leave out that almost half use the X Bow there now, and I see a problem with that as an archer.
It might not matter in some chicken **** state wheregun hunter numbers are only a few hundred thousand, but it's another story in states like Mi and Penn where you have 3 or 4 times the numbers, I dont care where you learned the math.
We once had a very generous Bow season in this state, now it has been whittled to pices with special interest seasons. Hardly a 2 week period that goes by without a gun going off. I amfed up with manufactures and dealers using the old and handicap as an excuse to cram the X Bow into our bow season when they can already hunt the whole season, if indeed they are handicaped! They are not doing it for the old and handicaped, They are doing it for the 20% of 700,000 gun hunters they can sell X Bows to in this state.
Any one out there get it yet?

It's a gun that shoots a bolt, keep it in the gun season!

RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

Actually, the official term is FIREarm in reference to thegeneral use of shoulder held weapons like rifles or handheld weapons like pistols.But i guess they could legalize flaming crossbow bolts so that it could fit into firearm season[8D]

RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

I don't care if someone hunts with a crossbow, but if they are capable of using a compound, recurve, or longbow, then they 'should' do it. Crossbows are cheater bows, i.e. a bow that someone uses because it's easier even though they 'could' use something else!

RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

So, youdon't mind if someone uses a X bow as long as it's on your terms? Nice!:eek:



Are compound bows cheater bows to the guys that shoot traditional gear?