RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

I dont live there.....and hear you guys.....but I don't think any of us who don't live there can comprehend PA's hunting pressure.

I know for a fact I can't. They have the same relative deer herd we have here.....and 3x+ as many hunters. It's not the fact that they'd have more hunters.....it's the FACT that they'd have more hunters hunting the bow seasons.

In reality....it's the same outcome.

RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

I've said it before, i will say it again; the fundamental issue is thatpeople need to mobilize and push their individual states to expand public access ground. If you don't dothat, then it ultimately wont matter if another 11% of hunters get in on the action, because we will all be screwed anyway.

If every state increased its public access hunting ground by 10 to 20 percent then we wouldn't even be having this argument.

RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

no, you cannot tell me for a FACT, it is your opinion

see, I'm from a crossbow state, and I KNOW there aren't more slobs due to crossbows because of 30 years of experience in the woods with them. Compound bowhunters are FAR more the slobs in my experience. Thats in the woods with crossbows legal experience not something make believe by the P&Y boogy man club

more hunters is a GOOD thing, it can never be a bad thing and when you start to believe it is, you need to step back and look at what hunting IS

hold on, traditional bowhunters fought for the seasons, compounds took that season over - just getting the history of bowhunting straight - compounds are every bit the stranger as crossbows in archery season


not only that, for the longest time >65% wasn't legal,, releases were not legal, mechanical heads? not legal





ponder this - in PA you have how many tags? does it matter if you fill them with archery or muzzleloader or a rifle ? I mean, really DOES IT MATTER?

RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

Since it's overcrowding and the possible influx of even more hunters that seems to be the primary concern with crossbows, I've got two fair questions to ask.

Since compounds are used by roughly 90% of all bowhunters, how many would support voting to limit bow seasons to only traditional bows?

Would you throw away your high tech compound and pick up a recurve or longbow to be able to hunt with 90% fewer people in the woods?

RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

Point of parliamentary procedure.......ahem....

That there's a valid point.[&:]

RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

Art, buddy you know how easy that would be for me to say yes, especially now but I wouldn't. I would fight it because you know my feelings........a recurve, longbow, compound bow are all bows to me. I'd fight for one just like the other.
A crossbow isn't a bow to me in function or spirit. Combine that with how screwed up PA really is and that's my personal stance in a nutshell.

We're not creating NEW hunters in PA we're potentially transposing hundreds of thousands of them into a different season so the not wanting new hunters is not a valid argument. HOWEVER if all of a sudden 200,000 rifle hunters wanted to pick up one of the first 3 mentioned bows and join us in archery season I would just swallow that pill and welcome them in. All they have to do is pick up the weapons that are already classified as leagl for that season and have fun.

RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

I just voted yes to allow x-bows in MI. Bring on 200,000 more hunters:D

RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

LCC you are getting what I am saying or you don't want to get it
The vast majority of the central part of the state is public land that may or may not hold deer. Much of it doesn't. Low numbers, + lots of people makes it not fun for many. For me its just too far to drive to for it to matter to me. Never did I say I have close public land with lots of deer. I said people stay close to home and jsut hunt where ever, they flood every "open" piece of land whether they have permission to be there or not. THe places that out right allow you to hunt are overwhelmed, while the land next door lies vacant. LOTS OF DEER, LITTLE ACCESS. And you are so full of it your eyes have to be brown. Many hunters had to "make room" for bowhunters back in the 60's and 70's!! That would be laughable if it wasn't so misguided. You had a 1/10 of the people hunting a season that didn't compete with any others!!!!!

And now to top it off you don't even bow hun!!! You don't have a dog in this fight other than to irk people. You have NO clue of the situations, yet freely offer what should be done in them....wow.


You get 1 buck and anywhere from 1 to unlimited do tags.

And yes it matters IMMENSELY to people who like to hunt with a particular weapon and want to fill those tags while at the same time being able to enjoy the hunt itself. I have absolutely NO desire to shoot a buck with a gun. I still gun hunt for does, and to spend time with people, but if I don't get a buck with a bow, I don't care to shoot one at all....well except with my revolver. That would suit me fine. Butalot of times its as much about enjoying the hunt itself, as it is filling the tag. And in mine and many others opinions, hunting where there is too many people is not fun.

RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

I'm not gonna read all the posts. I have said before I'm for what-ever is legal in your State. The thing I can't believe is that the new state of the art crossbows are $2000. Ten-point, Horton and Stryker's new bows all are near that dollar figure. That blows my mind! When you think our best bows can still be had at around $700-$900 it's pretty eye-opening.

RE: Opinions on Crossbows
 

irrelevant to the discussion - I don't feel like compounds "function" or have "spirit" maybe - does that justify me not wanting them in archery season then using your own reasoning ?

yes, you're creating new bowhunters, adding to the bowhunting ranks, and archery is a prime target of ARA's are they not ?

35-40+ years ago people wanted easier - and thus the compound revolution was born. they didn't want to hunt with the bows they had so they forced the next generation and bowhunting evolved WONDERFULLY didn't it ?

do ya'll agree that right now, with compounds in archery season, we've got BETTER seasons, BETTER G&F, BETTER almost everything ? and with the addition of hundreds of thousands and yes, MILLIONS of people using compounds who likely would NEVER have started bowhunting without them ?


you can't argue that

you also cannot produce one negative to crossbows Matt / PA

if your nightmare is to come true, why didn't it come true in Arkansas ? Ohio? Canadian provinces? Was it SC that allows them ofr AL ? Did the tags decrease because of the huge influx of crossbow hunters ?

no, of course they didn't, and crossbows don't spawn more bad hutners, or poaching, or overcrowding etc etc .... thats never been proven and regurgetation straight from the P&Y horror books on crossbows


so so selfish :( those are not YOUR animals, they're everyones and that land isn't yours either


maybe guys who use self bows think the same about you? why don't you leave THEIR season and go get your own ?


its not the same you say? OF COURSE ITS THE SAME, except now, YOUR choice of weapon is there to try and defend.

and you cannot do it, and here is more reality check - G&F commissions see huge $$$$$ in allowing crossbows, while at the same time maximizing the opportunity of the people in the states WITHOUT compromising the herds, tags and dates

tough all you compounders - when your choice of bow invaded archery season, trad hunters HATED YOU. now, the new kid on the block is invading, and you're doing the hating - how ironic huh ?




Look, your state very likely already allows crossbows. Now, they're not just for the handicap anymore, they're for everyone. Your seasons will not change much, if people take more bucks earlier on, then better hutning and less crowds for you towards the ends of the seasons.