Matt / PA

Ok they're back again........looks like 1X really does mean "no magnification" because I saw a written clarification that 1X red dot style scopes WILL be legal optics for crossbows in PA.

Boy is the market for new good 1X crossbow scopes wide open for the taking!

fingerz42

1 times anything is always itself.. when multiplying by one you will never increase a number.. identity property of multiplication..

Matt / PA

Yeah that's kinda what I figured with 1.5X being 1/2 power.
But after reading the quote from the PGC LE Chief on the first page where he said under the amendment that 1X red dot scopes would not be legal I got a little confused and apparently so did a whole lot of other people.....you should have seen the discussion and quiestions. LOL

and even more interesting is the instant backlash from crossbow hunters who are screaming for their scopes even though "They don't shoot any further than a compound will in the woods"

The guys who had a legal "disability permit" to hunt with their crossbows alreadybut were pushing for full inclusion actually shot themselves in the foot because they got their inclusion alright.........but they are also now required to remove the fancy 3 and 4X multi reticle scopes they bought.[:-]
As it stood before they could use whatever they wanted, and now since they are legal for everyone they lost their scopes.
Whoops.
And they will not be allowed to use them because they had a disability prior to inclusion, the permit was to allow the use of a crossbow, not a crossbow with a scope. That was a choice of the hunter.

So now everybody must play by the same rules with them, and manufacturers will have to adapt because the majority supply 3 and 4X multi reticle scopes with their higher end packages.

LebeauHunter

Louisiana alsojust got XBow for all archery season this past year. Previously it was for older and disabled.
Of course, I believe we do allow all the extra gadgets. The crossbow manufacturers lobbied hard for it.
One of their big arguments that is true, probably irrelevant, butappeals to people is that "we are losing
young hunters," and that thismakes deer hunting more accessible and extends the season.
We also now have plenty of deer, and it doesadd $10.50 to your annual license cost.

But, some people I thought would jump on it didn't. But it took them a while to go to muzzleloaders,
when that was offered to extend the season. Now we also allow smokeless, basically a crack barrel rifle.

kevin1

Considering the ranges that most bow hunters shoot at a red dot sight(it isn't a scope unless magnified) works just as well as a scope, especially if they have multiple aiming dots. It's really not muchdifferent than using a multiple pin optical sight on a compound except for the lack of a peep, and imparts no greater advantage.

NJ/PAbwhunter

Here in New Jersey they are going to vote on Crossbow soon and also to
allow hunting on Sundays. Here it is ALWAYS about additional $$$ for
this season or that season, permit for this, permit for that.... every other
time you take a breath they are hitting you with a permit fee.
So I imagine there will be a seperate Sunday hunting permit and a xbow permit.
DW

NEW61375

Well it's worth mentioning that after all of the hoopla died down most of us have seen little to no negativeimpact in VA. In VA I think it came down to finances but also another way to increase doe/deer harvests.

There are plenty of deer and plenty of woods to hunt here in VA, is there a shortage of these two things in PA? What negative impact are some of you expecting to see?

early in

Well, there's enough land to hunt, butthere is certainly a shortage of deer in many regions of Pa these days. I believe many folks will agree with that much.

NEW61375

Another trend I noticed was that some gun hunters did go out and buy crossbows to take advantage of the extra time during bow season but the after the first two seasons most realized bow hunting is a completely different animal. Shooting, tuning, broadhead flight, stand placment, close quarters contact with deer, hotter weatherall still apply to a crossbow and for many people it was much harder than they anticipated.

Of the 8-10 guys I know that tried to make the transition from guns, I'dsay about75% of them put their x bows in the Trading Post within the first 2 season the ones that didn't quitlearned how to bowhunt and still enjoy it.

SoI guess peopleare right to a point in that crossbows are easier to shoot and similiar to a gun in that aspect. But when it's all said and done bowhunting is not gun hunting and for many the added challenges of the actual hunting part of things will take the wind out of their sails.

jmo

quiksilver

At least all the lazy scumbags who've been feigning injuries for the past 10 yearswon't have to lie about their make-believe "disabilities" anymore. Maybe now they'll sleep better at night and save a few dollars on insurance deductibles at the chiropractor.

Well, all good things must come to an end. It was fun while it lasted.


Seriously, when you think about it - PA gunners are a very low-success-rate, very low time-investment brand of hunter. When the going gets tough, they get going - home. LOL They'll just be more of a nuisance than anything.

These are people who can't even begin to fathom a hunting season that required more than 3 days in the woods. Now, they'll invariably be taking to the field and pitting themselves against the best of the best. They've never hunted a thermal updraft or even thought about the nuiances of a feeding pattern, bedding area or travel route. They've never needed to close the gap like this before. They have no idea. None. They're a hapless bunch, without a doubt.

Their learning curve will be as long as it is tall, and success will not come in an instant. Expect copious amounts of failure from our nimrod brethren. I'll be right there, squealing with joy, with every bump in the road.

PA has a small fabric of very successful, very consistent bowhunters - and they are the best of the best. If these schmucks think they're gonna hit up Wally World and pick up a Barnett and out-hunt us, they've got a lot to learn.

Pack a lunch boys. It's game-on . . . and apparently the rules are out the window.