LittleChief

Exactly! That's what I've been saying all along.

Also, I don't know about you, but I didn't take up bowhunting to get away from the crowds. I started bowhunting to make my hunts more challenging and to give me more of a sense of accomplishment.

As to the crowds, bring 'em on! Every year we have my family hunt on public land in Missouri during gun season. Now I've never participated in a drive in my life, but I do know that when I hunt public land and the masses show up and start tromping through the woods when they don't see anything within the first two hours, I see a lot of deer moving. I just keep my butt parked and let them drive the deer over me.

If I want to get away from the crowds, I hunt one of my leases. No problem.

Huntm Up

Seriously?! I can not believe what is being said by some people. Windwalker, come on now. What you are admitting is that you are fearing the unknown and want to place restrictions on something you have no data to back up. There are idiots in all types of hunting bow, gun, crossbow. I personally know (and I am sure you do too) people that say they would never hunt with a compound bow because it is less lethal... Granted that is a forest but still people say it. To make stereotypes without an ounce of data to back it up is dangerous in our country's history nothing has ever come out good when actions where made over ignorant fears. Windwalker you admit that it is the education of the hunter that needs to change. Maybe you should focus on that. An uneducated hunter is dangerous no matter what the weapon he chooses. I hunt in Michigan as my home state, Michigan is usually in the top three states in amount of hunters... I know what it is like to hear guns going off in your direction. I also know what it is like to hear stories of guys giving up after 10 minutes of looking... The fact remains it is the uneducated hunters... Talk to the PA DNR try to get them to force a class like so many other states. The Crossbow hunter is not our enemy or competition they are our hunting brothers.

Now for Sutton.... Not much to say to you but WTF. You are bent out of shape about a scope on the bow... Your logic does not make sense. First you say crossbow hunters are going to wound and have no ethics in hunting. Then you want to take away a part of there weapon that increases accuracy. HMMMMMMMMMM going to have to think about your points. Oh PS. Extreme Archery makes a scope for your compound... but I don't see you arguing the use of that. Also we are arguing the same point that some true purest traditionalist archery say. If you are sooo into hunting at its purest form fo into the woods carve your bow out of hickory and make your own arrows through away your binos, range finder and camo, and jsut do it the true natural way. If you do not do that then you don't have much of a leg to stand on.... Oh forget one thing although the North American Indians where not using crossbows, the Europeans where... So I guess you need to go to a spear...

If you don't want to use crossbows don't, if you have such a problem with them buy your own property and don't let the people you share it with to use them. If you are hunting state land guess you are out of luck because this sand box is not yours.

On top of everything else we need to stay together, educate the uneducated and stop being so ignorant. Get your facts straight, read some history behind the weapons and become a hunting community leader by excepting all types of this great sport.

Windwalker7

Here in PA, us archery hunters have the woods to ourselves for the first week.

Usually about the second Saturday, they have the youth squirrel hunt.


The following weekend opens up the regular squirrel and grouse season.

The next weekend opens the week long early muzzle loader and the youth/disabled firearms antlerless season starts midweek after that.

Then comes the fall turkey and regular small game seasons (rabbit/pheasant)


So us PA archery hunters are use to sharing the woods during archery season.


I just wish hunters were more educated before the head out with a Xbow

Huntm Up

Again its an education issues... I wish all hunters had more education bow, x-bow, shotgun or whatever. In Michigan we have an early gun season now for doe only that starts before archery.... not that changes somethings but it is also in the best interest in the deer herd. Again it is EDUCATION not the weapon. In Michigan we have birdhunters starting Sept 15. So trust me I can relate on sharing the woods... But I don't own the woods and they have every right to be there as I do.

Windwalker7

Yes, my main gripe is the education aspect.

PA requires no education to archery hunt other that the typical safety certificate.


Many states require this for a reason. What is that reason?


If you only knew of the amount of slob hunters we have here. It is BAD, really bad.


Answer me this..... Why do so many states require bowhunter education classes for would be bowhunters?


That answer is my gripe.

LittleChief

I'm sorry my friend, but that dog just won't hunt. I refuse to believe that PA has any more "slob" hunters, as you call them, than any other location. In reality, I'd bet a full paycheck that you have the same percentage of "slob" hunters as we do. Hunters, as a group, are people. Assemble any group of people at random and regardless of where you gather them from, a certain percentage of them will fall into your "slob" category. We have them here also, and I've seen it all. Just season before last in Northern Missouri, I was in camp at night with two hunting buddies of mine. One of them OWNED the land we were on. At around 10:00 pm, a pickup (with three guys in the cab, rifle barrel sticking out of the window, and another fellow in the back standing up holding another rifle) drives up the road, goes right by us (they WAVE!) turns to the right and stops. A spotlight illuminates the night sky over the pasture, so my friend and I walk over and he said "What's going on?" I swear to you, the response was "Aw, we'uz jus' drivin' 'roun seein' if we couldn't pop us one".

kickin_buck

What States require this bowhunter education class that you so badly want? I have personally bowhunted in IL, IN, MI, MO, OK, TX, and MT and none of those State required anything more than a general hunter education course.

I understand your desire for the State to use education to force ethics onto people. I see it every year in Illinois, with bowhunters breaking out their equipment a week before the season, shooting mix matched BHs and not being able to hit the broadside of a barn at 20 yards. I feel sorry for the deer they are going to be chasing. This is why I hunt private ground, which comes at a very steep price in Illinois BTW. However, I would NEVER want to ban these slobby bowhunters from hunting, because that would be one HUGE step in banning all hunting.

Huntm Up

I have not heard of any state the requires a special bowhunting class... But I have not hunted in all 50 states, I think I have 10 more to go. I can share a very similar story about opening weekend in Missouri last year... My family owns 1400 acres in N. Missouri just south of the Iowa line. The land is in 3 differnt tracks... I was hunting on a field that is close to the road that the neighbor who doesn't hunt told me a double drop tine had been in that field pretty much everynight. So I sat up, parked my truck in the barn (bad idea) and sat right in the tree line. A pick up truck comes crusing the dirt road about half hour before sunset and just parks there. I put the binos on them they are drinking budlights wearing orange (i laughed a little when I saw that) and had rifles poking out. So feeling like a cowboy that day I grad my rifle called my buddy letting him know (just incase it got ugly they knew what happened to me) and walked to the truck. As soon as I popped out, they took off. Two days later the neighbor called said someone was shinning the field... But by then I was in Michigan hunting in the rain. Moral of the story there are *******s that use every weapon... I have been on this site since 2003 read 1000's of post (granted replied to few) but I can't tell you how many angry post I have read that wrote SOME ONE IS SITTING IN MY STAND AND TO MAKE IT WORSE I FOUND CIGS. BUTTS. And the only season for deer that is open is archery.... So jackasses are everywhere.

But I do agree education is the only way we can achieve success. So Windwalker I challenge you, talk to your local school district or church or community center and offer a archery class (if you feel you are qualified) Talk to local C.O's. see if they will be apart of it.

We have to crawl before we walk.

Lanse couche couche

The continual division of hunters into different types with each viewing themselves as better than others, and the whole I don't want to have to share the woods attitudes are eventually going tohelp killhunting as a legalsport. I would much rather have the woods full of hunters andhave alower success rate, than have a high success rate and see hunting about to be outlawed because there are so few of us to fight the antis. But, if all that matters is hanging a big rack on the wall this year and screw the future then I guess I am FOS.[:-]

J The Deer Slayer

I continue to bow hunt because it's harder to kill a deer with a bow. I don't hunt from a tree stand, have a food plot and very rarely will I sit in a blind. It's made me a lot better hunter and it's very challenging. That's what it's about for me. I've shot deer 15 feet away from me, while they were running, laying down, so far a way they didn't know I was there. With a pistol, muzzle loader, rifle and a bow.

I just love to hunt. Bow hunting is the best way to hunt IMO. I might not kill as many deer but the over all experience is better than any other.

I've never used a cross bow but everyone I know that has one are lazy hunters. I'm sure not everyone is like that but the 5 people I know that use one are. I can also say I know a lot of rifle hunters that are the same way.


There will always be people who break the laws, are lazy, make poor shots and waist deer.