Good point Cougar.

Plainly said: It's a whole lot easier to kill a deer with a crossbow than a "conventional" bow.

Well I don't really know how ODNR gets its info. On compound & Xbow #s. Last year thay asked but this year thay didn't.
And on the movement my compound is hung on a hanger by my side. Inwitch it is slipped of and brought to full draw. 18" to 32" at the most.
My Xbow either sets on my lap or on my treestand foot rest. Inwitch I have to raise it up in front of me witch is anywhere from 18" to 22" not counting the movement that I have grabing for it with the hand thats not holding it. If your moving more with your compound I dont know what your problem is Arthur. I see no point in large body movements. Unless you go to stand up with your compound or a Xbow. Large body movements are then need.
Looks like Taxas is alittle money hungry as is Ohio.Ohio see more money coming from bow hunters more and more each year. My be some day we might not need to GUN hunt. I like that more and more as I get older in my years as a bow hunter.
So be it Long bow, recurve bow, compound bow, or Xbow thay are bows inwitch thay all should fall under bow season.
Like Gun season should have guns to be used to the point of not to indanger the public.

I still don`t understand WHY? Please, will one supporter of crossbows in the regular archery season please explain WHY you want to use a x-bow, if you are not physically handicapped? I will state to you before I see your explaination, if it does`nt include"because I am too lazy to become proficient with a bow" it had better be a hum-dinger of a story!
And, I think that x-bows are not illegal in a lot of states, they just are not included in the regular archery season. AS THEY SHOULD NOT BE, unless you have a physical disability that prevents you from drawing, and holding a conventional bow. To a person in good physical shape, a x-bow is an inferior weapon, it does not need to be drawn or held at full draw like a bow, though, offering an unfair advantage, that does not belong in archery season. A x-bow has inferior down range ke, as well as not being as accurate. That is, they are not as accurate if you take the time to practice with a quality bow. OK, I am now waiting for some type of responsible reply, not a hissy fit.<img src=icon_smile_approve.gif border=0 align=middle>

Big Country - Simple answer - because its easier.

Hey, its IS the truth, right ? If I want to kill a big buck, I'll pay to hunt private land with a rifle, and I'll probably do it. If I want a CHALLENGE, I'll hunt with a longbow on public ground and that little 6 pointer will mean a heck of a lot more.

The equipment DOES make the hunt in many ways, which was argued earlier that it didn't, that getting close to game was the key.

Cougar, I explained that crossbows are truly archery equipment, however I do not think they should be legal in archery season unless handicapped. I stated the history because guys call them cross-guns and X-bows. they are not, they are crossbows, efficient, easily used weapons that have been around for ages.

Another goog topic would be how far compounds have to advance before they too are in the easy to use crossbow class ?

Stealthy, I'll give you an opinion on that one... Slap on a Drawlock and you're there.

AHHH drawloc, the &quot;convert your compound to a crossbow&quot; thingy ...

Yeah, but very few people use them compared to crossbows.

How do you know very few people use them? Big Country: I would like to hear your reasoning for hunting with a conventional bow versus a crossbow.....

The outdoors is yours, treat it with RESPECT!!!

Drawlocs aren't legal everywhere...just like crossbows. That's why lots of folks don't use them...just like crossbow.

There's a reason that only 4 states allow them (crossbows) in the entire archery season...Less skill is involved in killing with them.

They are used as a management tool in Ohio, and were a trade-off for the shortened gun season.

Now we have a one-week gun season, and a 3 1/2 month bow season.

Problem is that there are 25X the bowhunters there were 15 years ago, and 1/2 the huntable land.

Edited by - Pro-Line on 01/30/2002 20:30:51

Buckforme, I am not sure that I understand your question?
&quot;How do you know very few people use them.&quot;
I never stated that very few people use them, if that is what you mean.
If you were refering to to my comments on the downrange ke, and accuracy of a crossbow, here are my answers to that.
1.KE- it is simple physics, you are dealing with an object(crossbow bolt) that has less weight(usually), is shorter in length(always), which makes it less stable in flight(always). Both of these factors can, and do diminish ke, both right out of the weapon, and downrange, as well.
As far as accuracy of a crossbow goes, while it is unarguably easier to get proficient with a crossbow, real, serious accuracy is not achievable with one, due to the short length, hence less stable flight of a crossbow bolt. If anyone refuses to agree with my stance on the accuracy issue, that is fine. Let me put it this way....go find the person that you know to be the BEST crossbow shooter you know, then contact me with a time and location where we can have a little accuracy contest. Lets say, 10-50yds. You may not use a benchrest to shoot from. Bring all the money you can afford to lose, I will furnish you with gas money for the ride home.
OK, why do I prefer to hunt with a conventional bow, instead of a crossbow. Well, when I started bowhunting, crossbows were never mentioned as a weapon for archery hunting. And compounds were not commercially available. I think they were invented by 1972, but not available yet.(not sure on that) So, I started with a recurve, progressed to a compound, and I am probably going to revert back to the recurve in the near future. I have shot crossbows, I have seen many crossbows shot, I know several people who use them for hunting. In my home state of PA, you can easily aquire a doctors permit for one. I am not sure what physical limitations you must meet to get one, I think you must have a runny nose for two consecutive days.<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>OK, maybe a little more than that, but not much more. So, back to your question, I prefer to use a conventional bow because, regardless of the amount of fancy gadgets you put on a compound bow(not including a drawlock) they are still much more challenging, IMO, than a crossbow. I still stand behind my statement that a crossbow is not hand drawn, not hand held, so it does not belong in regular archery season.
I don`t mean to state, or imply that people who use a crossbow are any less of a hunter, or inferior in any way, to someone who uses conventional archery gear, you still need to get close, and go undetected. I Just don`t agree with using them in archery season.

Here are a few comments on the crossbow by AMO President and CEO Jay McAninch.

&quot;... I do not advocate crossbows in the archery season - never have and never will. I believe if a state is going to expand hunting to allow crossbows that it creates needless controversy to mix equipment in seasons.

&quot;... the AMO Board has been asked several times over the last few years about crossbows and their actions have been consistent.

&quot;The AMO Board in 1996 voted unanimously to take no position on crossbows. In 1999, the AMO Board voted down a proposal submitted by the American Crossbow Federation asking for AMO to support the promotion of crossbows. Again, in 1999, AMO voted down a proposal submitted by the American Crossbow Federation for funding from the Save Our Heritage Fund asking for money to promote crossbows. I don?t feel any more words are needed to combat the unfortunate misinformation being circulated.&quot;