Gunplummer

I started bow hunting in Pennsylvania when I was a kid, so I know a little bit about the progression of things. I don't know where these people were that said bow hunting was looked up to as something special. If you were in a bar in the mountains during rifle season and mentioned a bow, you were lucky if you didn't get the crap beat out of you. Bow hunters were hated by the rifle hunters back in the 60s and early 70s. Then along came the compound bow in the late 70s, if I remember correctly. It pulled the "stick" guys over to the compound. There were still plenty of deer on public lands so I stuck to the stick and the recurve. I hunted for years on public land and only remember seeing two other guys with recurves. Where were all you holier than thou guys at? Then Pa. let archery season extend into the rut. Everybody and his brother ran out and bought a compound bow. A lot of those hard corp rifle hunters became bow hunters when they found out it was easier to kill a buck with a bow during the rut than with a rifle in gun season. Unfortunately, it beat the deer herd into the dirt on the state land I hunt. From my observation, for every deer drug out one is hit and lost. Now I rarely bow hunt anymore. The mountains that once were good places to bow hunt are now empty of bow hunters. They all quit or went somewhere else because the early in-line hunters kill and scare off most of the deer in the area.
I have now come full circle. I hunt mostly with a gun the second week and do O.K. Deer get pushed in from private property by then. So don't worry about crossbows, it is a fad that will run its course. The ranks will thin out when the easy pickins' are gone. Maybe some of you should try rifle hunting again.

bigcountry

If you can't understand what I said and the comparison, then I am sorry, I can't break it down any easier.

I have not put you down. I gave you the respect of answering every question you had in detail, with backup of history. I have answered with logic. And the only thing you have answered back is "it doesn't affect me too much, so go for it".

bigcountry

Banned? Who said anything about banning? I am saying weapon of choice season, and you are talking banning?

robbcayman

I'm not saying that. I'm telling you there are plenty of traditional guys who think compounds should be banned from regular archery season. Just like how you don't think crossbows should be allowed in archery season.

You still never answered my question. Why aren't you against compounds??? Why not give those guys a hard time too? They are taking the easy route when compared to traditional guys.

It's apparent that no amount of logic is going to dissuade you. Good day, sir.

bigcountry

Show me any logic any of these guys have shown???? Only thing they have shown after almsot a dozen pages is "it has a string", and "it doesn't cause that much dent in the deer herd". Thats it.

My logic showed the beginnings of bow seasons. Why they came about. Who they were started by. What was thier thoughts on it.

The thread is about legalizing crossbows in MD. If legistation ever comes up in MD about changing the archery seasons to have barebows have a long season and compounds have a short one, I will discuss that. Until then I can't. Its not up for debate.

Whats funny is I bet only a handful of folks actually hunt in MD which is what the post was about.

Kybuckhunter

How do you say this is logic. Gun season started before bow season. Does that give it a foot up by having seniority and tradition over bow season. Does bow season get seniority over xbow season for the same reason? This is a ridiculous arguement.

You still will not answer why having xbow hunters in the woods does anything to stop your bow hunting tradition. You will not because you don't have a leg to stand on. Period.

I pressed other guys on this topic and it all comes down to them not wanting a bunch of "scum gun hunters" running out and grabbing a xbow then flooding the woods. I know 100 percent this is why you don't want them. Its an elitist mentality that you have domain over the sport. That showed clearly when you compared homosexuals to xbow hunters that affects society like a disease.

There will come a day when your beloved sport of bow hunting will be threatened like trapping was. There are some well funded groups working on it as we speak. Wouldnt you rather have a fellow hunter stand with you in greater numbers to help you fight them?

bigcountry

I pressed you on the topic of how letting gun hunters in your bow season stopped your tradition and way of hunting and you never answered it. You will not because you don't have a leg to stand on. Period.

Kybuck, I know you want play games and keep this going. But I am sorry, as I said previously, I can't break this down any more simplier, than I have. If you really can't understand it with all I said, patiently showing you the beginnings of bow seasons, thier reasons for it, and why its such a long season, then I am not sure anyone can. I am not calling you an idiot, I am just saying I can't see how any reasonable honest person could not understand. But you keep telling me you don't. So I am not sure else what to tell you.

Again, once more, because I am a nice guy, the bow season started by tradition of archery, the difficulty in aquireing the necessary skill to harvest an animal, with generious seasons due to that difficulty. (look up Roy Case Bow season in WI) When you put a gun stock with the same trigger and laser/scope and make it so the weapon is preloaded you have taken away 80% of that difficulty us archers face. If you disagree and say its twice as hard using a modern X-bow than a gun, then thats your perogative. I can't change that.

Kybuckhunter

I never said the xbow was harder or easier. Just different. Shooting a bow is not difficult any longer either. I've killed a lot of deer with a bow and it's just not that hard. I don't make it out to be a supernatural wounder when I do.

You seem to want to say a xbow is a gun and compares to a gun. If the xbow is the same as a gun would the harvest be as high if guns were outlawed and only xbows were allowed?

I fully understand how a xbow works. They do not have the range or speed of a gun. They are closer to a bow than a gun in most categories.

I still don't know why you care if the guy in the next tree has a gun, bow, or xbow. I hunt in gun season with a bow alot of times. It doesn't take away from what I want to do. It doesn't change what the history or tradition is with the bow. What if your hero Roy Case had the opposition to the bow as some give the xbow now? There wouldnt be any tradition now. Maybe its time you accept the new tradition some want for themselves now. It has to start somewhere.

bigcountry

Ok, so you would definately be for weapon of choice, one deer season? We agree, at least we wouldn't look like hypocrits. And it would even the playing the field. Those who want to hunt with compounds could do it, those with longbows could it.

But I have an opportunity in my state to not embrace xbows. And I am doing all I can with call after call to the DNR to change that. Its my views, and I have the right to them. A lot of good states have been able to keep these xbow manufactures and pro-shops at bay. All they care about is money. Like BB. They could care less that it could shorten the season or make severe changes in the future.

Alot of people bases thier data off the last 10 years. Over the last 10 years, urban spraw in most cities have significally increased deer kill. It will settle back down in coming year, I guarnatee that.

Kybuckhunter

Why do you keep pushing the one weapon thing anyway. Are you just going for a dramatic effect or what? Adding the xbow does not change the seasons at all. Where as the gun season would. Some states do it but most can't support a 3 month gun season. Having a guy shooting an arrow sideways or up and down changes nothing.

Like I said before...the number of deer taken has little effect on the total kill. Last year we had 113,585 deer killed and 1,396 were with a xbow. Around 1 %. Almost no difference. It will not shorten the season any. Ours keeps getting longer because we can't kill enough deer as it is.You also forget hunter numbers are sliding in most states. If we don't keep hunters we will lose the battle period. But hey you will always have the memories of your tradition you can tell your grand kids......

I know we have tossed this back and forth with no change so good luck this year and I hope you have a great season.