wolfen I have a feeling it may be to get more people out there hunting to thin the herds in some states. I know here in Va. the herd is growing at an alarming rate. 30 years ago the most deer you could kill in the whole state was 3 and that was only in certain counties, now you can kill 2 a day and as long as you are willing to pay for bonus tags you could kill 2 every day the season is open. The season ran from 6 October (bow) and closed 5 January (gun).

The Tazman

Actually wolfen from everyone I am talking to and hearing from, the biggest outrage is from the archery community. Georgia isn't just legalizing xbows, they will be legal for anyone to use during archery season.

So far, I ahve not heard from any of the politicians that there was a large amount of hunters asking for the xbows, it was a decision they made pretty much on their own. I have talked on the phone with my local state rep, and he said the decision was made with input from the head of DNR only, not from the hunters.

Highlights on some other legislation for hunting changes in GA:
-increase bag limit to 10 anterless and 2 antlered or antlerless deer per year. If 2 antlered deer are taken, there is a 4 point on one side minimum for the 2nd.
-legalize baiting----there are 2 different versions of this bill, one in the senate, and one in the house. The house bill legalizes it only in certain zones, the senate bill legalizes it statewide with a $25 feeder registration fee per feeder.
-Open the season 1 week earlier.

Guys, I have been going over all this crossbow debate thing on another forum, and theres a lot of people who got theit facts wrong.

#1 - crossbows are not any more accurate nor can they shoot farther than a compound ( I personally think they are less effective)

#2 - Crossbows ARE archery equipement, defined as

Archery - 1 : the art, practice, or skill of shooting with bow and arrow
2 : an archer's weapons

Bow - 2 : a weapon that is made of a strip of flexible material (as wood) with a cord connecting the two ends and holding the strip bent and that is used to propel an arrow

They have been around a thousand years, compounds only 60 years.

#3 - Its a game management issue. Is it ? Gun hunters kill the bulk of your states deer. If theres a deer problem, increase gun season by two weeks or increase the bag limit. Adding another weapon is not a game managemet tool, is it ?

Crossbows are fine for legitimate handicap people or in any season but archery. The people that use them in general are trying to circumvent having to practice and learning their equipment. They was to pick the bow up on Monday and go hunting on Saturday. I know this for fact, as I live in Arkansas where crossbows are legal in archery season. Its not about killing more deer or keeping a long archery season (those are selfish reasons), its about preserving the integrity of the sport of bowhunting. You know, paying your dues, praciticing all summer, learning your equipment and how to master is etc. Archery is NOT suppose to be easy - but crossbows make it so. Archery's image is damaged because of them being legal in archery season, and thats me greatest problem with them.

Taz...that's amazing! I can't imagine after one season with such liberal regulations that there would be any deer left in your area! Must be gobs of deer running around!

Taz...that's amazing! I can't imagine after one season with such liberal regulations that there would be any deer left in your area! Must be gobs of deer running around!

I tend to agree with Stealthy though that increasing gun season (God forbid I said that)would be a more effective management tool than adding another weapon to the mix.

I guess I'd rather see a guy out there with a crossbow in his hand after 2 days of practice shooting the eyes out of a blue spot,....then a guy with a compound who practices a few weeks and still isn't competent. By the way,...it seems that competence is in the eye of the beholder!

I don't get your statement Stealthcat: &quot;Archery's image is damaged because of them being legal in archery season, and thats me greatest problem with them.&quot;.....&quot;and thats me greatest problem?&quot; I didn't know you were Irish me lad! <img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle> I moved here from Ohio 4 years ago and Xbow was legal there. I rib my cousin about hunting with the Xbow but I really REALLY would prefer to see him with that crossbow!! For sure he needs to practice more,...but like allot of guys he isn't/wasn't where I personally thought he should be with a compound.

Am I the only guy on here that seems to know many many more bowhunters who don't practice much. Am I the only one who hears about the wounded deer. I hear of 5 wounded deer for every one I hear about that is harvested!! I know these guys practice routines also. Yep they get out the bow a month or less before opening day and shoot a few days and they are ready to go!! They are the ones that give us a bad rep!! I wish all these YAHOO's could crossbow hunt,...but even if it was legal they probably wouldn't!!! They must find it a frickin challenge seeing how many deer they can wound!! MAN ITS A SORE SPOT WITH ME!!!!!!!!!! DAMNNNNNNNNNN. I'd like to give'em a <img src=icon_smile_blackeye.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=icon_smile_angry.gif border=0 align=middle>

Stealthycat has this one figured out I'd say. I said in my post that I wasn't really sure where I stood. You guys for really help me understand where I stand on this issue. It's really the same place I stood before but now I understand how I feel about it a little better.

TWANG - No, I don't see the same things you do. I do see compound hunters who don't try hard enough to master their equipment, another topic perhaps ? My argument is this - some compound hunters are lazy and don't try to learn the art of shooting a bow and they don't learn the art of mastering their equipment - you're going to have that in ANY sport. Their numbers are not high. I say this because shooing a compound isn't easy, learning what arrows to use, where to puit your nocking point, how to use a release, how to set up your pins - all that stuff is NOT encouraging to someone who doesn't want to put the time into learning it.

Enter the crossbow as being a legal weapon in archery season. BAM ! You get an easy to use, easy to scope, easy to master weapon that takes a very minimal ammount of time to tune and your ready to go deer hunting. Folks, that can't EVER be a good thing, can it ? Perhaps for handicap persons, but thats about it.

My experience has been just that - people buying crossbows because they simply don't want to spend the time to master a compound, and wouldn't archery hunt at all if it were'nt for crossbows. I aint selfish about wanting to have the deer al to myself, but I do expect people to know what they're doing, and crossbows invite just the opposite from what I have seen.

Twang: I have seen way to many compounders not take the time to be proficient with there bow. I use both compound and crossbow and practice lots of hours with both. I do feel that alot more wounding of deer and non harvest ocurrs with compounders. Simply because they do not practice enough or take ill advised shots!!!!

Stealtycat: By stating that crossbow users gives archery a bad name is pretty self centered by you. This xbow topic has been covered and debated millions of times, but the real thing that gives archery a bad name is the un ethical people who wound deer and never harvest the animal. THOSE ARE THE FOLKS WHO GIVE THIS SPORT A BAD NAME!!!!!

buckforme - Yeah, well I'll stick by what I say because I know it to be true. Most (because there are always exceptions) crossbow hunters are using them because they are easy to use. Is that not true ? Gun hunters use guns because they're easier than compounds, compounds easier than longbows etc etc. I hunted with crossbows, I know what they are and what they can do. I also hunted with a compound, and I know quite a bit about them as well. I shot them well too. I also live in Arkansas and we've had crossbows for what, 16-18 years ? I know the people that use them, they are shortcutting learning archery to capitalize on a longer season. While this has had minimal effects on deer harvest, no effect on making the woods more dangerous and no effect on the length of the archery season, I do see the types of people who generally use crossbows.

buckforme - You can argue all you want, but that doesn't make it less true that people use crossbows because they're easy. People use compounds because they're easier than longbows/recurves too. Thing is, longbows/recurves and compounds require practice and knowledge of the weapons to at least some extent (exceptions apply). Not so with crossbows - anybody can use them with a few minutes practice. And its been my experience that the vast majority of those using crossbows do not practice with them because they don't want to - thus they use a crossbow and not a compound, recurve/longbow, and that type of person does not personify what Archery is all about.

Maybe I am glorifying archery more than I should. Perhaps I am putting archery higher than it belongs now days.