RE: please tell me just one negative to crossbows
 

I do, a Ben Pearson take down recurve with 52 lbs at my draw length. I love shooting it and hunting with it. I also love shooting with my compound, and though I shoot instinctive with my recurve and use sights with my Mach10 .. almost every other facet of my form is identical.

BTW, I think those kids hunting with crossbows is a great intro to the wonderful world of hunting. I think crossbows are a great way to introduce youngsters and women to the sport of hunting. It's ok to not "agree" that crossbows and bows are different. Hey, getting kids is hunting is great .. that's why so many states have youth weekends before the regular firearm seasons. Those weekends before regular gun season would make prefect times to take little guys like these out into the woods with some crossbows! Plus, perfectly legal!

RE: please tell me just one negative to crossbows
 

Now you can spew your bull**** all you want about stocks and sights but in the real world the bows perform the same. You fixate on irrelevant differences to make separation since you recognize that there’s no rational reason to reject one bow from the archery season while tolerating the other.

Alright, I will quit beating the dead horse. Why should people’s enjoyment of the season be dictated by you? How does it HURT you if somebody else chooses a different, but no more effective bow?

Well, I guess what you’re saying then, is that you would rather leave your youngster at home watching television than taking them alongside with you on a hunting outing with a crossbow. That is just truly heartbreaking.

Shall we limit firearm hunters to single shots only, since pumps, lever actions and bolt actions are unfair?

This is allowed in archery seasons:

Gyro

and this . . . Concept99

and you can use this . . . Range Finder

So why not this . . .

Phoenix

Does archery gear offer a humane way of harvesting game? Isn't this the battle we archers should be battling, and in disagreement to the people who are demanding to take it away from us. Technology that improves archery equipment also increases its capability to humanely harvest game. How can the traditionalist or the anti-hunters have a problem with that? Technology is used in opposition to the anti-hunters, and yet countless people are opposing it.

A woman’s perspective:

Is There a Crossbow in Your Future?

The Vixen by Excalibur

RE: please tell me just one negative to crossbows
 

Well, Mississippi just voted down the allowed use of xbows during archery season. However, they did legalize their use during the firearm season.

I for one support that decision. I do not personally believe that letting xbows into archery season will result in increased number of hunters. What I believe will happen is increased man days in the field while hunter numbers stay pretty much constant. Sure, there are isolated cases such as Silent's wife and a kid here or there. But the only true increase that I predict would be man days, which IMO is not needed. To be honest, I don't support kids using xbows. I don't think they are mentally mature enough to make the right decisions required for shooting at game with an xbow. I could handle 45-50lbs at age 10 or so, but my Dad knew I wasn't ready to start flinging arrows at game and he was right, heck I was barely ready at 13 when I did start bowhunting.

Just my 2 cents.

RE: please tell me just one negative to crossbows
 

Buckmaster,

I made this point seems like a thousand times before and nobody listened then and I doubt they will now.

I have asked this question seem like a thousand times before and nobody has answered it yet and I doubt they will now.

The bottom line is this a crossbow is a form of a BOW and not a form of a FIREARM. For the life of me I can't believe that grown up adults can't see the BASIC and EXTREME differences between the two. You can state all you want about cocking and safeties and sights and so on...... it's still a bow. A S&W model 29 revolver (as with most double action revolvers don't have a safeties does that mean they are not guns?????

You people are splitting hairs about COMPONENTS of a firearm or a crossbow or a compound bow. It still does not change the BASIC fact that one is a firearm and the others are bows

RE: please tell me just one negative to crossbows
 

Bucky... why is the ONLY answer give them a crossbow? Take the kid with you!!!! Let them help scout, hang stands, read tracks. So they have to shoot a deer with a crossbow during archery season ... which is illegal in 47 states to learn hunting? Bull crap... let them shoot their crossbow in crossbow season (like in Maryland) or during firearm season like every where else.

Guys, no one is arguing that a crossbow IS a gun, and hard as you try and you can't make a crossbow a bow. They are different. All this theoretical crap aside... ask the guys in Mississippi what is archery equipment is. Here in New England? .. yup, you guessed it .. BOW ONLY!!!

So you can tell all of us people who "don't get it" we rot all you want... you STILL DON'T GET TO USE THE DAMN THINGS DURING ARCHERY SEASON!!!!!! You can rationalize it a thousand times that they "should" be allowed, but at the end of the day you'll still get fined or lose your hunting license if you drag one into the woods during archery season.

RE: please tell me just one negative to crossbows
 

BigJ
I agree with you...............kinda.
A crossbow is a form of a bow yes, but come on, do you see how more simular it is to a gun, when used for harvesting an animal? I see both sides, it's effective range is the same as a bow. When you use the crossbow to hunt with, it is far more simular to a gun. Lifting, sighting, resting, not having to hold the force at all times, please tell me you guys see that as a differance in the two?

If they bring more hunter to the sport than I am ultimately for it. No it is not what I would perfer to use, but even people that don't hunt can see the differance in using the two in a hunting situation.

RE: please tell me just one negative to crossbows
 

MA Jay ... but allowing the same youngster to shoot a compound (way easier to use, trigger release, high letoff, vastly different device from a real bow) is okay ?

Why ?

RE: please tell me just one negative to crossbows
 

Because he has decided for everyone else that that's OK. I am sure he will say "becasue 47 states say that it's OK" but we both know that's a BS answer.

RE: please tell me just one negative to crossbows
 

Yes I do see the similarities between the two and I believe a crossbow is as close to a rifle in the way that you hold, aim and shoot, as a bow could be. But that's where the similarities end do you not agree? Now compare a crossbow to a compound bow and you will find it is more similar to it than a firearm. The basic function of a crossbow is and always will be the same. It uses limbs that store the energy that propel an arrow/bolt by use of a string. A firearm uses ignited gunpowder to propel it's bullet. That will never change so it is more like a bow than a firearm.

Yes it's different that a compound bow anybody can see that, but if you want to split hairs and that's what I think many (not you) are doing you can say that compounds should not be classified the same as long bows or recurves because they are also very different no?

Where do you draw the line as to what is a bow and what is not? For me it's in the basic function.

A house cat and a lion are both feline. They are VERY different but both felines right, both in the "cat" family right?

RE: please tell me just one negative to crossbows
 

Who's not listening? Your "point" has been clearly debated "a thousand times" already! And because we dont agree with you "we're not listening"?:eek:

And "for the life of us we cant believe you dont see" the BASIC similarities that puts them both in the same category.

It's not!!!! We dont allow crossbows during archery season. They are more than welcome to learn with a bow and join and enjoy the season , we have a 35lb minimum requirement.


First , it may not "hurt me" in particular. I'm concerned for the sport of bowhunting and bowhunters in general , NOT JUST ME!!!
Second , dont even try and tell me or ANYONE here that a crossbow is no more effective than a compound bow!! I've put in my research and I know damn well what their capable of.

Big MISTAKE to try and "guess what I'm saying" pal!
Here in Wi kids must be 12 years of age to legally hunt AFTER taking hunters ed. Most 12 year old kids I know can handle 35lbs of draw weight and if they cant I'd still take them along as my father did with me.
Is that what bowhunting is all about to you? Just plop any weapon in your kids hands as long as they get their KILL?
What's truly sad is that in this day and age yall are too dang lazy to get off your arse and teach these kids how to shoot a bow. Just plop a xbow in their hands as long they get that first blood.[:@] It's truly sad that everything that I learned (and many others here) about HUNTING in general (not the kill) will be totally lost in 20 years!


YES! Archery gear offers a humane way of taking game! So your saying because of the slobs who dont bother becoming proficient with their recurve/longbow/compound we should make it as easy as we can for them to appease the antis? How about GETTING ON THEM? Educating them?


Just curious what datamax has to say about that concept??:eek:

Also curious where Buckmaster9 and BigJ12 come from? It seems so far the biggest supporters of crossbows are those from states who already allow them.