Which would you attend if available?
 

This is a question which comes out of a discussion on Maine. Maine requires you, as a crossbow hunter, to attend an archery hunters safety course in order to obtain a license to hunt with a crossbow; therefore, which course would you attend if both were available.

Maybe a crossbow hunters safety course should be developed and published.

RE: Which would you attend if available?
 

Cross Bow!

RE: Which would you attend if available?
 

Hope this don't confuse ya guys but I think both classes would be good, but I voted for the CB class because you/I would feel more a home. I think the CB class would be good cause alot of new CB users think their CB is a deadly 50-60 gun and that is not the case. But I still think you should have in these classes a Deer ethics class on proper shot placement and proficency with your bow/gun.

RE: Which would you attend if available?
 

The crossbow has several things that need to be covered in detail that a regular archery instructor may not think to cover. Keeping the thumb down, proper loading, cocking the crossbow on the ground and how to hoist it up, not cocking the bow by hand in the tree, etc.
This is where the crossbow specific class would be very benefical.
Randy

RE: Which would you attend if available?
 

Self taught lessons on keeping the thumb down is very painfull!! You only do it once!!

RE: Which would you attend if available?
 

I voted xbow. I'm not sure I understand all of this. Voluntary or Mandatory? I got a lttle problem w/ the word mandatory, as applied to most anything. How would there be a course that covers the huge area of xbow users? I personally only learned two things about xbows that weren't already ingrained safety issues from years of firearm use. #1 was on Excal Video, not to get your finger/thumb above the rail, may not have occured to me, and #2 I'm nowhere near man enough to uncock a 225 lb Emax by hand. LOL. The instructions that come w/ Excal and Barnett [only two I've read] seem pretty simple to me. I'm sure the rest of the mfgs are as well. Why don't one of you puter guru's make a test up we can all take on-line? You know, these forums are loaded w/ both new folks, and lots of info. I think alot of xbowers are holding some classes daily. Just my rambling .02 cents worth.

RE: Which would you attend if available?
 

One would think that this is true. However, we had a guy call us flaming mad. He blew the stiches out of his thumb. Yes, that is right. He had his thumb too high and tore it up enough to need stiches. A few days later (stiches still in the thumb) he was shooting and did the same thing. :eek:This is not the kind of guy you want in the woods. "Here's your sign".
Randy

RE: Which would you attend if available?
 

I think, if anyone cares (LOL, I'm at home right now), that if you are going to hold classes then anyone hunting should be taking a course that instructs and informs on all tools of the trade all firearms, xbow, compound and recurve/stick.
Our hunter safety course includes all firearms but no archery. I think we should be teaching all forms of archery in those classes because a firearm hunter can just pick up anything with a string and start flaying away.
I would assume that given a normal functioning brain, then maybe a few misconceptions would be clarified not just about xbows. I could only imagine that hunting would also be a safer sport as well.

RE: Which would you attend if available?
 

Just goes to show you that Darwin was not 100% correct.:D
10pt, how does one not atleast snicker while listening to that stuff on the phone? Was the phone call recorded????????????????? Would be very entertaining! Was his name Wilie Coyote?

RE: Which would you attend if available?
 

The phone call was not recorded, and the guy did not find it at all funny, but yes, you do have to laugh at some of the things we hear from people. We listen to what te consumers are saying and try very hard to address needed changes. However, when you get this type of call (or the people that shoot the claw off the Acudraw) you have to wonder???
Randy

RE: Which would you attend if available?
 

10 Point: You guys w/ mfgrs. must have alot of patience w/ the 1 or 2% ers. I could understand once, overlook the Darwin factor on the 2nd, but to call up the co. and complain... boggles the mind. Reminds me of a true story that happened while
I was living in Louisiana in the mid 80's. A guy was limping around on a bandaged foot,said he cut his foot off w/ a push mover while pulling it backwards. He then asked me if that "wasn't the dumbest thing in the world". I had to tell him I thought telling people about it ranked even higher!! LOL

RE: Which would you attend if available?
 

Most days being patient is not difficult for me, but occassionally you will get a guy that thinks he knows everything and has an attitude. Those are the ones you struggle with.
We do hear some good stories though.
Randy

RE: Which would you attend if available?
 

Not mind boggling at all when you consider they even have to put the warning tag "NOT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION" on a package of stink bait. [:'(]

By the way, I'd take both classes. Also, I don't think the classes should be combined, at all.While the hunting safety parts are obviously identical, there are enough differences in safe handling of crossbows vs bows to warrantseperate training.

For example, even the dumbest bowhunter can't shoot himself in the chest with a bow. An idiot with a crossbow can. Ref: the kid a couple of years back who was lowering a loaded crossbowon a rope. The crossbowwent off, bolt hit him in the chest,and killed him.

Not to mention theintellectual giantwho can't learn to keep his fingers out of the string's way.

I think the crossbow industry and it's activistsshouldwork towardgettingan organization like IBEP started that is dedicated to crossbow safety. I do NOT think the classes should be stuffed into IBEP.Mainlybecausehardly any IBEP instructors know a flippin' thing about crossbows, but also becausea great many IBEP instructorsare likely hardcore anti-crossbowers.

I better stop there before I get too high up on the soap box. ;)

RE: Which would you attend if available?
 

I chose archery because my state doesn't have xbow HE .