RE: What's up with X-bow haters?
 

Thanks awshucks, very generous of you. I also support the choice of all. I just like it spaced out so all can get thier game. Ifhunting just becomes adeer reduction tool,and everyone uses tool of choice, then alot of folks won't have the chance to getthier game. Just an opinion, no supporting data to that. I am sure alot of you has been out5 days after gun season.Deerare almost nocturnal.It is my desire that youth today learns as I did in boyscout camp at 13 on a old recurve or longbow, but its not important what I want for them. I know if you gave me a choice at 12 years old, I would have dreamed about shooting a crossbow. I know at 12 if I took out a crossbow, and missed out on all thier is to offer with learning the basics, I would have felt cheated. It was a great adventure.

I have no ill feelings towards crossbow shooters.

The way the seasons are now, in MD, everybody seems to have thier crack at deer. Crossbow shooters to flinters to wheelies to rifles. And I can live with that. Just don't want it to go too far. There has been so many contraversal things in the past few years like poison insertion on arrows, baiting, blackpowder guns rules for breekloaders etc. Crossbows in MD has affected a few areas that first week crossbow hunters came out. Public hunting is so crowded in md and land is such a premium. And I believe changed deer habits. Its only going to get worse I believe for all of us especially in areas like the east coast. Just a land issue.

Thanks again awshucks. wish you the best.

RE: What's up with X-bow haters?
 

The simple and most accurate answer is that the compound hunters do not want anyone else in the woods. This is just greed in it's most pure form. Why else would anyone care how another spends their recreation time if it doesn't restrict or infringe upon their rights. Ask any anti to tell you how an xbow hunter hurts their hunting experience and then ask them to name a state that the use of xbows caused a restriction of hunting days or a reduction in bag limits. They'll zoom on past that because they can't. Well can't be honest that is.:)

RE: What's up with X-bow haters?
 

First of all the crossbow is in fact an inferior weapon to the long bow. This was proven in combat between the English and French back in the 1300s.

The English bowmen let loose with thousands of arrows and decimated the French crossbowmen who could neither reload as fast or had the range. This is still true today and add bulky and unweildyness to the crossbow. Try this from a tree stand you will see what I mean.

Well the French saw this little thing the English were shooting at them with out much success, called a Bambard. They modified this on a crossbow stock and low and behold somebody cooked up the first rifle. Still too slow agaist the English Longbow.

Your real reason people hate the crossbow is just plain jelousy and ignorance. These days it doesnt take anymore time to learn how to use a compound bow as a crossbow. As a hunting weapon Id rather use a compound bow than a crossbow its easier...but dont tell that to the Pope and Young Club.....They started all the hoopla in the first place. They have a rule of "No Crossbows." So What? You dont put crossbow kills in the Pope and Young Record Book anyway....They have a Crossbow Record book...Ask Dan about that one....

Recently a group of activist who claim not to be a part of Pope and Young but they are... came up in a meeting in Missouri to obolish all legal crossbow use in the United States including hadicapped and elderly hunters, and block any other state from adding the cross bow like Louisiana. That's where I came in now asthe chairman for the legalization of the crossbow in Louisiana. We did a full investigation and made a report to our state representitives, and found all this out. Of course we brought in Dan Hendricks and Leone Russo as the best subject matter experts in the world as well as gaining the support of Ted Nugent, Keith Warren and the ATA along with many other Outdoor groups and large vendors.

So there is the real answer to "Whats up with X-Bow haters" its just a bunch of good hunters who have been brainwashed into canibilizing their fellow hunters due to the whim of a trophy group that claim to be the voice of bowhunting. That voice is outnumbered in just about all states 300 to 1.

During this investigation alone we found that Louisiana lost 10,000 licenced hunters since the year 2000. Adding the crossbow to the list of hunting weapons will clearly raise intrest for those who want to try it out. In turn more hunters are created.

Of course the same jelous group really doesnt want you in their woods anyway....they even get mad at the small game hunters.

Ok thats the answer to your question....not trying to stir up a hornets nest (already did that in Louisiana)so this is my final word....but you wanted the truth so there it is..

RE: What's up with X-bow haters?
 

Please bear w/ me here for a minute. The title of this thread "What's up w/ xbow haters", brings to my mind the fact that there really aren't all that many of them overall. And, you and I and folks like DJH are never going to change their minds. But, that's ok! We don't have to have them!Where our strength lays is in the undecided, new, fence sitters if you will. All we as pro crossbow supporters have to do is tell it like it is, keep emotion and frustration out of our posts and they WILL come!! It's happening daily. Some of the more fanatical "anti's" are our friends! They are venemous, often ridiculous, and the average person looking for information can see through that! Just keep doing what you're all doing, sharing info, dispelling myths and falsehoods, and it's all going to come together. We hold the high ground, and if we can remain logical, keep emotion out of it, were gonna make the most favorable impression on the folks who don't know but want to find out. Just my 2 cents worth.

RE: What's up with X-bow haters?
 

Just friendly advise from a lowly humble good ole boy hunter. I wouldleave teds name out of aconversation trying tobring people in your fold. Did you see that nutball on that stupid show, "surviving Ted" on VH1? He did more harm to hunters than he could have ever helped. I was ashamed of him. I bought that stupid cookbook of his and other things, and I feel like throwing it in the fireplace for putting 'real" hunters in such a bad light.

Also, just another tip for you from the regular hunting crowd. Don't use words like ignorance. It really isolates yourcause, and does you no favors. I know alot of people here reada few articles that love the word ignorance and all. So they reuse it. But it sure doesn't help your cause. I am a staticitican by nature of engineer work, and as any knowledgable engineer knows, statistics are very abused and don't tell half the story.

Just a simple mans opinion.

RE: What's up with X-bow haters?
 

Well this is refreshing! Finally an anti who isn't a complete jerk! Atleast bigcountry isn't here for a full out attack. I think this man is really just voicing his opinion, albeit wrong. Still the first anti-xbower that I have some respect for. Lets keep him around to beat up when we're in a bad mood ok? Let The Squirrel have at'm first! LOL. Bigcountry did you read the thread I sent you? Did you read what the source said? He said he would rather sit in the woods with a vert bow he couldn't use rather than use a crossbow. How do you feel about this? Hey, I'm not debating! LOL

RE: What's up with X-bow haters?
 

If you take emotion ( isn't greed an emotion?) out of the anti's list of reasons they have nothing left. Xbows will win every time because we have proof of our claims.

BTW there is another hot xbow debate on yet another state forum going on. Hint Take i-95 north if you really love it.

RE: What's up with X-bow haters?
 

I ain't so sharp on a puter, can't cut and paste or do the quote thing,but this guy from the other side said he didn't have anything against xbow users, he is not doing anything but expressing his opinions, and I think ya'll need to cut him some slack. His posts are not abrasive, nor fanatical, just not the same opinions as ours. I am sorry guys, but here he is on our xbow forum being polite and respectful. Let's debate things as gentlemen.
I for one don't feel he is responsible for what others have said or done. We need to bridge gaps rather than increase them. Sorry again if I've offended ya'll who I like to think of as my friends, but this is how I feel.

RE: What's up with X-bow haters?
 

I have and do kill with xbows and compounds.There is a big dif in how I hunt with them.But I stated this befor and got told how I just did not want to help people hunt. Allso how I did not want them in the woods.[all crap I help many mnay people that I have meet for the 1st time hunt and kill elk/deer.But no xbow guy wants to hear that.
Just invited a guy up here that uses an xbow[dew to arm loss]. If he draws a tag at any time I will help him in every way I can.

I am not sure where I get cussed at becouse I do not think xbows should be put in with bows at the same time.[unless can not use a bow from health reasons]

RE: What's up with X-bow haters?
 

Although I don't have a problem with most of your post there, Uncle, I do beg to differ on that point. Crossbows are not going to be the miracle panacea that you propose.

One of the very best dove hunting areas in days gone by is now D/FW Airport. A string of apartment buildings occupies another parcel of land I used to hunt. Housing subdivisions have taken over several other nice spots. Texas, home of the hunting lease. A whole lot of business owners with deep, deep pockets are leasing up prime hunting areas and are driving lease rates up year after year. Way beyondMY means to pay, I assure you. Nearby public land is so overrun that it's not hardly worth the effort of getting up to go hunting. I'm sure this problem is not unique to Texas.

So, it's not weapons restrictions thatare causing the decline in hunter numbers, at all. It's urban sprawl and theloss of huntable land orlower incomefolks being flat priced out of the picture. With lease rates at $1000 a head or more, not verymany dads can afford to take their kids hunting with them. So, the youth - our future -are being cut out and not allowed to go hunting.Altogether, it's calledloss of opportunity. If you don'thave an opportunity to hunt, then it doesn't matter what tool is legal. You won't be hunting.

Crossbows won't do a single, solitary thing to cure these problems. It's a baseless argument. At best, crossbows might draw in a scant handfull of new hunters, but not nearly enough to turn the tide. As long as there is a continuing decline in opportunity, there will be an identical decline in hunter numbers. Period. It's inevitable. Unless something changes in state regulations to encourage landowners to make more land available for hunting, and at reasonable fees,then, sooner or later, hunting willbe limited to only the wealthy elite.

We'll eventually be back to having the Sherriff of Nottingham chasing down us poor saps who are poaching the King's deer.[&o]

Hate to bust the rosy picture you painted, but I figured a reality check was desperately needed.