DougE

It is a good law.If my mind is sound enough to to pack heat in a grocery store,it's sound enough to do so while hunting or spot lighting.

This guy that you speak so often about with the contender,did he just start taking his contender out while poaching since a person can now spotight with a conceiled weapon.By the way,I doubt a scoped contender would stand up in court as a conceiled weapon.I'M SURE THE FACT THAT CARRYING A CONCEILED WEAPON WHILE SPOT LIGHTING WAS NEVER LEGAL BEFORE,NEVER STOPPED THE POACHER FROM BRINGING HIS CONTENEDER ALONG FOR A RIDE.By the way,the law was not made by the PGC.Our legislature,that you approve getting involved with wildlife management issues changed the law.

I'm not going to argue about the crossbow vote in Pa.However,I have to clear up some innacuracies from Mr Sproul.Hunters are not concerned and outraged that crossbows will results in more doe being killed.The antlerless harvest is controlled by allocations,PERIOD.Crossbows will not kill any more doe.What many fear,is that the inclusion of too many crossbows will increase the pre-rut buck kill(not the total buck kill).In the past biolgists warned that if the pre-rut buck harvest went up much,they may be forced to shorted the season from our already short 6 weeks.

Valentine

As a former resident, I was surprised. I didn't think the PGC would take the heat. But economics did play a role.
Here is the official PGC news release:

Pennsylvania Game Commission

2009 Press Releases
Pennsylvania Game Commission - State Wildlife Management Agency

Release #013-09



BOARD APPROVES EXPANDED USE OF CROSSBOWS

The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners today gave final approval to expand the lawful use of crossbows to include both the archery deer and bear seasons for the 2009-10 seasons. The Board amended the proposal by including a sunset date for the expanded crossbow use that will require a future Board to vote on the measure again before June 30, 2012.


Under the new regulation, a crossbow must have a peak drawn weight of at least 125 pounds, and a bolt must be equipped with a broadhead that has an outside diameter or width of at least 7/8 inches with at least two cutting edges on the same plane throughout the length of the cutting surface, and shall not exceed three inches in length.


Also, before giving the measure final approval, the Board adopted an amendment to prohibit the use of magnifying scopes for archery equipment and crossbows during the archery bear and deer seasons. The use of non-magnifying scopes – such as those that provide a red dot for sighting purposes – will continue to be legal.


The proposal given approval also would remove the lawful use of crossbows during the October muzzleloader or late flintlock muzzleloader season. Other changes made by the proposal simplify and make the language of the regulations easier to understand.

*******

As they said in my younger days, nothing much changes when you have a million hunters in orange, trudging through Penn's Woods.

I'm sure there was some fear in the increase of deer harvests because hunters would use a more "modern" weapon. Plus the fact there are hundreds of thousands of licensed PA deer hunters who do not hunt during the archery season. I am also sure the sunset provision is a fall back line, by the commission, if crossbow hunting proves too successful.

Economically, the PGC has not had a recent license price increase. They say the buying power of the last increase and license fee has fallen 30 % in purchasing value. And revenue from forest cuttings will decrease in the present recession.
While a doubling of archers hunting in Penn's Woods will increase the total hunting fees, I'm sure some of the commissioners are wary of the archery deer harvest.

Of course, PA deer hunters are a mild manner lot, who would never protest an increase in an archery hunting season harvest. Of course not!

NJHNTR1

What's Pa.'srationale for no magnification on scopes/red dots??? I would think a little magnification would make for good clean harvests.Any thoughts?

DougE

The crossbow proponents were saying that a crossbow still only a 20-30 yard weapon.Why is a scope needed to take shots that close?

Stan00

After reading all the posts, IMO, The reason we have no deer is the 2 week doe and buck season together. The old 3 day doe season took less doe. Its ez to kill a doe with a rifle if you see any. Not so with a crossbow. I have a permit and I can say after 5 years of crossbow hunting I have had deer jump the noise it makes and have a clean miss at 20 yards. More than once. The only buck I ever shot jumped the string and instead of a lung shot I got him in the spine and he went down. He was only 10 yards. I still have to be closer to the deer than 30 yards as the noise and the crossbow is not very accutate past 25 yards. So as a longtime bowhunter I see no advantage to the crossbow over my old compound. I would buy one if I did not have one as they are fun to shoot, Even the youngsters like shooting it which means they will have some interest to hunt when a little older when its not freezing out. A red dot or a big scope will not make the bow shoot any better. I have tried both and the only advantage for me was when counting points to see if it was 5 or better.

Happy Hunting, Stan

explorer_Jack

Because the bow hunters in PA don't want more people in their woods as they claim on the PA forum. They don't want someone comming in and killing their monster buck or stinking and stomping up the woods with these new Xbows. That is why. Alot of selfish hunters in PA. Another reason I will be hunting Ohio this year and not PA.

explorer_Jack

You haven't used the new Xbows then. 405 fps and very accurate out to 45 yrds. These are the state of the art design and not your 200$ bows thatI amtalking about.

Mojotex

We here in Alabama approved the universal use of X-Bows a few years back. There were the identical lamentations here that have already been expressed by others on this string.However, those "fears" never panned out in Alabama.For sure the hunting stores were indeed fogged with folks that figured here was an easy way to get into the "archery" season. I know 5 folks who rushed out to by X-Bows. None were here to fore archers. They were all looking to extend their season 6 weeks and all expecting a simplistic route to taking deer during the archery only days here in Alabama. I bought one for my handicapped brother. When it turned out to be too heavy and complex for his particular situation, I kept it.(Glad I did.)

Of the 6 of us only 3 still have the X-Bow. Only 2 of us have taken deer with our X-Bow. The others gave up after discovering that there is really not that much of a difference in down range performace, shootability or accuracy between a good X-Bow and a god compound.The major advantagewas not having to make and hold a draw.The big disadvantages were weight and having to have a clear area as wide as the X-Bow's limbs to be certain that the X-Bow can be fired without the limbs striking anything. Where I hunt, that is a big deal.

As for me, I am 60 years old, and donot rebound from injuries like I did even 10 ears ago. After injuring my shoulder in early October setting up a lock-on, I wasunable to draw my compound witout a good deal of pain.With about 4 1/2 weeks in the archeryseason left, I switched to the X-Bow.I lucked out and was able to take 2 does with it, but the real plus for me was having a "chance" to hunt those weeks,feeling good about my chances to add meat to the table.

So my advice ... just chill and watch what happens over the next 3-4 years. I think it will mirror what has happened here in Alabama.

Stan00

Did they change the 200 lb limit on crossbows? New to me if they did.

Stan

sproulman

you are right on PISTOL THING, MY MISTAKE,it was legislature that passed that law.

this poacher was caught spotlighting after hrs.

we could not take his gun away because it was PISTOL[:@]

rifle they could have confiscated if PGC law says so.

you are wrong if you think crossbow will not increase doe kill, it will.

so, if what you say is FACT, why did the PGC allow crossbows to be used if BUCK kill would go up.