Don K

Just posting the information on the proposed crossbow legislation here in Illinois.

Senator Todd Sieben has introduced legislation to legalize the crossbow for any person 18 years or under in Illinois. These crossbows will be allowed to be used during the entire archery season. The bill number is SB0138. It will go before the House Agriculture and Conservation Committee soon.

Contact your elected officals now to let them know how you feel about this bill. This came about after 1 person asked for crossbows to be allowed so his daughter could hunt with him. Im all for increasing youth hunting opportunitys but I feel this is not the way to do it. This is only a stepping stone to get the crossbows allowed into the archery season by all.

It has been discussed with MR. Sieben to bring down the min draw weight from 40 to 35 pounds (like the surrounding states) to help with those that cant draw the 40 pounds. With todays bows this should not be a problem.
We currently allow crossbow use for Handicap people (permit required) and I believe that is excellent and should stay that way.

bwhunter501

I personally dont want them to be legalized, if you cant pull back the bow..sorry thats tuff and i know putting more younger kids in the outdoors is a very good thing but for bows? i mean alot more can go wrong with bows and the wounding percentage greatly increases when you use bow.

logs

bwhunter501, I am not a big fan of crossbows but, I see you are a compound user.

How about, If you can't pull back a long bow of the same weight, tuff, don't hunt.

See what you have started

duramaxlt

do any of you feel its safe for a child to hunt from a treestand with a crossbow to me these things seem dangerous imo not safe for a child.if you can't draw a compound bow you won't draw a crossbow.maybe with a cocking mechanism i don't know sounds like they are just going in the backdoor to get them recognized as archery equipment.

klemquad36

I've been reading the posts regarding the legalization of crossbows in Illinois. It seems as though the majority of the posts are anti-crossbow but I haven't read any posts that explain the reasons for their anti- crossbow sentiment. Could someone tell me why they feel this way about crossbows? just curious..thanks

bwhunter501

ORIGINAL: duramaxlt

thats pretty much the main reason im anit-crossbow right there. i wouldnt feel save with a youngster in a treestand by him or herself with a crossbow.

klemquad36

would a youngster be safer in a tree with a Mathews LX? or a shotgun? or a muzzleloader?

bwhunter501

Well no but if we add crossbows that just adding one more thing to the list.

Don K

I dont beleive crossbows belong in the archery season. Im also concerned with the amount of new hunters that may end up in the woods if this becomes a reality. Illinois is ranked around 47th for the amount of public land it has.

Like I said before theres plenty of other ways to help get the youth involved but IMO this isnt a good one.

Cougar Mag

The problem I see with this is.........what do the youth do after they turn 18? Start shooting a bow? Its only a start to get crossbows legalized during archery season, count on it!

Klem......read the rules and regulations about being hand drawn and hand held. That is a state of Illinois rule in their digest, one that I think most describes a bow. Even though a compound has a letoff, the full weight of the bow must still be drawn within some point of the draw cycle. Holding at full draw is also not the same as holding a gunstock........which the crossbow has.