BTBowhunter

I've been following this thread all along but I think you need to re read some of my posts here. I WAS once opposed to the crossbow but am not as convinced as I once was that it would bethe problem that some of us fear. I am not a crossbow supporter either. What IDID say is thatmandatory bowhunter ed would deter those who simply see the crossbow asthe easy way in. That being said, Imight be more apt to support themIF AND ONLY IFthey were accompanied by a mandatory bowhunter ed rule for ALL new bowhunters

bluebird2

Now there is a rational response that I agree with totally.

Buck Hunter 1

Sproulman & BTB what about the beggining recurve/compound hunting persons?? Should they not take your mandatory class? They do teach some in the Hunters Ed but does that make them proficient w/ a bow? BTB, you make an excellent point.........ut good for the goose, good for the gander.

Sproulman, your responses are always geared to incite harsh responses in most instances:
That is exactly why I will vote for Xbow w/ unfetterd regulation. Entitlement my friend. I always thought those deer were ours , sportsman, PA license holders. Your response verges on the PAPGC thinking that they owned the deer herd. You also resonate superiority in your response that you are the hunters, no one else. Sometimes i read your responses, but most of time your opinion is narrowed and of little value to us (I guess according to your response above) non-hunters. If you aren't seeing deer maybe it is your technique?? I can tell you I see alot of deer, I hunt private, Gamelands and multiple states. I know in my PA property we are trying to kill more deer to keep a healthy herd. But guess what, I changed the way I hunt and the area to see more deer to get that experience. I actually get in the woods early and go deep, I rarely see another hunter in bow, gun when I hunt the Gamelands and if I do see them they are not in as deep as I am. I had to adjust, I do not promote keeping hunters from the field as you seem to be promoting. PA has had nothing but decreases in license sales annually, even with the additional type weapons hunting seasons. But you go a head and keep people new, young, female and others you feel prejudiced towards out of the woods. It will only furhter divide the hunting community, put a bad taste in the mouths of newbies and cause OUR sport to take additional hits from Rendell and his anti's.
Good luck to you BOW HUNTING clubs and hunters that own the wqods.......I will definitely be out there small game hunting, Xbow hunting and in fact here is what i'll do Sproulman, I will ban all recurve and compounds from my camp and property and go only Xbows. I can do that, I own my/the woods!!

BTBowhunter

I beleive I did say mandatory ed for ALL new bowhunters no matter what weapon. A guy who buys a crossbow, a recurve or a compound a week before the season doesnt belong in the woods with that weapon till he has put in some time learning his sport.

Mandatory bowhunter-ed for ALL is long overdue

Buck Hunter 1

BTBowhunter, sorry. Overeacted there. You did say ALL! In North Park in Pittsburgh you have ot shoot proficiency in order to join the special hunt. Huge deer in that park.

livbucks

I think crossguns should be welcomed into any gun season.

I shudder to think that ARCHERY season will get shortened back to October only.
I really don't begin to hunt until the last week of October. For me, archery "bow and arrow" season is all about that magical window of time from around October 20th-November 15ish.
Shortening the season will wreck mine and my families' world.
All I can say.

I did have two crossgun trespassers (2B) come under my stand last season looking for a doe they wounded. I found it weeks later. They didn't.[:@]

BTBowhunter

I think our concerns are exactly the same here Greg. We are both concerned that allowing an "easy way" to get into the early season could result in a shorter season. So far, the challenges of hunting with archery equipment and committment required keeps out those looking for the "short cut" .Considering the unrelenting onslaught from crossbow manufacturers and with an apparently growing acceptancefor the things, maybe our energies would be better served in pushing now for mandatory bowhunter education. I sincerely believe it will deter the throngs of one day wonders from plunking down the $$ for a crossbow just to find an easy way into the bow season.

JMHO

BTBowhunter

Had to do the same for the suburban deer program I hunt as well. Also had to submit to a background check and agree to a lot of rules designed to keep the hunt as close to politically correct as possible.

livbucks

I have no predjudice toward crossguns. I wouldn't mind owning one. I think they would work great for hunting close to residential areas during firearms season. That would be an effective strategy for reducing the herd in those areas. BUT....The ARCHERY season is set, in terms of length, by the number of hunters participating and the success rate of those hunters. I believe it was lobbied for many years to extend the season into the rut and it wasn't until the GC was convinced that doing so wouldn't result in overharvest, that it was granted. The whole idea of archery season was to use a primitive tool to take a deer. A self imposed challenge.
True, the crossgun does not have a more effective range than a bow, but the learning curve to crossguns is so much shorter, and the perception of effectiveness so greater, that a huge number of otherwise one-day gun hunters will jump in to the archery season. The GC will no doubt react by shortening the season.
I have seen it first hand. In 2B last season I had a duo come to me, trespassing no less, looking for a doe they wounded. I almost never see other hunters encroaching on the area I hunt during archery season. Their crossguns were brand new, I wonder how long they practiced??..
A person can pick up a crossgun, and in a matter of minutes, be hitting the proverbial pie plate. What makes that any different that shooting a gun, besides a shorter range. Nothing.
I just don't think they belong in bow and arrow season. The cost to the whole concept of archery "bow and arrow" season will be lost. Lost to the fast-food, push-to-talk, on-demand, instant gratification new age world.
I can visualize the archery season morphing into just a more quieter gun season. And worse...shorter.

livbucks

I understand what your saying Bob. I know that sometimes our fears are worse than the actual reality. But don't forget the reality of PA being 800,000 licensed hunters, plus non-residents. We can learn from other states, but all the while remembering that PA is unique in the sheer numbers of hunters, so I do fear the season being shortened, where maybe it wasn't a factor in another state. I don't fret about the tool itself, just the ramifications of it being unleashed in our unique situation.
The fact that all the pressure is coming from manufacturers is seriously disturbing. They are only concerned with creating a market for the product. How can that be good in the scheme of things?