White-tail-deer

Rants and attitudes like this are exactly why I stoppped visiting the Archery forum. I hunt archery and rifle season and know the challenges both involve and I hate the elitist attitude from most, not all, archery guys!

4patches

WELL SAID!!! this is the post of the year. perhaps a copy of your email that you sent to bowtech should go to PFG to see what kind of bias is fueling the anti-crossbow rage, BASELESS. the keystone state should have the option to go withwhatever stringed weapon they want. OHIO does and for many years now. I personally love the option of CHOICE, the AMERICAN way.

Matt / PA

I see the crossbow forum moved to the Northeast forum........I really don't care what you guys think. Honestly.

You have to spend a lifetime hunting here to understand PA. I am not willing to give up possibly weeks of precious bowhunting time in a state where we already cannot hunt on Sundays in favor of a weapon that simply needs to be sighted in like a gun, set on your lap ready to go like a gun, safety flipped off take aim and fire.

I'm sorry that this somehow offends all you pro crossbow guys who are currently selling them and using them elsewhere. They will not fit here in PA. If you don't live here you don't understand.

In my mind (and remember I have all the first hand experience I need with them) THEY ARE NOT a bow and they are not archery. So all the jumping up and down and calling me arrogant doesn't really mean a hill of beans. You don't like it because I have the exact 180 degree opposite view as you.
God forbid not everybody see things the way you crossbow guys do.


I'll say it again quite simply. We already have an archery season. If you want to participate by all means do a little research, come on out to the bow shop and get fitted for a bow. By all means come on over to my house and I'll teach you how to shoot it and welcome aboard.
If somehow tomorrow 200,000 more people pick up a compound bow and want to hunt this season, then oh well.......welcome aboard and welcome to archery.

The UBP and bowhunters in this state fought to get the archery season to be what it is currently (although being whittled away at year after year with new and creative oddball seasons mixed in)..........why on earth would we be in favor of something that is potentially going to take away that extra 2 weeks in Novemeber that we finally get to enjoy as archers and probably flood the woods with a weapon we don't see as ARCHERY?
Some of youguys don't understand and I simply don't care if you do. To you archery somehow includes a crossbow. To others like myself it does not. There is very little gray area on this one for PA bowhunters.

You're going to attack my integrity as an archery rep? Please....because I won't bow down to the usual crossbow arguments and banter and stand up for what I believe in suddenly I'm an arrogant know it all who is giving archery and Bowtech in general a bad name. LOL
I have helped and taught more people how to shoot a bow and arrow in my life than probably most of you guys will ever meet. You don't know me so don't pretend to assign a value to my integrity or my ability as an archery repbecause ofmy personal views of a crossbow based on 23 years of bowhunting PA's woods.

You guys are on one side of the fence, myself and many others are on the other. Plain and simple. We are fighting not to lose what we believe in as archers, you pro crossbow guys are simply fighting because you think you know whats right for this state and it "works" elsewhere or you use or sell them.

Don't kid yourselves, crossbows keep getting thrown at Pa archers for one reason and one reason only.........and it's not in the name of bringing more hunters into the ranks, it's not to help the deer management plan, it's not make everyone feel all warm and fuzzy. Its a $$$$$$$ windfall if it happens for crossbow manufacturers, bowshops right on down to your local WalMart.
These companies see major major dollar signs in these borders and that's a fact.

IF somehow the majority of PA bowhunters welcomed crossbows into the state based on a democtratic vote then I would stand corrected and admit I'm wrong, but if you polled 270,000 bowhunters in a state of 1,000,000 hunters and if anything less than 200,000 of those bowhunter absolutely did not want crossbows in PA I'd be SHOCKED beyond belief. But it won't come down to that, it will come down to a quick dog and pony show and gigantic $$$$

I don't understand the need for a few vocal crossbow supporters to keep telling us what PA wants and needs and can handle in this state. You the crossbow guys who understand what the weapon is and your self imposed limitations on what you think it should be to relate to archery will have ZERO bearing on Ricky rifle hunter who makes up the other 630,000 deer hunters in this state. THey will see another gun and treat it as such......hey now we can get first crack at a big buck too because all we have to do is head to the range once a year and make sure they're sighted in.
I can see the archery club now the night before the archery season opener.......guys lined up waiting for a bench to make sure their crossbows are sighted in and ready to go for the next day. That's rifle season now here and I don't want to see archery season become ANY shade of that.

Just handle the fact thatmost of us are never going to agree with your crossbow arguments and logic. NEVER. It's ok to not agree on things really.
If it works for you in OHIO or some other state then sweet, enjoy it and don't worry about what we want in Pa as bowhunters.

I simply don't want it here and I'm not alone, you guys just see an attack on your minority beliefs that you "Know" are right. Nothing wrong in that, it's human nature.

How many times can it be said.......we have an archery season, everyone is welcome to join in. We will welcome hundreds of thousands of new hunters in the woods if need be. All you have to do is pick up a bow.

Matt / PA

Why should you be able to express YOUR opinoins and I should have to keep my mouth shut?

I forgot, because I don't agree with the vocal minority.
By all means pleasewrite Bowtech if you feel like that's your duty and tha's what you need to do. You have no ability to discuss anything in a mature open forum beyond the usual crossbow arguments (no different than my not wanting them in PA arguments)so you'll take the 'I'll take my ball and go home" attitude and make it a crusade to smear me as a rep?
And now because there are some dead deer around on the shoulder of RT84 that's a valid argument for wanting crossbows in archery season?

Whatever works, whatever you need to do.
If nothing else,you guys have prompted me to renew my United Bowhunters of PA membership.

And guess what........(you shouldn't have to guess since you all have me figured out already)
I'm not ANTI crossbow. I like crossbows, think they are cool as all get out and a lot of fun to shoot. I may even use on this year in our general rifle season. (Not to shoot 100 yards either but because I CAN use it in that season)
We have a season where crossbows are already legal.........GUN season. You can use them for 2 straight weeks.
So let me say it again nice and clear for the reading comprehension challenged: I am not ANTI crossbow, how could I be? LOL
I simply do not want them classified as archery and in our general archery season in PA. I don't care if Ohio or Jabip usues them, if it works for you enjoy it. To me it's not archery and should stay in the season where it's currently legal to use them.

Why you guys see that as a personal attack on everything holy is beyond me, but hey whatever works for you.
LOL

Matt / PA

What are we working on a behind the scenes anti Matt/ PA email campaign because there is a lack of reading comprehension skills on HNI?

Maybe I'll spell it bigger for you. I AM NOT ANTI CROSSBOW.

If it could somehow go to a vote and it was offered as a choice and the archers of PA wanted crossbows as a majority then so be it. Democracy in action. But it AINT gonna happen. The majority do NOT want it and it will be
decided for us by the almighty dollar sign and couple suits on a hill somewhere. You see it as a "stringed weapon" worthy of archery season. If it works for OHIO, terrific enjoy it.
So in the meantime crucify a guy who doesn't believe that and is willing to say it.

If you guys want a list of email addresses to send your hate mail off to drop me a PM and I'll give you all of them if you want.I'm not just a rep, they're all friends and family and not one of them would have a problem with me speaking my mind on a subject I understand.

Lanse couche couche

To some extent this is kind of a moot point. C-bows will end up being used in PA as they are in a lot of other states.Eventually the follow-up studies and statistics willshow yet again that the anti-crossbow folks were wrong in their dire predictions. But, still good fun to see folks argue about it.

germain

If crossbows are introduced in PA the archery season will be cut back.
The PGC already stated that.
Doesn't matter what a person hunts most don't want to lose days.

Matt / PA

PGC stands for Pennsylvania Game Commission.
See Ohio........it will work just fine here.

awshucks

Gotta link? To date, no season has been shortened nor bag limits reduced due to xbow inclusion.

germain

you can find one mention of the season length in the latest edition of outdoor news.Other articles might go back a year or two when this topic was discussed before.
Matt,I realize Ohio has less hunters then us but do you have any info on the results of the affect on the harvest with crossbows in Ohio?