Bernie P.

I still don't see how an xbow will bring in new blood from any of the points you make for it.Especially so if time/cost are that important.A shotgun combo package would allow them to hunt all species in NY and most anywhere else for that matter.All the added critters/seasons would make it far easier for them to find time to get in the field when they can as well as justify the investment.Bow season is short.Learning to hunt deer is not easy especially if using something with a fairly limited range.If time,cost,reasonable success to keep interest going buying such a specialized hunting tool as an xbow just doesn't make any sense.

sits in trees

That'singenious, we should have the NYDEC use your criteria to decide who can and can not hunt in NY state.....

bowtruck

LMAO If you think sombody is lazy because they choose to hunt with a deviceyou dont like . Alright you think they are to lazy tp practice with a
bow and dont think they will go out. Why are people crying about it then.

We all know when those darn compounds come out it already ruined
archery as we know it . NOT

Coalcracker

If you didn't take any interest in your children when they were young, don't expect them to go hunting with you when they turn 12 years old.

All three of my boys went deer hunting with me on both Saturdays when they were 10, at the age of 11 they would go along with me on the first day and both Saturdays. I gave up the chance to harvest a deer to get them interested in hunting.

It's the ME attitude of today that is ruining hunting, do you want to tags a deer or have your child for a hunting buddy?

bowtruck

It is always a good idea to get the kids out there hunting well before they can shoot a deer

I can remember my youngest songoing with me from about 4 years old
Hope he gets a chance at a bow kill this fall

Coal if your last post was indeed directed at me. You dont me or you would know my kids come first
all of them hunting related or not

Coalcracker

Wasn't directed at you, you just happened to be the last post at that time. I have a nephew on my wife's side and a great nephew on my side, both weren't taken hunting until they were twelve, fathers shot bucks and does, then made the kids tag them, neither boy hunts anymore.

BuckAlley

I think the point on practicing is being missed here. Sit in tree's whole youth concept for the X-bow is becasue it takes less practice, and time to master it. As Bowtech 360 was making a point would anyone expect hunters to head to the field with a bow, and not practice? Of course not, nor would we any weapon.We all realize it takes longer to master a bow over a X-bow. For some its easier to master based on ones own skills, and type of bow.Regardless of how easy it is to master any weapon, the point is we all still need to take time to practice. We should all take the time, and to be responsible in that regards. But thats just one of the reasons why I'm not for the X-bow during archery season.Its that whole mindset being easier to shoot, its the same mind set many have in gun hunting. Sight it in the day before and call it good. That in my opinion is not what archerys about. Thats exactly the mindset I don't want in the archery woods. I'm not saying if the X-bow was ever legalized thats how all using it would be. But I fear it would be the norm. The last thingwe need as hunters is to give archery a bad name. We'veworked too hard to have what we do. I don't want to see it taintedby a weapon seen to take less time, and practice to shoot. Shoot the darn thing a couple times, yup its on, I'm good lets go shoot a deer, yee haa. Leave that mindset for the gun seasons!
So far as I'm concerned if a hunter doesn't have the time to practice with their weapons, they don't have time to hunt either. We owe the respect to every game animal we hunt to be totally proficent to the best of our abilities before we take to the field.

bowtruck

well said buck

LIAF

i started bow hunting in 1978 I stopped a couple of years ago cause I can not focus on my pins and target w/o one or both of them being blurry. I wounded a doe back in 2007 and it was due to my poor shooting. I have the time to practice and have the strength to pull back a compound but its myolder eyes that made me give it up.I can not focus on mutiple planes anymore peep, pin and target.single focus no problem(scope/red dot). tried a red dot on my bow but it shot all over the place. Went to an eye surgeon for vision correctson but found out it wouldn't suit my needs. I went out and bought a crossbow matter a fact I have 2 excaliburs and I have no problems seeing my target- one has a scope the other a red dot. So legalizing crossbows will bring ME back into archery. Yes they are easier to learn how to shoot but are loud and i doubt very much I would shoot at live game past 30-35 yards. same distance as my compound when I had good eyesight. I am hoping that NYS legalizes them for full archery inclusion.

Screamin Steel

Good idea, there. I wonder...if we made all new xbow hunters take a bowhunter ed/ certification before they got their license how many would still take the time. Btw, I've been an advocate of this for years with general archery as well. If you can't pass an education course on shot placement etc, and then prove your reasonable profficiency at hunting ranges, you should not have the license. I believe this was a prerequisite for Doug's Treasure Lake hunt last year, and I like the idea. Seems more and more places are going to this requirement and this would be a good opportunity for the PGC to enact the same measures on all archers. No doubt that would have to dissuade atleast a portion of the gun only crowd that is looking at the xbow as an easy route to archery season. And if compliance with a bowhunter ed course and a requisite skill test forced them all to develop acceptable profficiency and learn their personal limitations prior to the hunt,I know I would feel much better about the whole idea. As I said...vertical archers, too. Far too many of them that pick up the bow a week before season and really should not be taking shots on deer without more practice. It is a special weapons season and if you don't possess adequate skill with that weapon, you owe it to the animals and the sport itself to be able to bow out. That said, it is highly unlikely that we will ever see that day that each hunter must pass a skill test with their chosen weapons, the PGC would have a hard time managing such a udertaking given their current inadequacies already. It is going to have to be only a decision each hunter makes in his own soul in regards to ethics..which unfortunately seem to be in low supply these days.[X(]