NY currently has laws to allow disabled to use a crossbow. Unfortunately, they are much too stringent. Basically, if you have enough movement in your finger to pull a trigger you are too "able" to use a crossbow.

NY Bowhunters should be ashamed if they don't support this bill.

I agree that the NY law is to stringent. That said I also know a guy that pulls back the string on his compound with his teeth and kills deer with it every year.

BHW, What's the difference. Pull back your string on your bow and sit in your treestand all day. Then tell me it's no different.

RWK, Do you have anything to do wuith the crossbow industry in anyway?

I have no problem with the crossbow for those are physically impaired and incapable of drawing and shooting a bow. MD had that law until last year. Now they allow anyone to hunt with a crossbow.

For the reasons listed above, I don't feel that crossbows should be allowed in bow season unless a doctor signs a form declaring physical impairment and inability to shoot a bow. That's what MD used to require.

I have a fifty percent permanent partial disabilty due to four back surgeries, would this entitle me to a special permit?

Mentioned the guy I know that shoots with a tab on his string. Did anyone see Bowhunter magazines TV show recently where the guy took a Moose using the same method? He had just had shoulder surgery so he shot his bull using a bow with a mouth tab on the string.

Boy, I'd like to see that!!!!!
As far as hunting with a crossbow, I belive only people with a ligetiment physcial handicap showld be allowed to use that methed. like some have said it's not a bow!!!!! So to me that is not bow hunting. you might as well shot a rifile, kill your deer from 400yrds away, no thanks, I'll stick to the real hunt, Me, my bow, the deer, all within 30yrds,

Devil. Check this link. There's a picture of him with his bow at full draw on it.

http://www.bowhunter.com/

Sure," Drew told Dwight, "shooting with a mouth tab can be learned in relative short order." And Drew should know. After losing an arm in a work related accident, Drew has continued to bowhunt by drawing and releasing arrows with his teeth. He's collected deer, bear, cougar, and other game animals, as have dozens of other physically challenged bowhunters. Drew promised to promptly send Dwight some mouth tabs.

Dwight's next call was to an old friend, Randy Walk, Hoyt's president. Could Randy help him find a suitable left-handed hunting bow, muy pronto? If so, and if Dwight could master shooting the bow one-handed, using a mouth tab, he just might not have to forgo all of his planned 2002 hunts. And in a matter of a few short weeks, Dwight was consistently grouping arrows in the kill area of his McKenzie targets at distances out to 30 yards. "I was really surprised how quickly I picked up the technique," Dwight said. "Soon I was shooting almost as well with a mouth tab as with my release."

The results? Let's just say you'll be reading stories of Dwight Schuh's unusual but very successful one-armed muskox and moose hunts in 2003 Bowhunterissues. And his amazing hunt for that Idaho bull moose will be broadcast next summer on this magazine's American Archertelevision show. Even as these words are being written, Dwight is busy hunting whitetails in a couple of states. So there'll likely be more Schuh successes to report.

Admittedly, Dwight Schuh is not your average bowhunter. While many (most?) would have written off the '02 season, or maybe resorted to using a crossbow or some firearm, he found a way to continue to bowhunt, using conventional tackle in an unconventional manner

I beleive the law in NY only allows crossbow use to those who physically unable to fire the crossbow with anything but a breath tube. Pretty strict. You have to be a quadraplegic to use a crossbow. I'm a firm beleiver that people with disabilities should be able to use crossbows, even if its just a shoulder or back problem. I know when I get old and my body fails to pull a bow back, that I could still take part in archery season.

Guys,

I know what the physical difference between a bow and a crossbow is. What I meant was that if a deer is going to be harvested, a bow or a crossbow could be used. I do not care about the "challenge of the bow" argument, because if that is a valid criteria for not allowing crossbows then compounds should be illegal and only long bows should be allowed

Not even close in NY. If you can physically pull a trigger you are not disabled enough. Christopher Reeve qualifies.

JBC, I know what qualifies you to get a permit now. I was talking about if the new bill was passed.