ranger56528

So in Arkansas its a bow, but when it crosses the Mississippi River into MS it becomes not a bow ?

Explain how that crossbow changes when it goes across a state line. I'm curious how that works

I have, you can address those questions to be if you'd like to.

Why is a .22 hornet a legal rifle round for deer in one state, but if you cross the state boundary it is suddenly only a legal varmint round? Why can people use a snare in one state, but it is not recognized as a legal animal trap in another state.
But it is likely a moot point since, at the rate things are going, crossbows will be pretty much common during bow season throughout the U.S. within the next decade.

It baffles me how funny we hunters act. Who cares if a guy hunts with a crossbow during bow season? When should he hunt? It is obviously not a firearm and it is not a muzzleloader. Now it might not fit some peoples definition of a bow but the season it most fits in is archery it is a primitive weapon with a limited range, no gun powder, limbs/strings. In VA they recently changed the law from only handicapped hunters being allowed to use crossbows toeveryone being able to(2005-2006).
There was a big stink about it that first season, now you hear nothing because it does not matter.


Here are the primitive weapons numbers from last season.

Archers, not including crossbow hunters, killed 17,335 deer. The bow kill was up 1% from the 17,160 deer taken by archers last year. The bow kill comprised 7% of the total deer kill.

Crossbows, which were legal for all deer hunters for the first time in fall 2005, resulted in a deer kill of 8,549 deer or <4% of the total deer kill. The crossbow kill was up 21% from the 7,069 reported last year.

Muzzleloader hunters killed 55,434 deer. The muzzleloader kill was up 6% from the 52,386 deer taken by muzzleloader hunters last year. Muzzleloading comprised 23% of the total deer kill.

Out of 200,000+ deer killed inVA,Bows & Crossbow counted for like 24,000 or11-12%. I guess why I don't care is there are obviously plenty of deer to go around.Why do we have such a sense of entitlement/ownership of our seasons/deer and what's worse is the attitude thatif you don't do it like me then you shouldn't get to hunt the early season. Why? Crossbow hunters killed 8,000 deer. Did that prevent some "true" bow hunter from getting his deer? Let's do the math (VA) 1,000,000+ deer population minus 8,000 deer(killed by crossbows) that leaves about 992,000+ deer for the rest of us "true" bow hunters to hunt before anyone else. I like my odds and I am grateful for the early season and furthermore I don't mind sharing it withcompound, longbow,recurve, or crossbow hunters.I think that what I see more than elitist attitudes in hunting is simple greed. The concept that we as hunters choose to divide ourselves based on the weapons/tactics/regional differences rather thanshow a little more acceptance and solidaritywill always baffle me.

Shotgun, rifle, pistol, crossbow, recurve, longbow, self-bow, compound(with or without the Whisker Biscuit), muzzleloader.....I don't care...good look and sincere congratulations on anyand all successes.

Wow, what would that worldbe like? Never happen.

I think this is the longest topic ever on the Traditional Forum. Didn't we have a rather lengthy debate on this subject about a year ago that got locked up?

Tick tock.

I'm 61 yrs old. Started out at 8 yrs old w/ stick bow on a farm in Illinois. Shot recurves for awhile, managed to take a few deer w/ one. Shot one compound in 1989, all the bells and whistles, put 5 in a group the size of a coffee cup at 25 yds. Just had some Canadian company for a few days, we are all xbowers, myself due to bad joint problem. Shot my buddies compound at 30 yds and missed the center of bull by 3". Shot his recurve at 20 yds, missed the target by 4' and stuck an arrow in the fender on my 4 whlr.
The "locked and cocked" stuff is from guys who never tried to hold a 9 lb or so xbow in a climber for 3-4 hrs. They get heavy fast and most people rest the stirrup where there feet are and hope to spot a deer far enough away to sneak it up level. Doesn't always work, which is why the harvest stats where both are legal show no difference beyond a per cent point or two. Trad is a whole nother world, kudos to them folks.

Whats funny is most are not even trad shooters. And Duane must be going thru some real rough times. Usually he can debate ok, but now, he is looking rather rediculus, with circular arguments.

Well, based on what i have been reading there are apparently only two or three strict traditionalists in all of the U.S. So, they need a few outsiders to help keep things interesting.

First let me say great buck this past season Schultzy, respect.

Let me ask you something if you don't mind. None of those pictures are bow hunting. They are just pictures and what bowhunting is and means to everyone is as varied as all ofour preferences in weapons. Although I understand the point you are making about the crossbow being cocked my question is this, Is that what bowhunting is to you? That one aspect of the hunt, the drawing and holdingof the bow? Of course it's not so while I understand the point I don't see how it is that significant. It's kind of like a guy with a compound who only has to hold 10-15% of his drawweight, that's nothing like a recurve or longbow but we just kind of accept that asdifferences in equipment, but you throw a crossbow into the mix and a lot of acceptance goes out the window.

Much larger than you will ever believe. You ought to come to the baltimore trad classic, or Denton Hill shoot. Hundreds of people. Many more all over the country. But I didn't think you really hunted much? maybe I was wrong.

All those ducks, squirrels, and rabbits in my freezer weren't put there by the hunting fairy[&:]

I am, however, semi-retired from deer hunting, in part because I got tired of all the nonsense and bickering that seems to accompany it nowdays.