Recurvehunter77

Im not working from the shadows or "hiding my identity" at all. I'm completely comfortable with my position and cause in this matter. My name is Bill Hunter. My phone number is 315.383.0733. Id be happy to further discuss any of theae issues in person. My career is dedicated to environmental and conservation causes. I've been a recurve archer since the age of 6. I've spent a considerable amount of time in Alaska and went to college in Montana. I've spent a few years in Europe as well. This experience has afforded me the ability to know that NYS is close to making the wrong move with the crossbow issue.

We aren't losing any fight. Crossbows are allowed in gun season because we didn't oppose the legislation BECAUSE THEY ARE GUNS.

Culvercreek- it didn't pass. We beat you gadget geeks this year and we will do it again the next time you support crossbow legislation. Do us all a favor and stay in the gun season. Serious bow hunters don't need you dorks stumbling around the woods with weapons that take no skill and do the work for you.

There aren't any data sources for measuring how many big bucks went nocturnal earlier than normal in response to substantially more hunting pressure during the bow season. The data simply doesn't exist yet. That is another strong reason not to allow crossbow hunting---at least until the impacts from other states can be properly assessed. We know NYS knows how to do that because they are doing it with the ban in natural gas drilling. I think we can all agree that there is generally too much hunting pressure in NY; owing to too many hunters in a relatively small area. If you doubt that, hunt in Montana or Wyoming for a few weeks. Or sit in a gun stand in New York a few days after the opener. Adding crossbows to the the archery season subjects our bow only season to the same fate. The archery season is not a playground for people to try out thier gadgets. It's a reserved season for serious hunters before it gets ruined by the gun season.

Not from Europe. Born and raised hunting deer in Monroe and Ontario county. I am however worldly enough to have visited those countries several times and know what thier hunting seasons are like. Yes, I'm predicted many more inexperienced and non committed hunters in the woods during archery season which will decrease the quality of the hunting as it has to a lesser extent ( owing to more square miles of huntable land) in states like Ohio, Indiana and Kansas; not to mention a healthier deer herd.

No. I'm saying it's bad enough that we have a culture of " hunters" who have to depend so heavily on technology to practice the sport of archery by using compounds but at least a compound vaguely resembles a bow. As such, it should be allowed during the archery season. Cross bows do not share the same similarities and have no place in a season reserved for archery. It's a fact that deer are mostly nocturnal during the gun season in NY with the exception of a few hours during opening day. The reason for that is that there are so many " hunters" stumbling around the woods trying to drive them because they don't know how else to otherwise hunt them. We will end up with the same thing during bow season if we allow thousands of inexperienced people the opportunity to hunt with an arrow gun during our archery season. The rut is already suppressed by the gun season. We don't need it further ruined by a bunch of gadget geeks, weekend warriors and cabelas models.

The reality of this debate is that cross bows are guns; not bows. They are guns in form and in function that shoot bolts that vaguely resemble "arrows". The crossbow push is a money grab funded by manufacturers of crossbows. The archery season is a privledge, not a right. If you doubt that, ask anyone who lives in England, Scotland or Germany. The art of archery involves the skill that comes from dedication to practice required to be proficient. Crossbow shooters don't have to do any of that. Look what's happened to bows since the 1950s: we now have bows that allow the shooter to hold only a fraction of the draw weight, sights that do the aiming for you, range finders that tell you how far the target is, a stabilizer that balances the bow and a release that pulls the trigger. How can you call even today's modern compounds bows? You can't. Look up the definition of the word "bow" and tell me if the new PSEs fit that definition. Now the same groups want to ruin our archery season with an arrow shooting gun? Shame on you crossbow supporters. If you want to leverage technology for the exploitation of the sport, do us bow hunters a favor: play golf, catch bass, whatever. But please keep out of our New York bow hunting season. There are too many of you in the woods during gun season with weapons that do the work for you. Bow season is for those who dedicate thier time to using primitive weapons. That's why there is a separate season for us. If you can't use a real bow, stay out of now season.