d-bone20917

If you read all of my posts on the subject you will see the one reason I'm against it is because I think it will reduce the number of people, mostly kids, from taking up traditional archery (oddly, the same reason Culver says he is for it). Being able to hunt at a younger age and early in the season is a big reason I think people get into the sport of archery. I would rather see them learn the sport, because lets be honest, anyone can aim and pull a trigger. So you guys can keep throwing out the elitist arguments and the "I don't want other people shooting my deer" BS, but I have never alluded to that. In fact the big reason I said I do support crossbows is the selfish one, because it may result in a longer archery season in the north if the number of hunters increases, which would benefit me. The fact is, due to work I only bow hunted one afternoon last year in the early season so I'm not worried about competition. Personally I think if you hunt with a compound you are just as big a wuss as the ones hunting with a crossbow.

That's exactly what the elitists would say.

I'm in this category. I just watched the first season of the Walking Dead and the crossbow is a very effective zombie weapon. It's quiet and you can keep reusing the bolts. Two thumbs up.

I get that. Zhe Wiz's response kind of p'd me off. I guess I just need to get used to all these elitist crossbow users thinking they are better than everyone else.

So how would rifles ruin someone elses experience? I just don't see the validity of one argument over the other.

Hey now... those are fighting words. Isn't NYB the reason muzzleloader season got crammed into bow season? I would say I'm about as anti-NYB as you can get. What if the rifle hunters promise not to shoot more than 30 yards? Would that make it better?

So why not open it up to rifles also? You can still use your crossbow if you want... no one would make you switch. Are you jealous that the rifle hunters would kill all of "your" deer? Why exactly should I have to use a bow or crossbow if I want to use a rifle? Why not just have one open season where you can use whatever you want? Your argument makes NO SENSE.

I think the gun is a lost cause. You should just give it to me and I'll dispose of it properly.

You are absolutely right. It wouldn't affect me at all. I'll keep practicing everyday and hunting with my recurve. I just think it will steer others away from learning to shoot a bow because they can just use a crossbow instead. But ultimately it has zero impact on me. Do you think being able to start hunting early has encouraged people to take up archery?

If I misinterpreted this paragraph please let me know how.

Where was the spin? I though your point was people don't have time to practice with a bow and wind up wounding animals. So lets give them something easier to hunt with. Was that not your point?

I just don't agree with a lot of the reasons people are saying they should be allowed. I do agree fully with what you said in an earlier post that it should be allowed for the disabled and youth or anyone that just can't hunt with a vertical bow for any reason. I'm not buying the argument that it will reduce the amount of wounded animals or increase the overall number of hunters. I also don't buy the argument that it isn't an advantage either. This new law is nothing I would oppose, but it is also nothing I plan to support. I guess I'm neutral on it. Maybe if more people get involved in hunting during the archery season we could get a longer season in the northern zone. Really I'm just a selfish prick that doesn't want other people to shoot my deer.

All good questions that hopefully we will get answers to soon. My understanding is it will just be a re-validation of the information on your permit to make sure you name, address, and pistols on your permit haven't changed. Hopefully they will make it easy and allow us to do it on-line, like renewing your drivers license. The other question is how much will it cost us?

I don't, that was my point. If we allow crossbows we should allow these too. Same concept.

Good idea. Let crossbows in archery and only allow muzzleloaders during the firearms season.

Getting close isn't as hard as being able to get the shot off without being seen. Crossbows have a huge advantage here because there is little to no movement involved. It is just like shooting a gun but with a shorter range. So lets make hunting easier for the people that don't want to put in any effort? A lot of deer get wounded for the same reason during the firearms season don't they? This will increase the number of people in the woods during archery which will ultimately lead to more wounded critters.

Agreed.

I'm not sure I've decided yet. I think it might be good because it will increase the numbers and maybe lead to a longer archery season (I'm northern zone), but I don't really like the idea of it because to me it isn't a bow and I think it will discourage people from taking up traditional archery. Getting to hunt those 3 or 4 extra weeks is a big reason people learn to shoot a bow, and once they get into it they find out they really enjoy it. If they know they can just buy a crossbow we may lose some of that. I'm old fashioned though and hunt with a recurve. The fact that it is cocked and loaded I think is a big advantage too. How many times have you been busted when you go to draw back on an animal? Being able to stay still and simply pull the trigger is definitely an advantage the way I see it. Maybe the law should say they can't cock and load it until ready to shoot. My original post was just asking why the push to get them in archery? They had 8 weeks to legally use them last year (northern zone). Wasn't that enough? Of course you can use a vertical bow during regular season too.

I agree, but they can do that during regular season too. Maybe we should let people hunt with these during archery also.

That is my take too. The goal is to simply increase archery tag sales by making it easy to hunt during archery season. All you need to know is how to look down the sites and pull the trigger. It's kind of disappointing that there won't be any benefit for those that actually put the time in to get proficient with a bow.

They would have a choice right? If they choose to use a crossbow they could use it during regular season. I read the bill and the reason for the bill is for hunter recruitment. I don't see how a crossbow will encourage more people to hunt over using a bow or rifle. Unless they mean recruit more people into archery season by giving them something easy to shoot. I agree that would increase the amount of archery tags sold, but if people want to hunt with a crossbow they could have last season.

Why are people pushing to get crossbows into the archery season? Can't you get your crossbow fix by using them during the regular season? I know it will eventually pass because the state wants the money, but why not encourage people to learn how to shoot a bow?

If the animals are fenced you are not "hunting". You are shooting penned animals that someone owns. Shooting pets is just as bad as sitting near a corn flinger. As long as you don't call it hunting I don't have a problem with it, it's just not for me.

I agree that it doesn't depict huntable land, but it gives you an idea of how much public land is available in each state. I'm not putting down Texas, I think it's a cool state to live in and there are a lot of jobs there. I've just already spent time in that part of the country and it's not for me.

Over 11 million acres in NY and increasing. If you want to hunt over a corn flinger in Texas where the animals come running like it's a dinner bell... have at it. That's not my thing. Texas would be towards the bottom of my list for hunting states. But they sure know how to have a good time down there. http://www.nrcm.org/documents/publiclandownership.pdf