So do you think NYS will expand the crossbow season

[MACHINIST]

Been thinking about a crossbow more and more.for the price I wish you had more time to hunt with them that is allotted to NYS hunters.Just wondering everyones thoughts on if you think they will expand the season sometime soon or is that all she wrote folks?

[G-Man]

It will be expanded withing the next 2 years. As soon as it is included in boe hunting course.

[wolc123]

It has been a tough battle in NY to get the little bit of archery season we have now.  There is a small group of bow-hunters who continue to fight hard against it.  The tide is against them now, but they continue to resist.   I also expect them to back off and accept defeat within the next couple of years.  Eventually they will wear down to the point where they struggle to hold and draw their regular bows and the crossbow will give them a few more seasons afield.  It is also a fine way to introduce youngsters to the sport.      

 

In the mean time, you really don't have to spend a ton of cash to get a good taste of crossbow hunting.  We have the "peak- rut" part of archery season, and even a base-model x-bow  ($250) is roughly 10 times more effective on deer than a top of the line compound.   Check out this 59 yard shot I made last season with a little 300 fps, 135 lb draw model.    

[Terry]

My guess would be it's only a matter of time before xbow can be used during all of archery

[ATbuckhunter]

I think it will probably be incorporated fully into archery season eventually. My only fear is that we'll be dealing with more of those morons that don't practice or even sight in their crossbow. 

[thphm]

Why expand the X boy season, they can be used during the Early Bear season ( Archery season), Regular Firearms season, and the Late MZ season.

[MACHINIST]

Because it is archery equipment,Most states are that way also.I enjoy bowhunting,I shoot 3D all spring,summer and fall,but its a great thing when you try a new way to hunt.At best I feel a crossbow is in between a regular compound and a muzzleloader,so if they feel that a crossbow is comparable to muzzleloader and rifle because we can use them in those seasons(all of the season) then why cant we use it during the whole archery season with them allowing us to 2 weeks.I guess I don't get the way they are implementing it,unless they are just getting the crossbows foot in the door sort of thing.

[Bowshotmuzzleloader]

Bow has always been a up close sport. I think people have the perception that the X bow is some mythical weapon with great long range capibilitys.. I can shoot with 50 yards in my back yard with my Matthews bow , but would never take a shot on a animal in the field at that range ... If used properly it does take some of the challenge out of bow hunting..JMHO

[LI OUTDOORSMAN]

Within 5 years crossbows will be a non issue in NY...use em whenever...

[wolc123]

I had frequently heard that a crossbow is similar to conventional bows in effectiveness on deer.   After getting one last spring, practicing a bit, and hunting with it in the fall, I learned just how much more effective the crossbow really is.     First is range, where I feel comfortable doubling what I could do with my compound, after just one season.    Second is practice time savings.  For me to shoot 30 yard groups that I could cover with a pie-plate took months of practice with my compound.   The day I  assembled my entry-level crossbow, I was shooting 30 yard groups, from a rest, that could be covered with a quarter.   If you want to do a cheap test on that one for yourself, get a cheap, scoped bb-gun and see how much tighter of a group you can shoot from a rest than you can offhand with open sights. 

 

Notice the shot-placement in my previous post at 59 yards (thru the heart just below the valves).  I don't know if Robin Hood could do that with a bow and that was my first shot ever at a deer with a crossbow.   I will admit to some help from above on that shot.  I had just taken my eyes off a wooden cross that stands behind our house, prior to that buck's appearance on the last morning I could hunt during crossbow season.  When it comes right down to it, it don't matter so much what weapon I use, how much you practice, or how skilled I am, them deer are going to end up right where the man upstairs wants them to go every time.   Why wouldn't Jesus help me kill deer with a "cross"-bow?

 

I also heard that crossbows were very front-heavy and poorly balanced, but the little one I bought is well-balanced and handles offhand as good as my Ruger 10/22 carbine rifle.   I would be very comfortable using it for offhand shots up to about 40 yards and can hold a 6" group like that without ever getting a "flyer".   

 

Eliminating the need to draw with a deer in close is the great multiplier in crossbow effectiveness.   Many a deer has been put in a high-alert state by an archer drawing his bow.   That makes it particularly difficult with groups of deer.   With a crossbow, you can just "slo-mo" it into shooting position without ever alerting a group of deer.  Non-alert deer are much less likely to "string-jump", which likely causes more wounded and non-recovered deer during archery season than any other cause.               

 

All this adds up to the crossbow being about 10x more effective on deer than a conventional compound bow, in my estimation.   Allowing hunters to use a weapon that is that much more effective would greatly add to the state's ability to control the deer herd.   That is the real reason why it wont be too much longer until the whole archery season is opened up as it already has been in most other states.   I never understood the logic of wanting to challenge ones self at the expense of the deer, hunting with things like long-bows and re-curves, but I support the right of people to chose those if they wish.  There are plenty of deer to go around.  The deer in my neighborhood become pretty much nocturnal after the first shots are fired during gun-season so the crossbow is the best way for me to put legal game in the freezer, and to help the state control the herd.           

[greg54]

Hopefully sooner than later it will happen. 

[thphm]

Look up how many centuries cross bows were used, way before Compounds.I am Old die hard conventional bow hunter 60 + years at it, Due to my age and injuries I have bought a Cross Bow.Have not hunted with it again because of injuries , But when I first received it and sighted it in it was way inside of a pie plate at 30 yards , more like inside of a baseball  the first 5 shots,a lot better then most other types of bows.for the first few shots.

WE have Archery,Rifle( .22 caliber to the biggest magnums),Shotgun, MZ loader and X Bow seasons.You can get confused as what to use when, why not make it just a hunting season and ( as in money drag racing ) Run what You Brung . Use what ever you want for the game you are after.   But the DEC will not do thjat because they will loose too much $$$$$.

[Five Seasons]

I had frequently heard that a crossbow is similar to conventional bows in effectiveness on deer. After getting one last spring, practicing a bit, and hunting with it in the fall, I learned just how much more effective the crossbow really is. First is range, where I feel comfortable doubling what I could do with my compound, after just one season. Second is practice time savings. For me to shoot 30 yard groups that I could cover with a pie-plate took months of practice with my compound. The day I assembled my entry-level crossbow, I was shooting 30 yard groups, from a rest, that could be covered with a quarter. If you want to do a cheap test on that one for yourself, get a cheap, scoped bb-gun and see how much tighter of a group you can shoot from a rest than you can offhand with open sights.

Notice the shot-placement in my previous post at 59 yards (thru the heart just below the valves). I don't know if Robin Hood could do that with a bow and that was my first shot ever at a deer with a crossbow. I will admit to some help from above on that shot. I had just taken my eyes off a wooden cross that stands behind our house, prior to that buck's appearance on the last morning I could hunt during crossbow season. When it comes right down to it, it don't matter so much what weapon I use, how much you practice, or how skilled I am, them deer are going to end up right where the man upstairs wants them to go every time. Why wouldn't Jesus help me kill deer with a "cross"-bow?

I also heard that crossbows were very front-heavy and poorly balanced, but the little one I bought is well-balanced and handles offhand as good as my Ruger 10/22 carbine rifle. I would be very comfortable using it for offhand shots up to about 40 yards and can hold a 6" group like that without ever getting a "flyer".

Eliminating the need to draw with a deer in close is the great multiplier in crossbow effectiveness. Many a deer has been put in a high-alert state by an archer drawing his bow. That makes it particularly difficult with groups of deer. With a crossbow, you can just "slo-mo" it into shooting position without ever alerting a group of deer. Non-alert deer are much less likely to "string-jump", which likely causes more wounded and non-recovered deer during archery season than any other cause.

All this adds up to the crossbow being about 10x more effective on deer than a conventional compound bow, in my estimation. Allowing hunters to use a weapon that is that much more effective would greatly add to the state's ability to control the deer herd. That is the real reason why it wont be too much longer until the whole archery season is opened up as it already has been in most other states. I never understood the logic of wanting to challenge ones self at the expense of the deer, hunting with things like long-bows and re-curves, but I support the right of people to chose those if they wish. There are plenty of deer to go around. The deer in my neighborhood become pretty much nocturnal after the first shots are fired during gun-season so the crossbow is the best way for me to put legal game in the freezer, and to help the state control the herd.

That sums up why some are against it, but like your said in your first post with the yearling hanging from the tractor, those against them have been waddled down and accepted defeat.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[BizCT]

I wish Xbows were allowed in westchester. I care more about that than full archery season

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Bowshotmuzzleloader]

Nothing wrong with crossbow just like I said people need to learn how to use them..

Just cause you can shoot the yardage ,, the target will move .. It's not a gun ..

It's still a primitive weapon you will learn when you call your friends I got the big one made a good shot .. Ops I thought I did ..he was only 45 yards ...

Whatever live and learn

[MACHINIST]

Nothing wrong with crossbow just like I said people need to learn how to use them..

Just cause you can shoot the yardage ,, the target will move .. It's not a gun ..

It's still a primitive weapon you will learn when you call your friends I got the big one made a good shot .. Ops I thought I did ..he was only 45 yards ...

Whatever live and learn

 

Absolutely,you owe it to the game your chasing to know your weapon and what it can and cannot do.I know some bownuters like that.They blow the dust off of their bow the week before season and they are ready after flinging a dozen arrows.

[thunnus]

Spoke to DEC unofficially: expect the green light for Suffolk 1_C

[phade]

247.jpgIt has been a tough battle in NY to get the little bit of archery season we have now.  There is a small group of bow-hunters who continue to fight hard against it.  The tide is against them now, but they continue to resist.   I also expect them to back off and accept defeat within the next couple of years.  Eventually they will wear down to the point where they struggle to hold and draw their regular bows and the crossbow will give them a few more seasons afield.  It is also a fine way to introduce youngsters to the sport.      

 

In the mean time, you really don't have to spend a ton of cash to get a good taste of crossbow hunting.  We have the "peak- rut" part of archery season, and even a base-model x-bow  ($250) is roughly 10 times more effective on deer than a top of the line compound.   Check out this 59 yard shot I made last season with a little 300 fps, 135 lb draw model.    

 

I have seen you reference this kill several times since the original post, which quite frankly, scares me as a hunter. Not only did you get lucky, you continue to use it as an example of the crossbow's prowess. You took a shot that was 33% further than you had practiced, got lucky, and that's fortunate for you. Bragging about it just seems idiotic. It's not the bow that makes something effective, it's the indian. Preferably one who makes good decisions, and when in times a bad decision is made (it happens to all of us), we learn from it instead and do not brag about it or make light of an otherwise bad decision.

 

I bought a Barnett Recruit this year ($250, 135lb draw, 300 fps). I did not see hardly any deer during the 2-week southern zone season. The last day I was able to hunt (Veterans Day), I finally got a chance at a 1-1/2 year old, 6 point buck that field dressed 165 pounds. The range was far (60 yards) and about 20 yards beyond any I had practiced. I had an o-ring type 3-blade, 125 grain mechanical broadhead. The buck was standing like a statue, and the shot was across an open field, and from a good rest. I aimed a little high, using the second dot on the factory site, and took the shot. The arrow struck thru the heart and penetrated about 8 inches total based on the broken shaft and broadhead inside the chest cavity. I was very impressed with this cheap little crossbow which has greatly exceeded my expectations on both the practice range and on the deer compared to any compound I have used. I would like to see the state give us the whole archery season. What can we do to get that done? The early part of the season would be the best time for me to fill my antlerless tags.

 

Edited March 30, 2015 by phade

[phade]

I think it will probably be incorporated fully into archery season eventually. My only fear is that we'll be dealing with more of those morons that don't practice or even sight in their crossbow. 

 

Sort of like the guy bragging about a 59 yard shot that was 20 yards beyond what he practiced at?

 

Someone like BIz, who I view as a good representative of crossbow hunters, should be the norm. Not shooting at game at an unpracticed distance.

Edited March 30, 2015 by phade

[grampy]

The crossbow is not some magical weapon.It has it's limitations just like any other hunting tool,like rifle,shotgun,muzzleloader,pistol,or compound,longbow or recurve. Every hunter must learn the limits of what they hunt with. I feel that the crossbow,if included in archery season,should also require a bowhunter certification. Ultimately it is still a very sharp broadhead that kills the deer with a crossbow. As we all know broadheads kill differently than bullets,so having a bowhunter cerification makes sense to me.

 

I do enjoy shooting and hunting with my crossbow. As I said,nothing magical about it. Just another tool to hunt with. I do feel that full inclusion will happen in NY within the next couple of years. So for now I will take the time given to hunt with the crossbow. And hope I can get a couple more years out of my bad shoulders with my compound!

[Dom]

I agree with Grampy if included in archery then a certification should be a requirement.

[G-Man]

That is why it will take two years , can't teach it unless 3 years experiance hasn't been legal long enough to do that so dump in muzzleloader. When it becomes part of archery course, it will be included

[Skillet]

I've gotta run to Field & Stream, and get me some of those Jesus guided arrows.

[BizCT]

Spoke to DEC unofficially: expect the green light for Suffolk 1_C

When and what about Westchester? 3S

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[MACHINIST]

I've gotta run to Field & Stream, and get me some of those Jesus guided arrows.

 

I didn't think field and stream carried those...or they were fresh out last time I was there