Syracuse.com - DEC: Crossbow owners can't hunt wild turkeys

[HuntingNY-News]

They can only be used to hunt big game (deer and bear), according to a DEC spokeswoman.

One reader asked me recently if it was legal to hunt wild turkeys with a crossbow. I contacted the state Department of Environmental Conservation and got a reply from Lori Severino, a departmental spokeswoman.

You cannot hunt turkeys with a crossbow,” she said. “Crossbows may only be used to hunt big game (deer and bear).”

Use of a long bow or a compound bow, though, is allowed. The crossbow, according to current state law, falls under the classification of a “firearm.”

So you can take down a deer, but you’re banned from shooting a wild turkey or even a rabbit with a crossbow. Hmm. I don’t understand the reasoning behind that.

The law that governs the use of crossbows in New York ends after this fall’s hunting season. Hopefully, lawmakers and the DEC can work together and get new regulations in place that resolve the turkey-hunting thing, what other hunting seasons the crossbow can be used and other issues.

For more questions and answers about crossbows, see the DEC website .

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog