johnf Posted September 18, 2007 Report Share Posted September 18, 2007 Arkansas has had crossbow hunting during archery season for at least the last 20 years. The total number of deer harvested by cross bow hovers just under 3% of deer populated. I've been hunting with a crossbow for 7 years and connected for the first time this year. I have passed several deer including a 160 class 10pt last year because I was not comfortable with the shot even though he was well within my range. The advantages of the the crossbow are more that made up for by their disadvantages: Weight, noise, size and shear awkwardness. It is a lot easier to hold up my 8lb shotgun than it is to hold my Crossbow. They have also been around a lot longer the compounds, so they are "primitive" weapons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robk Posted September 18, 2007 Report Share Posted September 18, 2007 i don't understand why there is a debate at all. if it is proved to be legal in the state you live in and the law says for whatever reason that crossbows are legal to take any animal in that state then there should be no debate. in fact i think crossbows have every right to be a part of hunting period. they don't have any kind of leverage over any other bow. they can't shoot distances like a compound or a traditional bow. the power curve and power stroke on the compound and traditional bow is better they shoot a shorter arrow than the compound or traditional and the crossbow is harder to reload and draw than any bow made. they don't have any advantage over compounds or traditional bows i would be more apt to shoot a compound farther than a crossbow and would be more accurate i believe with a compound but i can shoot one any more. though now i am trying to use a traditional bow and have been successful once since i started using a traditional bow rob k Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOHNTR Posted September 18, 2007 Report Share Posted September 18, 2007 Rhino said: My stance remains the same. I lived through the anti-compound days and have made the same comparisons and points here that you've made in your post. Just a lot shorter version of it. I still stand with those that have no problem sharing the woods with Xbow hunters during bow season. I have Leo. Actually several people. Maybe it's a just coicidence, maybe it's not...but they are all traditional bowhunters. I've never met a bowhunter that shot a compound bow that ever bowhunted during gun season yet. Here's one that does......In fact, I'll probably be the only bowhunter hunting monster mule deer on a VERY coveted tag (4000 to one odds of drawing) this December in CA. The other 24 hunters who drew will be using a rifle. I'm not anti-crossbow at all....they are a proven weapon. I just don't believe they belong in the "archery only" season.....although many here already know my views and stance on this issue. It earned me an "ignore" button by some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest buxman66 Posted February 2, 2008 Report Share Posted February 2, 2008 i'm new to the forum here, as well as to crossbows also. just got my horton legacy 200 several weeks ago. the one thing i have not seen spoken of in this thread is the stance of the archery associations and the very adamant view of not including crossbow hunters/enthusiasts in their ranks. i think that smacks more of an elitist view of the archery assoc.'s heirarchy than many of the people that are it's members.it keep's them in a job,....y'know? just a thought!....heck it's legal here in ohio i'm gonna use it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slaw Posted February 2, 2008 Report Share Posted February 2, 2008 I feel the bottom line is it's still "stick and string" I also feel that the difference can be compared to muzzle loaders that are in-line and rifled barrels as to flintlock and side-hammer smooth bores. If it is legal and you feel more proficient with it , I'm all for it....me?... I'll choose proficiency over primitive...whatever that may be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldreloader Posted February 2, 2008 Report Share Posted February 2, 2008 Tominator said: If you were to use the search function on this site, you'd see a fair amount of threads that discuss this. Sometimes these discussions get heated. Unfortunately there are some "purists" out there that will never fully accept using a crossbow. I don't know why. IMHO, if you want to use one and it's legal, go for it. yep' They have been legal here in AR for several years.I don't use one but don't have a problem with someone else having one. Lots of them wind up using a compound later on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will_in_cky25 Posted February 3, 2008 Report Share Posted February 3, 2008 i don't have a problem with an xbow i mean i own one but i don't hunt with it (mainly cause i'm still not good enough to hunt it), but here in ky we do have an xbow season during the archary season, the only real problem i got with the xbow are the people who think that the xbow is a long range weapon and think that they can get a kill at 60+ yards (not saying that it can happen just never seen it happen) case in point friend of mine bought an xbow last year and practiced with it alot during the summer and got decent with it, well we wnt to hunting in the xbow season and he got a good look at a doe but when he shot the doe (which was a long shot not sure about exact distance but it was well out of normal bow range) he hit a limb witch deflectef the arrow and hit her in the neck paralizing her. anyhow i tell that to say that people who think that an xbow will act like a rifle need to be informed otherwise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TreeStandBowHunter Posted February 3, 2008 Report Share Posted February 3, 2008 Here is my opinion...If it is legal, who cares. Who is anyone to suggest what someone can use or cannot use if it is legal. Actually many bowhunters are against crossbows. The main reason for that is simple...they are still able to pull a bow back and wouldn't dare think of using a crossbow, therefore, many frown on others who do it. However, when they get hurt or get old someday and they are not able to pull a bow back, they will change their mind about crossbows, I am sure. Like me, I can't see me ever hunting with a crossbow. But then again, I am only 33 years old too. I may very well change my mind when I am 63 and not able to pull a bow back and have to depend on a crossbow to continue to hunt with a bow. When that time comes, if I have people tell me that I shouldn't be able to hunt during the regular archery season because I am using a crossbow, I will be pretty mad and I will refer to them as "Stupid"! Until then, hunters should be able to use what they want during whatever season they want as long as it is legal and within regulations during that time. We will not all be healthy and young our whole life;) As far as "anyone" using a crossbow no matter how old, young, healthy, sick, lame and lazy that they are, if the state says they can use them, then so be it. They obviously get paid much more than we do to create rules and regulations for the field. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sskybnd Posted February 3, 2008 Report Share Posted February 3, 2008 i with every one else, if its leagle to use than thats another weapon in your arsenal of weapons, lord knows i might have been able to harvest a few more bucks if i would have had one, in stead of getting busted drawing my compound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbHunterNY Posted February 5, 2008 Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 Until some ironically not so bright individual creates a weapon that shoots a monster buck seeking projectile, then I'm all for things such as the crossbow. I'm I going to use one? Probably not, because taking a trophy with my compound bow is still a challenge and the use of a crossbow happens to be illegal in NY. - Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbHunterNY Posted February 5, 2008 Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 One more thing. I've watched a guy on a hunting show take a massive bull elephant with a crossbow from about 15 yards I think it may have been. I highly doubt an anti-crossbow person would say that the elephant didn't stand a chance...lol. I, personally, thought the guy was nuts. - Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest turkeynutz64 Posted February 5, 2008 Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 I am not anti crossbow but its my oppinoin about it! As long as I can shoot instinctive, pull my bow back and physicly hunt, I wont use one! I have the permit to if I want already! And I do bow hunt during gun and black powder seasons! I dont even have a weapon of mass deer destruction! And I use a singleshot shotgun for turkey season plus my bow! That being said, I think they should keep seperate seasons but it should be to the bow hunters advantage!! The equipment for archers these days has gotten more and more outradgous! Its not like just using a bow anymore! Like black powder, the guns on the market now shouldnt even be classified as black powder weapons! But its all about getting more people to buy their stuff, and if joe blow has one I got to too! And no matter how hard they try, they will never take out the luck and skill from the hunt! This has been my two cents!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shockwave Posted February 5, 2008 Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 To each his own....Let me remind you, the following statements are my own and not how everyone else should feel... The day that i can`t pull my compound bow back is the day that i quit bowhunting... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted February 5, 2008 Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 Yes, it is true. "The day that I can`t pull my compound bow back is the day that i quit bowhunting". Someone may try to stuff a x-bow in my hands, but it still will not be bowhunting. As much as I or others want to imagine that it is, the fact is that nothing will really be able to stop the march of time, or some other debilitation. My feeling is that when that time comes, I might as well pick up the gun and forget about all half-way measures and trying to pretend that I am bowhunting again. And by the way, I won't be feeling that I'm being deprived of anything. I have had my time and enjoyed every minute of it. There is no need for me to try to force others to alter their seasons or their rules of engagement, particularly as long as I have the option of hunting with a gun. By the way, chances are pretty good that any frailty or joint or muscular failure that would prohibit my drawing a bow would also make it very difficult, unpleasant or perhaps even impossible to cock a crossbow and/or hold the additional weight of a crossbow steady enough for a shot. There is a pretty good chance that a crossbow will not be a suitable option for nearly all of us that eventually get into that condition. So it is not the "magic bullet" solution for old age or disability that many are imagining. Not even close. Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dubie Posted February 5, 2008 Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 I always figured, with the technology the manufacturers put into compound bows these days, the second a company makes an effective riser mounted string holder to keep the bow at full draw while waiting in your stand, at least half the bow hunters would get one. But its still not a crossbow, so its OK... Up here, you can use a cross bow in general season, and muzzle loader season. If it were legal in Archery season, I still wouldn't mind so much. Before, when new hunters asked for my advice on what weapon to buy on a limited budget, I'd tell them to buy a good muzzle loader. You can get them cheap, and it lets you hunt more of the season then the two weeks you'd get if you just had a rifle. I think I'd feel the same about crossbows these days if they were legal in archery season, especialy with the gun laws around here. Its getting harder and harder to keep hunting alive these days with all the pressure from the anti-hunting groups. The only power we have going for us it the number of hunters, and we're too out-gunned to be excluding people based on choices of weapons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BowtechTurkeyHunter Posted February 5, 2008 Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 I just have one question .... which is better to use ... carbon arrows or alluminum .... lol just had to do it .... Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adjam5 Posted February 5, 2008 Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 OK here we go... The simple fact that the crossbow does NOT get drawn in the presence of the animal...IMO, disqualifies it for the archery season. Having said that, I am all for ANYTHING that gets more or keeps more people in the woods hunting. The crossgun rules here in NYS stink and should be relaxed a bit for older and hurt archers to stay in the game. If a crossgun should become a legal implement in NYS, I would like to see it in the firearm season or be given a special season. Start the early archery season 2 weeks sooner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dubie Posted February 5, 2008 Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 I don't think its an argument worth having. The more we classify a weapon out of broad groups, like archery equipment, rifles, handguns, shotguns, and muzzle loaders, the more it opens up the door to nickle and dime our equipment away until we have nothing suitable left to hunt with at all. One year it'll be "we'll let you use shotguns for bird hunting, just not semi-automatic shotguns." A couple years later..."Pump actions take the sport out of bird hunting. But we'll let you use a hing break single or double barrel". Next thing you know, there won't be any bird hunting, due to "Lack of general public interest" and "We don't need to keep a bird hunt so a few barbarian red-necks can keep practicing thier bloodsports". Trust me, Anti-hunters and gun grabbers love to see this kind of in-fighting. They use it to drive little wedges into our ranks, and chip away at us ever so slowly. And we don't stand up for each others rights because "Cross-bows don't belong in archery season anyway", or "THey're after handguns, I only use rifles" or "I don't use a semi-automatic shotgun. It doesn't concern me".... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LifeNRA Posted February 5, 2008 Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 shockwave said: The day that i can`t pull my compound bow back is the day that i quit bowhunting... That's silly! To eliminate any chances of ever hunting again! The day I cant pull my bow back, is the day I buy one! Just so I can be out there enjoying of what I love the best! DEER HUNTING! I got my father to get one and now him and I are hunting deer more than ever! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VermontHunter Posted February 6, 2008 Report Share Posted February 6, 2008 LifeNRA said: That's silly! To eliminate any chances of ever hunting again! The day I cant pull my bow back, is the day I buy one! Just so I can be out there enjoying of what I love the best! DEER HUNTING! I got my father to get one and now him and I are hunting deer more than ever! Yep, I agree whole heartedly .. ;) This shouldn't even be a debate IMHO .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slaw Posted February 6, 2008 Report Share Posted February 6, 2008 I guess if they held a special rock-throwing season for 'em I'd be out there tommorow chuckin rocks, practicing for it. I love being out there amongst 'em. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buckee Posted February 7, 2008 Report Share Posted February 7, 2008 The day I can't draw my compound bow any more, is the day I'll buy a crossbow Thank goodness they are legal here, during bow season. Comparing a crossbow to other bows during bow season, is like comparing a 30/30, to a 338 mag, during gun season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shockwave Posted February 7, 2008 Report Share Posted February 7, 2008 LifeNRA said: That's silly! To eliminate any chances of ever hunting again! The day I cant pull my bow back, is the day I buy one! Just so I can be out there enjoying of what I love the best! DEER HUNTING! I got my father to get one and now him and I are hunting deer more than ever! That`s just how i feel..If a guy or gal feels the need to use a crossbow more power to them..And the day that i can`t pull my bow back i`ll propably be taking a dirt nap, so it won`t matter, lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted February 7, 2008 Report Share Posted February 7, 2008 Quote Quote: Originally Posted by shockwave The day that i can`t pull my compound bow back is the day that i quit bowhunting... That's silly! To eliminate any chances of ever hunting again! The day I cant pull my bow back, is the day I buy one! Just so I can be out there enjoying of what I love the best! DEER HUNTING! I got my father to get one and now him and I are hunting deer more than ever! Just because you can no longer pull your bow back doesn't mean that you can't deer hunt. As long as you still can walk and pick up a gun, you can hunt just like millions of other hunters do. And by the way, when the day comes that you can't pull your bow back, there is nothing saying that you'll be able to cock, hold, aim and fire a crossbow either. You may even find that you can't even access the woods anymore. Again.......a crossbow is not the cure-all that people like to think. It doesn't turn back time, and it doesn't rejuvenate the body, and it certainly does not make one a bowhunter again. Just trying to keep it real. Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adjam5 Posted February 7, 2008 Report Share Posted February 7, 2008 buckee said: Comparing a crossbow to other bows during bow season, is like comparing a 30/30, to a 338 mag, during gun season. I disagree Buckee... The simple fact that the crossbow does not have to be drawn in the presence of the animal...to me, disqualifies it for the archery season, regardless of projectile or range. It is a pre cocked, scoped, shoulder fired weapon that requires a minimum amount of practice, unlike the stick n string and compound do. I do NOT begrudge anyone who hunts with one, and the crossgun is a great way for older and hurt archers to stay in the game. IMO it does not belong in archery season for the facts stated above. Handguns have a limited range too, should they be in archery season? I am all for whatever brings and keeps people hunting, but we need to keep certain seasons for certain implements. The muzzleloader is a gun right? It has a separate season, like the fixed cartridge gun right? The recurve, long bow and compound all shoot arrows that are drawn in the presence of the animal. See the distinction here? Aim and shoot as opposed to... draw, not get busted...aim and shoot. The characteristics of a crossgun:D are more toward the gun that of the bow. Show me a bill for the legalization of crossguns in NY, in the firearms season and I'll sign it, put it to a vote and I'll vote for it. But what I won't do is accept it in archery season and there are many in NY who feel the same way. Opinions are like...well you know what:rolleyes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.