Illinois HB 4819 is a bill that unanimously passed the house on 3/29/12 and has moved to Senate. This bill removes the crossbow limiting language which currently exists in the Illinois Wildlife Code (the current language limits the use of a crossbow to those over 62 and those that are handicapped), and thus the passing of this bill will allow crossbows in the IL open archery season.
The bill was scheduled for a first reading at the Senate today and picked up a Senate Sponsor.
Please contact your IL senator or the Senate sponsor and express your point of view. A link to the bill is below - Thanks for your help.
posted
This is just a suggestion, so take it as only that.
Keep the words "unanimously passed the house" in the front of your mind.
As someone from Michigan who went thru the whole battle a few years back, everyone must understand that xbows being in "regular archery seasons" is going to happen in all the populated, big deer states east of the Mississippi. If not now, it will happen over the next decade.
Fighting xbows in the eastern states is like fighting technology in your daily life.
All of these states are facing the clear trend of fewer hunters, older hunters and large deer herds that could explode if we can't kill enough deer.
As the baby boomers all start getting to the "drop out of the sport due to physical problems stage" in the next decade, all states will scramble to retain any and all deer hunters.
But that doesn't mean all is a lost cause for you in Illinois.
In Michigan, the idea a few years back was to make a final, all or nothing last stand and the accept nothing but no xbows in the regular season.
The result? Michigan bowhunters got nothing and xbows victory was total and we got nothing extra to show for it.
In hindsight, what Michigan bowhunters should have done is said "OK, we'll give in on xbows in bow season, but we want to add the full months of September and January to the season, thus adding 2 full months of bow season".
The reality is, on average, the xbow hunters aren't going to be as serious as traditional bowhunters. So if the xbow guys go out a few times in October-early November, you still pick up all of September and January to have basically to yourselves.
My point is, xbows are coming to Illinois. You can cross your arms and say "hell no!" and get nothing in the end or you can think of ways to get something of value from the situation.
Again, keep in mind the tsunami of "unanimously passed the house".
But act fast, before it's too late. The bowhunter groups should scramble to think of things to get in a "compromise", if there's even time for it now. They have little leverage time left, if your window of opportunity hasn't already closed.
The tsunami of "Unanimously passed the house" was a result of hiding the bill in an undescriptive name and synopsis. It was unclear what the bill was and it was a tactic, I believe, used to moved the bill very fast without notice.
Short Description: WILDLIFE-TECH'
Synopsis As Introduced: Amends the Wildlife Code. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the short title.
Posts: 1843 | From: Peoria, IL | Registered: Oct 2008
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posted
Good luck. Indiana lost this battle too. They got their foot in the door by being first included in our late archery season. It took a few years but this coming season they will be able to hunt with them during the entire archery season.
Posts: 617 | From: Indiana | Registered: Jan 2005
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posted
No one is coming out and saying "I am a crossbow hunter". The manufacturers and the ATA (Archery Trade Association) have pushed for this. They are the ones who stand to profit from it. They are targeting the firearms hunters who wish to take advantage of the early archery seasons across the country, rather than have a natural progression of superior hunting implements. They can say whatever they want about dwindling hunters' numbers, deer herd increases, and loss of state revenues. But the reality is this, here in NY, archery license sales have been on a steady increase for over 5 years now, with an increase of close to 20%. Second, we can only guess at the state of the deer herd, because our DEC has given the same number of deer, 1,000,000, for over a decade. Some areas are loaded, others scarce. Lastly, a new license would bring in money as well as some Pittman-Robinson excise tax dollars, but that's only if a new license is created. The ultimate plan is to decimate the archery seasons with full crossbow inclusion thinking that it is the second coming. It is not. Look at Ohio, where the crossbow has been legal in the archery season for decades. Crossbows kills outnumber bow kills 3 to 2. And their firearms season is anywhere from 6-10 days. Try explaining that to a firearms hunter who has had 4 weeks to hunt, paid a premium for a license, and due to work and family can only squeeze out a weekend or two. This train must be derailed. There are hundreds of YouTube videos showing the power and accuracy of the modern crossbow. It simply is not a bow and not primitive in any way. Regardless of how advanced a compound is, their is still no comparison. Some perform better than most rifles at 100 yards! Good luck. I feel your pain.
-------------------- Vice President Life Member New York Bowhunters, Inc. All the best to you and yours >>>>------------------------> Posts: 1103 | From: New York | Registered: May 2003
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posted
It doesn't surprise me this bill was "hidden". The sad thing is, at least in my part of the state, a lot of guys just use a rifle anyway. Doesn't matter what season it is. I personally know of one fellow that freely admits to having killed over a dozen deer. All taken illegally simply because he enjoys killing them.
While I appreciate and encourage the protection of our natural resources and being good stewards of the blessings God has given us it seems here in Illinois there is no moderation and thought put into laws.
This law will pass simply because people aren't aware of it, and of those that are there aren't enough to make a difference.
-------------------- "For man only stays human by preserving large patches of simplicity in his life, while the tendency of many modern inventions...is to weaken his consciousness, dull his curiosity, and, in general, drive him nearer to the animals." -George Orwell Posts: 346 | From: Metro East (not Chicago), IL | Registered: Jul 2011
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Senator Forby has p[icked up this bill in the senate, but it is not a done deal. Google will get you to his website and you can leave him a message there. This bill has been very poorly handled from the start. If you want to help, join the UBI, IBS and IFOR. Good ole boy politics is alive and well in IL and these groups are working to keep things above board. If just a small percentage of IL bowhunters would send a message, this would go away quickly.
-------------------- Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement.
"The next best thing to playing and winning is playing and losing."
When it comes to shooting well, the arrow is more important than the bow. Posts: 4285 | From: Rochester, IL | Registered: May 2003
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posted
Excellent point Rick. The fact is that there are plenty of us to make a difference and these bills have historically went away with a few loud voices.
The bill will be going read during a committee hearing on Tueday May 1. Thus calls to Forby's office on Monday & Tues morning as well as online opinion submittal on the day the bill will be called is the plan of action.
Thanks everyone.
Posts: 1843 | From: Peoria, IL | Registered: Oct 2008
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posted
Fight it hard.....same thing happened to us in NC and many who I thought would help just curled up and said nothing.....next thing you know , boom, crossguns in the archery season.....
-------------------- NCBA Life Member Compton Member Carolina Traditinal Archers Bowhunter Education Instructor Posts: 976 | From: Vale, NC | Registered: Mar 2004
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The bill was called at the Committee today and did not pass. Several of us from IL sportsmans groups attended and voiced our opposition to the bill. Thank you to everyone who helped through this process. I will say there are several key individuals in our state who put their heart and soul into issues like this and they make a big difference. As we know the issue will come up again, please now consider now what you can do to help next time. Phone calls and letters help very much along with facts that support our arguements and please don't think it is over immediately when a key issue like this comes up. We have seen time and time again that committees and legislators will listen to well reasoned judgement supported by facts.
Thanks everyone
Posts: 1843 | From: Peoria, IL | Registered: Oct 2008
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posted
Eventually it's going to pass. Consider yourselves lucky that you now can coordinate a god strategy for getting someone when they do get made legal.
Posts: 1691 | From: Michigan | Registered: Apr 2007
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posted
To be plain and blunt here, I have a hard time saying no to crossbow hunters when the compound hunters are shooting as far and as fast in many cases as they are. Seems a bit hard to differentiate between the two to me. The only differentiation that I can make is that a compound requires more practice to be proficient but how do you define that in a law?
The press is on here in NY, not sure if it will happen but I'm guessing that it will. My hope is that there would be the opportunity to block out some weeks at the beginning and the end for non-mechanical archery, i.e. traditional if that day ever comes. I agree with all though, we need to be active in making sure that we do all that we can to ensure the future of archery.
-------------------- David
Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Spirit LB 55# @28" 62" Savage X1 67# @29" 58" Recurve Posts: 169 | From: NY - Niagara County | Registered: Oct 2011
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posted
David, compounds are certaintly advanced and capable of longer ranges than what they used to be...but there is still a fair gap between a crossbow and that of a compound, additionally I do think that gap will get larger as crossbows continue to advance as they do not have some of the natural limitations of a hand held, hand drawn device. I appreciate your insight.
Posts: 1843 | From: Peoria, IL | Registered: Oct 2008
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Benoit, That's why eventually xbows will pass everywhere. Just look at the 2012 models of all the new compounds and all the stuff that goes with them. Have you seen the Cabela's "archery" catalogs? The difference between xbows and compounds now is almost nill. Both require a little movement, the compound shooter draws and holds for a minute before squeezing a rifle trigger and the xbow shooter must raise the stock to his cheek before squeezing a rifle trigger. In reality, there's hardly any difference anymore.
Posts: 1691 | From: Michigan | Registered: Apr 2007
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