PA. Cross bow poll

[Dartwick]

PA has no problem regulating its deer herd - in land open to public hunting. They may not regulate wisely but its not because we lack the capacity to kill the deer.

That isnt the issue.

[KILLER B]

Crossbows are realy no different than compounds.  You can shoot similar distances and if you have much abilty and a steady hand both are shot accuratly with little to no practice.  I don't see anything wrong with people using them it will bring more people into the outdoors.  With hunter numbers dwindling year after year there shouldn't be realy any opposition to this.  In my opinion it sounds like the reasons for such strong opposition is that some people don't want other people hunting in their (PUBLIC) areas.  If you want to be succesfull on public ground you need to be where the people aren't.  That means you need to get away from the road, if the crossbow bunch is as lazy as some are saying they should just make getting a deer that much easier for you.  JMO

[Yelloweye]

Thanks, I did not see this poll before, wonder how long it has been going on. Posted the link on a PA site.

from me to you 33

[Cory Mattson]

I voted NO

Noticed it said something to the effect of ALL bow seasons. I would not be against allowing crossbows in Urban zones - or in other types of extended seasons where game management is the driving factor for the creation of that season. Although I have fought the crossbow "successfully" in the past - personally there is not enough daylight between compound-crossbows and compound bows to keep me up at night. I am a little surprised how many compound guys get all tight in a wad over crossbows - as if there is a world of difference. At the end of the day - it is NOT crossbows that destroy deer herds - it is gun seasons - keep your eye on that. Here in the south gun seasons are a joke - too long - Everywhere!

[bigbuckmalik]

Voted no,  thats all we need, a bunch of people that claim their crossbow will shoot 100yrds

[Desperado]

Now I have been wrong before many times in my life, but in this case when crossguns are legal in archery seasons  there will be a phenomenal growth in archery permits and the deer herd will suffer even more.Why??? Because people are so lazy!!! Same with inlines!!
A friend of mine recently had shoulder surgery by an orthopedic surgeon and when my buddy said he hoped this wouldn't hurt him in archery season, the surgeon immediately said..."no problem...I'll just give you the OK for a crossbow permit". When my buddy said "no thanks...I'll stop archery hunting before I stoop to a crossgun" the surgeon replied..."I can't believe you said that! Nearly everyone who hunts and many who don't that come in to see me with any shoulder injury, even minor, immediatly ask...Can I get a crossbow permit? I'll bowhunt then!!"
And just for the record...I don't want to keep people out of the public land I hunt! I just want them to use a crossgun in the season where they belong.....Rifle season!!!
I never ever hunt with anything but my recurves or longbows and making Crossguns legal will swell the archery season hunters beyond belief. Again I say I have been wrong before but in this case I will be amazed and offer an apology if I am, but I doubt it! Cotton

[Tom]

In Va. They are legal but ask if it is ethical to use in archery season-not a hand pulled apparatus. And we thought compounds were the devils' tool. Scares me how many fools are out there without taking the time to practice, know their weapon or game. In Va. it was just to get more money for the game dept. I would take up photogrphy before I hunt with a xbow in a bow only season.

[marlon]

I voted no

[ozy clint]

i'm an ex xbow hunter that now hunts trad bows, i worked damn hard for the trophies i took with the xbow. i'm with killer B. sights, mechanical release. compounds and xbows are as challenging to use as each other. both have the same effective range. the difference is one is popular the other has a stigma that surrounds it. i used to get chased with pitch forks whenever i mentioned to other bowhunters that i hunted with an xbow. cheat and poacher they used to call me. whatever! still a b/head through the vitals way to kill to me.  hunt the way you want to hunt and let others do the same. as long as it's all legal. ahhhh, vented!

[ozy clint]

from a foreigners point of view it seems the issue is when xbow hunters season is, not the xbow?????

[JDice]

As we are talking about managed deer populations, given that it is used ethically, I have no concerns about the weapon as, excepting a lucky hunter/unluckly deer, no matter the weapon, the hunter still has to do the work to get within range of a legal deer.

Put another way, the fact that another ethical hunter is using a weapon different from mine does not subtract one iota of joy from me. Nor does it make the effort I put into my traditional experience one bit less rewarding to me.

[Dozer]

Crossgun companies don't care about managed deer populations they care about profits and thats it. If PA had a well managed herd then they wouldn't have the four point rule in affect right now. I know I live in VA right now but I was born and raised in a little town outside Erie and most of my family is still there. Crossguns are for lazy hunters who don't want to put in the time it takes to be a successful archer. Even the compund takes some amount of practice. I can take a crossgun and give to my four year old and show him how to hit the bullseye. Just because something is legal doesn't make it right. I want bow hunters numbers to increase as well but come on. They keep taking what was supposed to be a season for challenging hunters and trying to make it as easy as possible. How long is it going to be before they attach a rifle barrel to a bow and a firing pin to the string???