MN has sold out

[galadriel]

Mn legislation passed bill HF 2716 this year that allows crossbows to used in the 2023 archery season for deer and Turkey.. we already have difficulty finding deer on public land- now there will be more people shooting at whatever moves and further reducing the number of deer in huntable areas.. I don’t want to have the concern of potentially being shot by someone using a cross bow. Ppl shoot at movement rather than confirming what they are seeing.. also mn doesn’t manage the deer well at all. Wi allows crossbow in their archery season- but the difference lies in how they manage the herd.  Hunting areas are buck only and each zone allows a certain number of doe tags depending on the deer population. MN is screwed. Last year I think I saw two deer the whole season on public land.  The greater number of deer live on private and non huntable areas ..

[mgf]

Same here. The state cited the need to get more hunters during archery season. The problem in this part of the state is that all those hunters get crowded onto the few, small already overhunted pieces of public land. No kidding I see hundreds of deer in a weeks time just traveling to and from work but I never see deer when I'm hunting and I can't hunt the land where I see all those deer.

It's about selling licenses.

[Witherstick]

I agree.  Public land that isn’t managed in accordance to the pressure it receives will be devastated. Indiana is a prime example. Crossbows allowed firearms hunter the ability to pull the trigger on any deer that they saw on public lands where that wasn’t allows allowed.  Now, public land deer hunting in Indiana is in name only unless you have access to landlocked parcels

[The Whittler]

The mighty dollar wins again.

[Wudstix]

It has been so in TX for years, but we don't have the public land most states do.  90% of available hunting land is private property.  Leasing hunting land is king.  The initial rush will die down.  Once they realize that it is not more effective than a compound.
 

[mjh]

DNR said they had no opinion.  Minnesota Deer Hunters Association passed a supporting vote.  Minnesota Bowhunter Inc.  is MIA/Dead?

I'm no expert but there will likely be a slight shift in the months and number of Bucks taken in those months, a few more does will be taken in some areas--doe tags will be adjusted over time, public land areas will continue to be highly pressured.  Overall deer harvest will remain about the same.  Overall hunter numbers will remain about the same with a continued decline as old hunters age out. 

Only bowhunters I know that have used crossbows for hunting were injured bowhunters.  Those that could not return to bowhunting eventually went to gun hunting or stopped deer hunting all together.

DNR will see a temporary increase in license sales but that will flatten over time.  Seems like DNR will be tracking crossbow take somehow.  Certainly something they need to do to track and keep data on impact of changing the deer hunting landscape.

[Sojurn]

Every year Minnesota gives us another reason to leave....

[Steve D]

Good luck, if you hunt public what was already mentioned will come to be. Wisconsin allowed this scourge
8 years ago and hunting public has become at best a crap shoot.As far as tracking it that will never change the season or use of the crossbow.Wisc supposedly had three year sunset clause and nothing  ever came  of it.

Bow hunting here has changed to just a generic "deer season". It's the nail in the coffin to what archery/bowhunting seasons were meant to be.

[JR Chambers]

I think the number of deer killed will go through the roof. It did here in WV. And guys that never bowhunter bought them and are hunting with them. Just our experience here.

[JakeD]

What’s really strange here is the amount of people that went from shooting compounds to crossbows. I know of only a couple people that kept their compounds and continue to hunt with them. The only people I know of that hunt with traditional archery are on here.

[JR Chambers]

I agree with Jake D. Most to the compound shooters here in WV are using them not to mention the first time bowhunters that never shot any bow but jumped on the crossbow bandwagon. Of course the crossbow belongs in the gun season IMO but who will hunt with a crossbow when they can use a rifle. This is why the crossbow guys want in our seasons. Hunt with what you want but it does effect the number of deer killed in our state. They are not allowed on my land. I have some say there.

[Al Dente]

The manufacturers have capitalized on the fact that there is the mantra of "become a 2 season hunter" aimed directly at the firearms hunter. "Hunt with a platform that you are accustomed to."  Ravin, "Meet Your Next Rifle" Ad campaign.  It has ZERO to do with the elder, female, young, disabled, Veteran, or physically challenged bowhunter.  It is the prostitution of state game agencies all for money.  Selling either a crossbow license, a bowhunting license, or collecting Pittman-Robertson excise tax for the sale of outdoor/hunting related merchandise.
All of the above mentioned "poster children" which the crossbow organizations shamelessly parade every year have options other than the purchase of a crossbow.  You can switch to a lighter poundage bow, switch to a lighter poundage compound bow with a higher degree of let-off, or use adaptive equipment, such as a Draw-Loc.
The modern crossbow has an infinite future for technological advancements. 
My question is why weren't the bowhunters more vocal to their elected legislators about the multiple advantages that a crossbow has over a hand-drawn, hand-held bow?
Here in NYS, I/We have been fighting crossbow expansion for decades.  I, personally have been doing it for over 3 decades.  We have had to battle not just various state crossbow organizations, but the NRA, the NDA, the ATA, manufacturers who send out nationwide alerts to call the state capital, and our own game agency, the DEC.
I hope that your season does not go the way it has in other states.

[Wudstix]

 

[Homey88]

I would imagine that the more deer taken in archery season will eventually affect the length and bag limits in archery. Really sad.

[Trenton G.]

We've had them in Michigan for years now. It's unfortunate but it is what it is. They're not going away, and I can see certain cases where they're beneficial for getting people out in the woods. Just don't let it affect your hunting and keep going.

[SS Snuffer]

Fleet Farm are selling crossbows like hot cakes. Every ten year old in the state will be slinging bolts when they are not on their cell phones. It's just another form of competition for the largest buck just like football or baseball. Everything is about competition and money. More sales more licenses.
Sorry but true.

[MnFn]

Maybe it will just be a passing fad. I hope so.

[Wudstix]

It kinda took of fast in Texas, and from what I see has sputtered.