Indiana CROSSBOW proposals

[Ryan Rothhaar]

Concerned bowhunters - please help out.  Check out the link below - the 2nd round of Indiana regulation change proposals is out and preliminarily accepted.  This includes FULL INCLUSION OF CROSSBOWS IN EARLY ARCHERY SEASON.

In addition to that there is no proposed change in the rut gun season (this is what ELIMINATES the possibility of any reasonable age structure in our herd) and they are adding another NEW late gun season to "reduce the herd".  The herd has been reduced enough!  I have MAYBE 50% of the deer here that I had 5 years ago.  THIS IS ALL ABOUT MONEY!!!

Implementation of these proposals would, in my opinion, be disastrous to what is left of the Indiana deer herd and bowhunting in this state.

You don't have to be a resident of Indiana to reply to the proposals.

Click on the link below and scroll down to the Whitetail deer proposal section - click on the blue link to comment on proposal....help us out, please!

Ryan

   http://www.in.gov/nrc/2377.htm

[jonsimoneau]

I did my part Ryan.  I really hope these changes do not happen.  Nothing good will come from them.

[meathead]

Having to fight more crossgun crap.  We need to get as many people to comment on these rules proposals as we can.  It will only take you a couple minutes.  Thanks Nate

[KDdid]

Thanks for the link, Ryan. Amazing that they can cave into the gun lobby without a whimper, then expect us to swallow the crossbow pill like they're doing us a favor!
Kevin

[briarpatch]

done

[jbwhttail]

Let me make a comment as to just how serious this is. Less than 4 hours after the anouncment the crossbow industry had a mass email to ALL owners of their crossbow asking them to send comment to the above address. Yea I get the emails but how else do you keep up with what they are doing.

 This is the final stand for Indiana, the last deer propsals ahd over 3500 comments 8 to 1 against, we were told if we didn't like th crossbow we had better match those results.

Indiana archers had better get involved.

[Bonebuster]

I did what I could.

Here in Michigan, proposed legislation is as good as passed as soon as any word of it is mentioned.

Full inclusion of crossbows has already affected public land bowhunting in Michigan. Even some of the fellas who put down their compounds and picked up a crossbow have admitted to me that they have already seen a change.

Archery season has already lost it`s spirit, and now is just another way to kill deer.

[Redeye]

Here is just one example of the marketing ploys you are up against.

 

[Al Dente]

There is now a automated cocking crossbow from Parker.  It uses a Co2 cartridge.  Add this to your evidence that it is not a bow and does not belong in any archery season.

[Redeye]

BTW Next year they will muffle the air noises and make it an automated repeating crossbow.

Remember a few years ago the full inclusion crowd stated crossbow technology had reached it's peak?

[Wary Buck]

We lost in Nebraska, but our Game and Parks Commission is hopelessly flawed.  Hope you guys are more successful in Indiana.

[Dave McDaniel]

Sent in my opinion. But it's all about the money.

[tecum-tha]

Sent in my opinion as well. I am a hunting education instructor and it makes me sick how industry lobbyists want to pervert our traditional heritage. Crossbows are as bad as ATVs. The traditional archery industry provides much more revenue to the people than the few big sporting corperations do. They just want to make money as efficiently as possible. This self cocking crossbow has a $1200 price tag, probably most parts are made overseas and then quickassebled here in the US to get the "Made in USA" seal. If they have $200 in this device, then it is a lot... Great margin a traditional bow builder can only dream about....but the 68 year old "sales rep" wants to get paid as well...

[jbwhttail]

It is all about the money. The best I have heard is the resident crossbow advocate who stated he has a disabled permit and uses a crossbow, he wants it in all seasons so he is not identified as disabled. He goes on to say it is not any harder to use than a compound. Well if that is true we have no reason for the crossbow to be used , just let em use a compound.......

 That Parker crossbow, are they going to reservve those bows for only the disabled? Did not think so!

[pronghorn23]

Posted my reply and dissatisfaction. These crossbows will be a hard fight to win. But I wonder why they push this crap for archery season instead of pushing them in the firearms seasons. Keep that crap there with the orange army (or maybe they are allowed there too and I'm just not paying attention).

[Al Dente]

The reason for the push in archery seasons is because they want to capitalize on the crossover firearms hunter.  Please Google "TopShot" from the History channel.  The episode you want to view is the Archery one.  The first half, the expert marksmen had to learn to shoot a trad bow, not so easy and poor results.  The second half was devoted to the crossbow.  Bill Troubridge, the owner of Excalibur Crossbows was given title as "crossbow expert".  He said the hardest thing about shooting a crossbow was learning how to cock it properly.  Well, the expert marksmen took to the crossbow like a duck to water.  Every first shot was a bullseye, and they progressed out to 40 yards, again no problem.  One even said, "now this more like it, a flatter trajectory, like I'm used to."

Fight it, fight it, fight it.

[Jack Whitmire Jr]

As long as your state agency is funded by the number of deer tags it sells they will continue to pass stupid laws . We fought it here for 20-25 years before they finally passed a crossbow law - handicapp only . Thousnads of people suddenly have handicapps . I have no problem with a truly handicapped person using handgrenades in archey season . They will pass crossbows for everyone here within 5 years .

The DNR has reduced the heard to all time lows in here in WV (kill down 30% ) from last year. As you said Ryan it is DEER FOR DOLLARS .


Jack

[Weedhopper]

I personally don't like compounds being allowed during archery season. Nor do I want out of State folks to be allowed to send comments in "said" regards to MY State DNR, and have their comments counted.      :cool:  

Indiana DNR has not ONCE posted numbers in reference for the NEED to exercise deer herd reductions. They have NO IDEA what the population of Indiana's deer herd is. PERIOD!!

C'mon, Joe. Didn't you complain about "out of Staters" being allowed to send in comments against the proposals during the first process??

As the President of the Indiana Deer Hunters Association,,didn't you also support the cutting of the firearm seasons in half,,eliminating them entirely out of the rut? All in the desire to reduce the herd?? (even though nobody knows what the population of our herd is)

The IDHA also supported cutting the muzzleloading season in half. Even though the entire harvest for muzzleloaders were 80% antlerless.

HUH?!   :confused:    

And all this for your only 2 posts on here?? Since 2006?? Really??

[BigCountryOK]

I know I'm going to catch it over this, but it needs to be said.  Just a thought for those of you who think no one should ever hunt with anything but traditional equipment.  

Weapons like crossbows and compound bows beleive it or not can be beneficial to us.  They are often entry weapons that bring more hunters into the woods, and yes can lead to more trad shooters and hunters.

With out entry weapons many new to hunting would spend much less time hunting, not get as addicted to the outdoors, and our numbers will continue to decrease.

Consider youth hunters who are not yet able to shoot trad gear heavy enough to take game... why should they sit on the side lines.  Yes I agree that it is an earned right, but if they are mature enough to hunt why make the wait and run the risk of them gravitating further away from our hunting traditions.

As far as crossbows impacting the overall numbers, the imapact is probably not what you think.  OK legalized crossbows this year and I'm waiting to see the harvest reports to see what the actual impact is, but having heard from others in other states, it will not be much.

Keep in mind the crossbow is still a close range weapon and nothing like using a rifle.

So if you are so strongly against other methods of hunting besides your chosen method, how do you propose increasing our numbers as hunters to ensure we can protect our rights in the future?  

I'm falling in love with trad gear, but it is truly a mature hunter's game IMO.

[Weedhopper]

Great post, BC....