Crossbows Legal Now in NY

[ChuckC]

Rob, another consideration, not a safety factor, but one that could, I said COULD, affect my season.

Seasons are based upon need, with many or most Departments looking to effect a certain kill and also to present the maximum user hours to achieve that kill.  In other words,  If bows were 100 % effective (success rate). .  if everybody that carried a bow killed a deer, or two, or three, then a certain kill would be expected.  In addition, if the number of folks that carry a bow double, it stands to reason that the total kill (but not necessarily the success rate) will increase.  Not to mention the crowds that would be using the same areas.

For much of the US that sort of achievement could not support a a multi month season.  Face it, I am allowed to carry my bow in WI (for deer) from mid September till the end of the year.  That would not be possible with high success rates.

By continually adding weapons or improvements to the existing weapons that boost the success rate, it stands to reason that it will affect my season down the road.  Sure, there have been high numbers of deer for the past 10 - 15 years, but that wasn't the way it was in the past and it won't remain that way forever.

ChuckC

[Rob DiStefano]

good thoughts, chuck.

[ronp]

Originally posted by Rob DiStefano:
consider this ...

during hunting season, when you are stalking game in the bush, or up a tree hunting deer or bear, at the exact same time do you mind sharing the woods with a centerfire firearm hunter, or a muzzleloader hunter, or a crossbow hunter?  all preloaded weapons with a finger on a trigger.  

it's not about the weapon of choice, it's about immediately sharing your hunting venue with a non-archery weapon hunter - and at the very least, considering crossbows as archery - no, it's NOT.  and no, no thank you.

this is clearly a money game, because logic and common sense aren't part of the grand scheme.

Very well said, Rob.

[TonyW]

My concern is sharing the woods with convicted felons who are not allowed to use firearms and do not even want to develop the skill set needed for a compound bow.

In Maryland, there is a radio host/convicted felon who uses a crossbow because he can't use gunpowder. This guy is a jovial but dirty ex-cop, and was convicted for misusing funds. This got me thinking about less harmless felons roaming the woods with cross bows.

Loved the short story by Richard Connell, but I don't want to become "The Most Dangerous Game" for some ex-con with an itchy trigger finger.

[Steve in Canton]

Once again people are letting emotions get in front of facts.  Ohio has one of the longest seasons in the country starting in September and lasting into Febuary, we also have some of the best trophy hunting in the US and all of this with crossbows being legal for 40 plus years.  

We do not have people walking around the woods shooting at movement with crossbows so the hand on the trigger analogy holds no water.

That same criminal can use a recurve, but I guess that if they do use a recurve it would be alright because they are shooting traditional.

I want to see facts about how the use of crossbows is detrimental to archery seasons, so far I have seen nothing from anyone to prove where seasons or bag limits have been lowered because of crossbows.

[Rob DiStefano]

plain and simple -

i don't care much about bag limits or the criminal element, though both are issues of concern.

as a bowhunter, there is NO WAY i wanna be afield or in the bush or even up a tree, with other hunters using any weapon that's preloaded and that can be fired with one finger.

lumping in crossbows with archery bows allows this to happen.    

this is wrong.

[Al Dente]

Ohio also has a 6-10 day firearms season, based solely on the previous years harvest totals.  the ratio of crossbow killed deer to bow killed deer is 3-2, so crossbows do in fact affect harvest totals.  
If ANY gun hunter in NYS is ready to give up any or all of their 4 week season, just look at Ohio and see what may lie ahead.
In the eyes of a gun hating Governor, he gave you the crossbow to hunt with, so why do you need your rifles, pistols, and shotguns.  MZ's will be the next threat to the archery seasons coming from the DEC.  Then the full gun ban will really begin.  But hey, this is what the sportsmen wanted.

[Steve in Canton]

I guess there are no small game seasons in NJ.  There are always other hunters out during bow season with guns, weather they are after squirrels, turkeys, waterfowl, bunnies etc.  once again emotion not facts are getting ahead of you.

The gun season in Ohio has always been the week after Thanksgiving starting on Monday and running for a week, it does not fluctuate year to year.  We did have a 2 day extra season in December which wax eliminated, they added 2 days in October to muzzloader for does only last year.  Their is also a 2 day youth season the weekend before firearm season and a 4 day muzzloader season in January.  

In the 14 years I have lived here I have only seen the ODNR increase our season lengths, not diminishing them.  Before I moved here I was as against crossbows as many of you are until I looked at the facts and found out my fears were baseless.

[Al Dente]

First, we are talking about NY, not NJ.  Second, yes there is a small game season where firearms are used, but please do not try to tell me that the deer are spooked from small game hunting just like when the over 500,000 firearms hunters enter the woods on opening day.  They know the difference. They go on high alert and change their patterns once the barrage starts.  Third, crossbows have been legal in Ohio for close to 30 years, maybe more, so the crossbow has influenced deer harvest totals and deer seasons since before you moved there.  Fourth, in PA, where they got full inclusion 4 or 5 years ago, the PGC is concerned about the crossbow killing too many deer. Just last year, crossbows took 48% of ALL deer killed.  Please do not tell me these facts are baseless and come from emotions running high.  The PGC pretty much admitted they made a mistake in their liberal crossbow policy.  They are concerned that there will not be enough bucks to breed and the herd numbers will be lower because of it.
I'm done defending my position and trying to present facts and data to someone who has drank the crossbow Kool Aid.  I will maintain my militant anti-crossbow stance and be proud of it.

[adkarcher]

Steve - and how long is your gun season, 5 days?  In NY, it is several weeks long.  And you will find that the gun season is the most protected thing in the DEC world in NYS.  So when the impact of thousand of xbow hunters are felt, it is not the gun season that will be impacted but the archery season.  That season will have dates shortened and/or limits changed, not the gun season.  Hell, the DEC could not even use the existing gun season for a youth GUN weekend, it had to go in archery season.  The NY archery season is slowly getting sliced and diced with non-archery equipment, including guns and now xbows.  A few years ago we came within an inch of having muzzleloaders in the archery season.  The writing on the wall is and has been quite clear in NY.

You need to look no further than PA who recently legalized xbows to see the negative impacts on the archery season (and deer hunting in general).

[FOX SQUIRREL NUTS]

Originally posted by adkarcher:
Steve - and how long is your gun season, 5 days?  In NY, it is several weeks long.  And you will find that the gun season is the most protected thing in the DEC world in NYS.  So when the impact of thousand of xbow hunters are felt, it is not the gun season that will be impacted but the archery season.  That season will have dates shortened and/or limits changed, not the gun season.  Hell, the DEC could not even use the existing gun season for a youth GUN weekend, it had to go in archery season.  The NY archery season is slowly getting sliced and diced with non-archery equipment, including guns and now xbows.  A few years ago we came within an inch of having muzzleloaders in the archery season.  The writing on the wall is and has been quite clear in NY.

You need to look no further than PA who recently legalized xbows to see the negative impacts on the archery season (and deer hunting in general).

slug season is 7 day, muzzeloader is up to 6 days i believe now.  I do not see the negative impacts in the deer herd as i do see in the quality of hunts.  The new thing in ohio is to hunt a property until you get caught and then generally speaking, the landowners wont press charges.  there are more people in the woods during bow now and the pressure to find huntable land has been strained.  There are several factors in that not just crossbows.  I have seen more impact on deer herds from inept deer management than i have the weapon.

I was disheartened to read about the new X-bow regs in the latest NYB publication. Not sure why they didn't do the obvious thing, which would have been to link them to muzzleloading expanded seasons and use by the handicapped. Giving them the last 2 weeks of early archery in the SZ sounds, as Charlie said, like a slippery slope. I'm not sure what the reality will be as participation in archery season is decreasing from what I can tell, and Xbows aren't cheap and don't guarantee success, even apart from their inherent heavy ugliness. Gun hunters will continue to be gun hunters, and poachers shoot whatever and whenever they please regardless. I am trying to adopt a wait-and-see attitude. I do think this was inevitable given the manufacturer pressure--Xbows are everywhere in the sports mags and on TV.......

[Al Dente]

Archery license sales and participation have in fact been on the rise for about a decade now.  One of the only things going in a positive direction in NYS.  But on a sad note, the Albany County Sheriff's Office is investigating a horse that was killed by a high powered crossbow in Westerlo this weekend.  Belle the horse was shot in the lung while in her pasture.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Cross Bows have not even made it to deer season and now they are Killing horses.

  http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Horse-killed-by-arrow-to-the-lungs-5487453.php  

Al, The type of people these weapons attract, will  in no way, help Archery and archery hunting.

[Rob DiStefano]

Originally posted by Cyclic-Rivers:
... Al, The type of people these weapons attract, will  in no way, help Archery and archery hunting.

absolutely, because the naive (i'm being kind) general public can't tell the difference between bows and crossbows.  it's lose-lose situation for archery, trad archery in particular.

[woodchucker]

I took a Bowhunter Ed. coarse back in the 1970's when it became mandatory.

My oldest son Kevin, took his Bowhunter Ed. coarse when he was 14.

My youngest son Tyler, took his Bowhunter Ed. coarse when he was 12.

To buy a NYS Bowhunting Privledge with your hunting license, you have to show proof of taking a Bowhunter Ed. coarse.

To hunt with a Crossbow... You have to buy a NYS Muzzleloading Privledge, with your hunting license. Then, you must go on the NYSDEC website, Take the on-line "Crossbow Safety Coarse", Then, print out & sign the "certificate card" and carry it with your license.....

Then, You can hunt during the Bow Season...  :confused:      

Makes no sense to me..........

[Rob DiStefano]

Originally posted by Steve in Canton:
 

Originally posted by Cyclic-Rivers:
I'm in favor of Cross Guns,having their own seasons except for handicapped people.

The thing that gets me is they keep referring to people using them as sportsmen.  Although some maybe, I think the majority will be anything but.

Since they will have  their own season most of the "sportsmen"  will choose the rifle.

If you give crossbows their own season, they would probably take days away from the bow season,I would much rather them be in a bow season than to loose days to a new season.  

You should also not categorize most of the people that hunt with a crossbow as  unsporting, you are being an elitist if you think that because you use a tradbow you are more of a so called sportsman. Grow up and quit looking down on people's legal weapon of choice.  I know more people who think that my recurve is an unethical way to shoot a deer than the use of a crossbow.  We are probably the largest minority in all of deer hunting it would probably be easier to outlaw our weapons than crossbows. [/b]

the archery season should NOT be encroached upon nor watered down due to x-guns.  x-guns ARE guns because they are preloaded weapons and as such they belong with the firearm season.

leave us real bowhunters alone!

'nuff said.

[Rob DiStefano]

Originally posted by Steve in Canton:
 

Originally posted by Cyclic-Rivers:
I'm in favor of Cross Guns,having their own seasons except for handicapped people.

The thing that gets me is they keep referring to people using them as sportsmen.  Although some maybe, I think the majority will be anything but.

Since they will have  their own season most of the "sportsmen"  will choose the rifle.

If you give crossbows their own season, they would probably take days away from the bow season,I would much rather them be in a bow season than to loose days to a new season.  

You should also not categorize most of the people that hunt with a crossbow as  unsporting, you are being an elitist if you think that because you use a tradbow you are more of a so called sportsman. Grow up and quit looking down on people's legal weapon of choice.  I know more people who think that my recurve is an unethical way to shoot a deer than the use of a crossbow.  We are probably the largest minority in all of deer hunting it would probably be easier to outlaw our weapons than crossbows. [/b]

the archery season should NOT be encroached upon nor watered down due to x-guns.  x-guns ARE guns because they are preloaded weapons and as such they belong with the firearm season.

leave us real bowhunters alone!

'nuff said.

[Bowguy67]

They should put em w muzzleloader

[Autumn Sunrise]

I'm from Ohio and have hunted with xbows, compounds, and now trad equipment.  IMO, if one wants to drag all that extra machinery and weight in the woods, let'em. I feel for them.  Sorry, NY, that you are losing the xbow battle.  But believe me, all is not lost. Most xbow hunters exert about much effort into their hunting as they do being proficient with their weapon. I know what I derive the most satisfaction hunting with.