it is all about money.... a crossbow allows someone to buy one in the morning...spend 30 minutes sightin in the scope...and be in the woods that evening to "bowhunt" when they have no real interest in bowhunting and only want what is EASY and the current fad as seen on television.
they are NOTHING like bows....they have a stock, a trigger, optical sights and can be cocked and carried like that almost indefinitely..even with bolt loaded and ready to go. When time comes you put crosshair or red dot on animal and squeeze trigger with absolutely NO MOVEMENT for the animal to detect. NO CHALLENGE at all other than getting close...and even then a 30-40yd shot is no problem even for a beginner. It is all about instant gratification, no effort, and more sales for AMA and state in licenses....and is not bowhunting.
I dont believe the hype about exposing kids to bowhunting as it is nothing related to bowhunting....teach them to shoot a fiberglass youth bow...then move up to glass backed recurve or longbow...archery is about being hand drawn, hand released, held in mostly vertical position with arrows.
When I see men that are blind, have lost fingers, have loss of muscle mass, arthritis shooting traditional bows....I lose any acceptance of everyone saying they do it for medical reasons.
For myself...if I ever get to where I cannot draw a bow myself that is of suitable hunting weight....then I will stop bowhunting and pick up my old .54cal front loading true muzzleloader with iron sights, granuled black powder and lead ball or conical bullets ignited with flint or #11 percussion caps....none of this scoped, pellet, sabot bullet, shotgun primer, rear primed rifles that just happen to shoot something with black powder components that are accurate out over 200 yds all day long.
I will instead mentor my grand children, nephews and nieces and neighborhood kids on what real bowhunting and archery is.....help them shoot...help them build osage and hickory selfbows...and teach them woodsmanship, animal characteristics, and that shooting a doe or small buck is every bit as challenging and commendable as the farm raised deer and multi-thousand dollar canned hunts where the "Pro " or their child shows up and shoots a 180+ deer for their FIRST DEER!
Primitive weapon seasons were started to give primitive hunters an option to hunt without competing with the modern weapons. Allowing modern muzzleloaders and crossbows into these primitive seasons is an abomination....and only there to make money. If these people really loved bowhunting and muzzleloader hunting they would be using the intended weapons. THey are trying to get more animals on the ground using the most technology legally allowed for instant gratification without any or minimal effort...same as most do with rifles and shotguns...they shoot them one time if lucky to sight in and dont touch them until they pull the trigger again on an animal.
It disgusts me....
Now if someone wants to use a crossbow in the general firearms season...so be it...more power to them and as long as they make every effort to be practiced with the weapon and take ethical shots....good on them if it keeps them in the woods.
Just keep it out of the bowhunting seasons....even if person is claiming disability...doesnt matter...shoot it in general firearms season....nothing says everyone has to be able to do anything they want to do...sometimes you just dont have the skill or the physical stamina. In those cases you focus on other sports or options...you dont force the multitude to lower the standards so you can try it out using a weapon that has nothing in common with those that you claim to aspire.
Topic: Missouri Dept of Conservation-Bad Decisions (Read 14933 times)
