Bowsite.com

Please contact the AZGFD at:

Jay Cook, Regional Supervisor FOR6

Address: Arizona Game and Fish Department 7200 E. University Dr. Mesa, Arizona 85207

Telephone: (480) 324-3540 Fax: (480) 324-3596

E-mail: [email protected]

Thank you for your assistance!

Scar.

Here is an excerpt from the link:

Comment periods: The public has three opportunities in which to submit comments to the Commission: 1). Any time. Comments received by the Department are placed in the rule record and will be considered by the next review or Rulemaking team. 2). During the thirty (30) day public comment period immediately following the publication of the proposed rules in the AAR. Once a proposed rule is published, the public has at least thirty (30) days to submit comments to the Department concerning the rule. 3). At a Commission Meeting. A blue ‘speaker slip’ is required and are available to the public at each Commission Meeting.

Here's how YOU can help make a difference:

1 Write a letter. Send it to [email protected]

2 Tell your friends. If they agree, have them write a letter as well.

3 If you are part of any hunting organization in Arizona, mention the issue to them. Find out where they stand, and if or how they can help. We need as much support, unity, and backing as possible.

4 Attend the next commissioners meeting, april 6 & 7th. The more support we can show the better chances we will have.

Thus far some other groups are getting involved as well. The Pope & Young Club has already taken action and is backing some local groups such as the Arizona Bowhunter's Association.

Arizona Bowhunter’s Association

Position statement regarding pre-charged pneumatic weapons:

The Arizona Bowhunters Association was founded for the purpose of representing the growing number of bow hunters during the mid-nineteen seventies. Archers and hunters across the world have become immensely passionate about the challenge and reward associated with bowhunting. The time and dedication spent practicing, hours and days in the field studying the quarry, and countless failures involved trying to get into close-quarters with our bows. Archery and bowhunting require dedication, discipline, patience and skill which makes the reward even greater in the end.

Today the Arizona Game and Fish Department has passed an amendment to the crossbow permit which allows for a gun to be used in an archery season.

R12-4-216 Crossbow Permit "The Commission proposes to amend the rule to allow a Crossbow Permit holder to use a pre-charged pneumatic weapon, as defined under R12-4-301, using bolts or arrows for the take of wildlife. This change is proposed as a result of customer comments received by the Department."

A “pre-charged pneumatic weapon” is not a piece of archery equipment, even if it discharges a bolt or arrow. If we define some of these important terms, it will create positive insights into what this regulation actually entails.

Per Merriam-Webster dictionary,

A FIREARM is defined as: a weapon from which a shot is discharged by gunpowder —usually used of small arms

ARCHERY is defined as: 1: the art, practice, or skill of shooting with bow and arrow

2: an archer's weapons

3: a body of archers

A BOW is defined as: a weapon that is used to propel an arrow and that is made of a strip of flexible material (such as wood) with a cord connecting the two ends and holding the strip bent

BOWHUNTING is defined as: hunting especially of large game animals (such as deer) done with bow and arrow

An AIR RIFLE is defined as: a rifle whose projectile (such as a BB or pellet) is propelled by compressed air or carbon dioxide

As we put the pieces together, it is easy to conclude that a “pre-charged pneumatic weapon” is not a firearm because it does not use gunpowder. Archery is the art, practice, and skill of shooting a bow and arrow. We can also conclude that a “pre-charged pneumatic weapon” is not a bow because it does not have an flexible material which places tension on a string. Since a “pre-charged pneumatic weapon” is not a bow, it should not be allowed for use in bowhunting. However, we can conclude that a “pre-charged pneumatic weapon” is an Air Rifle, because it propels a projectile via compressed air.

The Pope & Young Club has very clear, specific definitions for hunting bows and hunting equipment which exclude an “Airbow” from being acceptable for hunting. https://pope-young.org/bowhunting/equipment.asp

The Arizona Bowhunter’s Association and bowhunters in Arizona are passionate about bowhunting because of the challenge involved. If this amendment passes, it will provide a tremendous advantage over not only traditional recurve & compound archers, but crossbow hunters as well. Bringing an air rifle into an archery hunt not only goes against the concept of an archery season/hunt but disrespects the animal’s right to fair chase in that season.

FAIR CHASE, as defined by Pope & Young Club and the Boone and Crockett Club, is the ethical, sportsmanlike, and lawful pursuit and taking of any free-ranging wild, native North American big game animal in a manner that does not give the hunter an improper advantage over such animals. The Arizona Bowhunter’s Association’s Mission Statement for many years has been, “To foster, perpetuate, and expand bowhunting and bowhunting ethics in Arizona.”

Today we stand united as the voice of over 50,000 concerned bowhunters across Arizona who want to protect bowhunting ethics and preserve fair chase by preventing the use of a high-powered air gun during an archery hunt which would surely give a hunter an improper advantage over such animals during an archery season

Better get things in motion quickly. At this point it will be approved for disabled hunters. It is important to note that there is already and approved weapon for disabled hunters in Arizona. The Crossbow

As mentioned on another thread using the word Air-“bow” as a description of this product is nothing more than a marketing word from the creators. There is no BOW in any part of this product.

I would argue that a CHAMP hunter would have difficulty using a crossbow. Therefore the air gun would be an alternative. However, disabled hunters who meet CHAMP criteria are provided their own (CHAMP) hunting seasons where they can use any firearm/crossbow/air gun of their choosing.

I do want to add that these gentlemen are volunteers, so please only address the issue and be kind with your words. Please don't call it a bow... call it an air rifle, that's what it is.

Thank You!

""APPLICATION FOR CHAMP PERMIT FEE: NONE The Arizona Game and Fish Department may issue a CHAMP Permit to those who have a severe permanent disability or mental disabilities resulting from amputation, arthritis, autism, blindness, burn injury, cancer, cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, intellectual disability, muscular dystrophy, musculoskeletal disorders, neurological disorders, paraplegia, pulmonary disorders, quadriplegia and other spinal cord conditions, sickle cell anemia, and end stage renal disease or a combination of permanent disabilities resulting in comparable substantial functional limitations.""

The Fish and Game ultimately reports to the Governor of AZ I have attached a link to email the Governor with your concerns. Stop the pneumatic weapons in AZ archery seasons! Your help is greatly appreciated and it only takes a few minutes!

Please help us!

Mr. Ammons,

Please reconsider the current Arizona initiative to include the airbow as an archery weapon. It is an air rifle in every sense. Just because it throws a bolt instead of a bullet doesn't make it a bow. Archers are proud of the difficulty and practice required to shoot archery equipment well. Probably the most challenging aspect is having to draw your bow (make a large motion) immediately before you shoot. This greatly increases your chances of detection by game. Then you must hold the bow under weight until you release the string. The airbow does not require any of these challenges. It might bring a few more people into the sport, but at the cost of what makes archery hunting unique.

Your neighbor, Jason

Thank you for your post and actions to stop this.

Have a blessed day!

So this is interesting. I just got a phone call from a Jay Cook who works for commissioner Ammons. He said he was getting a lot of concern about the airbow and would like to talk if I had a few minutes. I told him sure. He said the only proposal they're considering right now is to allow the airbow for handicapped folks during the archery season and allow it during the any weapon hunts. He said it was NOT being considered as archery equipment. They saw it as very comparable to a crossbow and would have similar restrictions. I told him I didn't have any issues with handicapped folks using one and thanked him for contacting me, especially since I wasn't even a resident. That's a quick summary. Was probably a 5 minute phone call. Jason

Sending a PM now sir. Friday 5:30PM

That's crazy, I just left him a voice mail with my number as well as Hunters, He hasn't contacted me, and as far as I know, he hasn't contacted Hunter.

Thank you for the information sir!

Unfortunately I don’t see how this weapon could possibly be considered a bow, and shouldn’t be allowed during bow season.

I think “arrow GUN” would be a more accurate description of this weapon.

These are marketed, along with crossbows, to the rifle hunting crowd. "Become a 2 season hunter", "Shoot from a familiar platform" are 2 of the phrases they like to throw around. Take RAVIN Crossbows: "Meet Your Next Rifle" ad.

I have been fighting the crossbow for over 2 decades and the pneumatics for 4 years now in NYS. It is strictly about marketing and selling to the rifle hunter demographic. They do not care about any other market.

They can parade around an elderly person, a wounded Veteran, a physically challenged person, a youth or a female, who they claim are too weak to draw back a true bow. After the ruse, and any projectile throwing machine is allowed in for the disabled, the elderly, the youth, or the female, then door is open and then they go for full inclusion.

I have called them out on it too many times to count. Ask them about options, such as the Draw-Loc. It allows your OWN, current bow to be modified so that it can be drawn back, and "locked" into full draw. A permit is required, as should be a physical examination by a doctor to determine the degree of disability. They do not want to hear about that option because the person is then not buying a crossbow or pneumatic bolt thrower.

Go after them with facts, show them the comparison between a true hand drawn, hand held bow to a crossbow and to a pneumatic bolt thrower. Which is archery? Pictures don't lie. You need face to face meetings with them or the chief of staff to educate them. The crossbow/airbow people always, and I mean ALWAYS use the emotional argument because they cannot fight a legitimate one based on facts.

Good luck with your fight.