Impact of new hunting season TV 18
Wisconsin
(WQOW) - Wisconsin deer hunters are finding tremendous success in the woods, thanks in part to a new law allowing anyone to use a crossbow.
Businesses benefiting from that success, like meat processing places or taxidermy studios, say this is the busiest first month of bow season they've ever experienced. The DNR says it hasn't compiled any deer harvest numbers yet but says according to license data, more than 52,000 hunters have purchased a crossbow license so far this season.
Good for the economy! Good to get more people in the woods! Good all around!
Zinger, are you nuts? it might be good for the economy but that would be short lived. whats next when the novelty wears off for the xbow guys. laser guided arrows, that would help the economy too.
There was a report on the Wausau news last night that interviewed a taxidermist. He said that this is the busiest start to a season that he has had in his 30(or 40, can't remember for sure) years. He said about 70% of the deer in his shop were killed with a crossbow. He is surprised by the number and size of bucks this year.
That program was on a lot of stations, Seems the taxi guy doesn't like crossbows????
And how many are being registered as regular bow kills. Make your own bed you have to sleep in it. At some point there will be blow back over this and by then the damage will be done. Apparently 54,000 guys suffer from Wisconsin disease! It can be debilitating when all that cream cheese and butter settles in your fat rear end.
Why would they be registered as bow kills? People keep saying this, first if the guy only hunts with a crossbow he can't register it as a bow kill because he doesn't have a bow tag. If he has both what advantage is there fro him to lie and break the law?
realdeal, let's get rid of the compounds and see what happens to the economy of bowhunting? Make it harder and we would lose 10's of thousands of hunters over night, after a coule years of that we would start losing parts of the bow season.
Zinger, I would love to see that happen. Not a problem. Don't get me wrong, I love my compound. I could give it up in a heartbeat if it was made law. Just like I basically have given up gun hunting. I only gun hunt to keep an eye on my property.
" but says according to license data, more than 52,000 hunters have purchased a crossbow license so far this season."
This statement has not be confirmed by the Dnr. Let;s assume it's true for a minute. 52,000-14,000 disabled xbow guys from last year=38,000 Now every patron license comes with the $3 crossover stamp. So how many new xbow licenses have been sold? Taxis in 30 days have taken in tons of new bucks with bolts? Barstool bs imo.
How many over age 65 use the crossbow? A lot — and DNR had no way of tracking that in past years. Several mounters taken in my neck of the woods all by regular compound so far. One nice 11 with crossbow but that hunter (age 70+) doesn't mount his bucks. Instead, they're all plastered on the outside of one of his outbuildings.
Well there is one way that crossbows are terrible for the economy. The crossbow guys buy one, sight it and are done. No tuning, tying d loops, installing drop aways etc... There may have been an influx of crossbow customers this year. But the majority won't be back into a shop unless something breaks. Most of these new "hunters" aren't archery fanatics like a lot of us. They view their weapon as a tool and won't be upgrading every year or two or shop regulars like most serious archers are.
Before you go off the rails Zinger, this was brought up to me by a friend that owns a shop. He wasn't even going to sell crossbows because he doesn't agree with full inclusion. But a bunch of his friends convinced him he might as well get his piece of the pie, and try and start the newbies off right. He has had his best year to date. But he knows a lot of these people will never walk into his shop again. As far as more people in the woods, yeah that's great if they are decent people. So far the "hunters" I have encountered with crossbows have been a mixed bag. Some of them have been good guys, but more have been douche bags.
Zinger ""Why would they be registered as bow kills? People keep saying this, first if the guy only hunts with a crossbow he can't register it as a bow kill because he doesn't have a bow tag. If he has both what advantage is there fro him to lie and break the law? ""
1.All you have to do is buy a 3.00$ archery tag register as an archery kill then you can put your buck in the P/Y (dishonestly for only 3.oo$ ) 2. Pride.. The archery shop I go to smiles every time he sell a xbow. Most of the buyers say " its for my wife..Its for my daughter .. But he never sees them LOL A lot of xbowers don't want there friends to know they elected the lazy way out and bought a xgun. 3. Early this year on a xgun forum they were promoting to register your xgun kill as an archery kill to keep the #'s down for only 3.00$. That thread was later pulled.
For me and others my age, at least we got to hunt through the good old days. We had quite a few years of great hunting. Those days are seeming to be gone. I have seen 1 deer from my stand on public land so far, and even driving after dark or in the morning to work I don't see any. This because of the over selling of doe tags and the greed of some groups taking advantage of them. Now, throw this too long of a Crossgun season into the picture and it could prove to be the last straw in the camels back especially for the public land hunter. I guess I don't get how anyone thinks this new season is anything good for hunting in WI. Wait until the rut kicks in, it will really be good for the Taxi's for a year or two. It's a sad thing to have to see and hear about. I will still hunt, but will have to wean the Wife off eating just venison and hunt just to be in the woods. I will start hunting next year with my recurve and just enjoy that and the hopes of seeing a deer.
Arrow1- So what is to stop someone shooting a deer with a vertical bow, and registering it as a crossbow kill???????????????????????
There is no reason for a crossover tag, that should be eliminated after this year. I can only guess that they wanted it for the first year so that hunters could "try" both to see what they like better. There is no reason to offer both after this year, make your decision when you buy your license and live with it.
It is very easy to distinguish a vertical bow versus crossbow killed deer. Because the crossbow shoots bolts, the wound will have either fine or course thread holes.
" register as an archery kill then you can put your buck in the P/Y (dishonestly for only 3.oo$ )"
That's silly. So a guy with no integrity would have to find a buddy with no integrity and sign the PY affidavit?
Besides, per this site everyone has book deer on the wall but are too cool to enter them.
"Because there is a 2 year trial period in place to see how any bow kills vs crossbow kills there are to determine weather or not to merge the two licenses into one license"
It is not a trial period. The only way they can get rid of the separation of license is thru the legislature.
"There is no reason for a crossover tag, that should be eliminated after this year. I can only guess that they wanted it for the first year so that hunters could "try" both to see what they like better. There is no reason to offer both after this year, make your decision when you buy your license and live with it. "
While I completely agree, the NRA demanded the cheap "crossover" tag.
Imo, the crossover stamp was a good idea to track the impact of bolt hunters for 2 years. It's foolish to think this is a "trial" period or bolts are ever going away now. If significant impact to the harvest happens, which is impossible from a dnr view(they control antlerless tags and unlimited buck tags are meaningless for future dpsm), the pain of a shortened season will be felt equally with the vertical crowd.
Old hunter, I really don't think any bow hunters would want to demean themselves
Oldhunter. ""Arrow1- So what is to stop someone shooting a deer with a vertical bow, and registering it as a crossbow kill??????????????????????? ""
NOTHING !!!!
Oldhunter """"
It is very easy to distinguish a vertical bow versus crossbow killed deer. Because the crossbow shoots bolts, the wound will have either fine or course thread holes. """
I really hope you are kidding!?!?!
Thought you guys would like to see the winners of the Texas Crossbow Hunters Association Banquet hunt giveaway for 2014. They won a free crossbow hunt at the Head Hunters Ranch in Central Idaho.
That middle guy has some work to do, he is a little behind the other guys. Get him a beer and super size his meal!!
Mathews is laying off 35 workers in my area. I would think with making cross guns that they would be doing better than ever. Is is because of the mad rush of people buying cross guns and not compounds?
RJN, this is just a guess. But maybe it's because Mathews bow sales have been tailing off as a whole for a few years now. This isn't a slam on them as imo they make a great bow. But I am of the opinion that there are no bad bows made now days. It seems like all companies are making great, very shootable bows. I do know though that Mathews isn't as dominant in the bow market as they used to be.
I'd agree, competition; and, a glut of cheap, good used bows available from those in a hurry to upgrade to the latest and greatest.
Just had a discussion with a co-worker who's buddy bought a x-gun. He was watching him shoot at 80yrds accurately no problem with a scope. This is a joke, I say if they want to use them, make the season shorter and have them decide between a gun tag or a crossbow tag. I don't think the current deer herd can handle this two year study with these things.
