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New bow season proposed regs

Just wondering what everyone thinks of the new proposed bow season changes??? Crossbows would be legal anywhere bows are and the length of the season would be extended by ten days it would start the 4th Saturday in Sept and end the fourth weds in OCT.I personally am against crossbow being used in the archery season and like the idea of a 10 day lengthening of the season,just would rather have had the season extended 10 days at the end not the start

10 days at the end would be better.

Bigbuck why are you against crossbows

Wood Walker ,55 years ago I took up the sport of archery it has been a passion of mine since I work very hard practicing to become the best I can be ,its the challenge of hunt that draws me to bowhunting .I have already heard remarks on other web sites that oh now I can go out during bow season and not have to worrying about practicing!! same type of mentality that I hear so often in regular gun season were they take the gun off the rack the day before the season and dig up some bullets and go out hunting.I feel we owe it to the animals that we hunt to become proficient with our weapons!!!I feel that most of the new crossbow hunters are looking for instant gratification and would not put the effort need to also become proficient with it giving antis even more ammunition against archery hunting.I have no problem of hunters with disabilities being able to use it but archery hunting is supposed to be a challenge!!!I would not mind if they gave them there own week like they do for muzzleloading hunter just don't want to see them in our regular archery hunting season

Is there another state where bow season doesn't run right through or at least up to gun?

9/26 thru 1028 that's 33 days!....9/26 is way to early to start our bow season....I would like to see it start mid to late Oct and run till the Friday before our regular rifle season opens, similar to New York...It is way to warm in late sept or early October..

What is there reason for adding a week in September?

Maybe the state should do a accuracy test on all bow hunters and crossbow hunters before you can get a tag.

Maybe they should do one on gun hunters also

and a deer biology test! ;)

I don't think we should look a gift horse in the mouth. I can tell you the hunting can be fantastic the last week or so of September...a really good time to shoot a good deer for sure. Heck, I am SHOCKED they are considering adding to the season, as we have begged and pleaded for it for many years. Obviously, we would rather have the weeks in November, but with our large rifle hunting constituency, it isn't ever going to happen...so I am shocked and pleased.

Mike I wonder deep down if the only reason they extended it is to appease those of us that don't like the idea of a crossbow season!!I think if they wanted to make the bowhunters happy they would have extended the season longer at the end. I was told that very few people signed the original petition to the board.I used to hunt with a hand gun during the regular rifle season just to make it a little more challenging, I know I can get a few names on petition for a handgun season as many states now do, you think they would consider that!!

I heard it had to do w/ them trying to get an early muzzle loader season together to shoot does earlier. That fell through so maybe they figured they could get more does shot with a longer bow season.

Maya you may be right ,if the crossbow bow season does come to fruition I am sure many more does will be shot during archery season,I like the idea of removing does early just wonder if they will reduce muzzleloading permits to compensate for the increase!!It seems such a waste to remove them in the late muzzleloading season between bucks wasting the energy to breed them and the additional feed and browse they consumed.Couple other question I have will crossbow hunters still need a bowhunters safety course,i imagine they will,and I am sure the will want to know how many crossbow hunters are out there as compared to regular bowhunters so they will they require different tags for the 2 like the 2 separate bear tags,so they can tell real bear hunters from deer hunters who luck into them!!

They are trying to bring in crossbows to get the opportunistic bowhunter #'s back up to where they were, before baiting was banned and before you had to get landowner permission to put up treestands. Seems all that is too much for the "modern" bowhunter so they gave up and numbers are down reflecting in lost revenue. Read the F&W Board minutes folks. Bigbuck, your question is a good one and one I have contacted my rep on the board with. The National Bowhunter Education Foundation doesn't recognize the crossbow as a bow so is not included in the course, so I don't know how the state is going to get around that.

I would imagine that they will just require the bowhunter ed as usual and if you buy a bow tag and want to use an Xbow then so be it. Just like the hunter ed classes, you can still use a ML or handgun even though those are considered "specialty weapons", just takes some education on your own from someone who is familiar with them.

The general education of the class is the same, just the tool is different.

Gun hunters are complaining about bow hunters possible getting more days in the woods huh? in 2013 rifle hunters killed 60% of the bucks, bow hunters 23%, 17% by muzzle loader. They've got nothing to complain about.

http://www.qdma.com/uploads/pdf/2015_WR.pdf

We used to talk about Xbows some in bow hunter ed, but not much. They should add a little more about safety while using Xbows in bow hunter ed. I haven't taught in a few years, maybe they changed it some.

Maya: The F&W hunter ed program has already started training instructors about use of crossbows. No mater what we think of them we want folks to be safe.

This reminds me of when they first came out with inline muzzle loaders

I don't like them either but lots of folks are hunting with them. I doubt the deer care what we take them with.

I don't have a problem with them. I have hunted in Pa with one. The one I used shot about the same speed as my compound did.

beanie, speed has little to do with it. The fact that the gun is pre drawn is. I have no problems with a crossbow, its just not a bow, that's all.

Mike I have thought long and hard on this one. I love to shoot my recurve. I enjoy my long bow. When I go to kill a live animal I choose my compound. I practice with all but I have yet to develop confidence with traditional equipment. It may make me a poorer archer but I still consider myself a good ethical hunter. I suspect that many crossbow users will be good ethical hunters too. There will be some that will not be up to snuff but you say the same about users of traditional equipment too.

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