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HELLO, can someone answer a question for

hi folks

can you tell me how crossbows being legal in your archery season has affected the archery season as a whole? good, bad, increase kill, decrease kill, etc?

is there a quota on tags or just a general tag allowance?

thanks in advance for your time.

zero affect

Of course there was an affect. Anytime you add a variable to an equation, it changes the outcome.

That said, there are currently only two years of harvest data available to draw from. The 2014-15 results have not yet been released. Here is what we know so far:

Prior to full crossbow liberalization in 2012, the annual crossbow harvest by disability permit averaged roughly 1,000 animals.

The 1st season of crossbow liberalization produced a harvest of 8,500 animals.

The total deer harvest dropped 8% in 2013, which included lower archery, shotgun and ML harvest...with numbers falling between 12%-15%. In contrast, the crossbow harvest jumped 17%.

Those are the facts. This is my opinion:

Crossbow harvest percentages will continue to climb. It would not surprise me to see the crossbow harvest eclipse the archery harvest in the near future.

I don't believe our deer herd can sustain both generous firearms seasons and full crossbow inclusion over the long haul.

At some point in time, Indiana will have to decide whether to shorten/move the crossbow season or shorten/move the general firearms season....or both. Given the fact it was primarily firearms hunters that pushed crossbow liberalization over the top in this state...that could get quite interesting.

Pass the popcorn!

That's my two cents.....

Paul, very well said.

You are far too kind.

IMO...they can take the crossguns and stick them where the moon dont shine ..IMO ... they aint BOWhunting....

This is MY opinion. Indiana has completely sold out the welfare of the deer population and has actually developed a deer eradication policy , which crossbows are just part of. I believe they have manufactured and falsified, deer harvest data to support the agendas. It is nearly impossible to isolate the affect of the crossbow by itself in the midst of all the other deer eradication policies .

The one undisputed fact is that our deer numbers have dropped to the point that it is nearly not worth the time or effort to go deer hunting in about 2/3 s of the state. It matters not what you hunt with if you do not even see a deer. I spent over 250 hours hunting in 2014. I saw a total of 8 deer. 3 was seen from my stand, the rest were along the roadways coming or going in the darkness.

It will be worse once the centerfire rifle crap passes....

I agree with soldierbowhunter2 that deer population has taken a big hit in last couple of year. I have been gone for most of that but have been told about the blue tongue that hit near my family farm and the hundreds of deer that died, but I have been stationed in Kentucky for the last 5 years and have noticed that crossbows did raise the amount of deer taken. But if you added them as hunters with what ever weapon then it would go up anyway. I feel it is good that some more people get out and hunt that normal couldn't. Me I am just now getting back to pulling my bow back after a service related shoulder injury shooting my crossbow put meat in the freezer for my family. It will take time t see what it will do but down south of central Indiana its not effecting as much as you would think.

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