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I know a few of you have seen this, as we've talked. What these devices have done, as opposed to how the state was "sold" on what they would do...are two very different things.
Thanks again to folks like Stealthycat, and that dolt who's son was the Mktg Manager for Ten Point.
My buddy who fell and broke his back is a perfect candidate for a crossbow. He keeps trying to get me to switch because of health issues I've told him when I can't bow hunt I'll quit. It's a choice and a lot of people who are still able switch because it's easy. That's exactly why I refuse to change I love the challenge
Frank, the law we had before would have still allowed him to use the device. All inclusion is the issue, never should have been allowed to happen...but it was bought and paid for.
I did jump three good convey of quail on our place last time up but don't have a dog any more. Sure sucks to see all that fried quail to fly off
Being that dog to the doller store
I've said it all along; No changes in weapons is going to bring new hunters into the sport. Leasing... making land inaccessible to our youth, is killing the next generation of hunter. Shelling out money to tie up land is more hurtful to bowhunting than anything else I've seen in my lifetime. The compound will survive just like the longbow or recurve has survived. They soon will be the minority though, just like non-wheeled bows have been for the last several decades. Compound industry and tech will suffer too and I suspect only a few manufactures will survive, and they are probably going to be the same manufactures that developed a crossbow line to supplement their earnings.
I purchased a Raven Xbow for youth. They brag about rifle like accuracy out to 100 yds. Haven’t tested it that far, but it’s a tack driver out to 60.
Easy button.
Corn piles everywhere. I mean everywhere. First I’ve seen them within rifle distance from the road. Multiple piles just feet from property lines.
Easy button.
Easiness breeds complacency. Complacency breeds noninvolvement.
Opening day of rifle my friend and I watched 4 bucks chase a doe around a massive corn pile that was placed on a hill above a 200 acre corn field. We could see the pile from a mile away
"thanks again to folks like Stealthycat,"
Arkansas has had compounds and crossbows for 40 years plus, long seasons, liberal bag limits ..... what I've tried to stay consistent with is the facts .... compounds are still the #1 bows used, I read that article and I know some states and stats are going to vary. Has Iowa lost archery season or tags ?
I mean, compounds replaced recurves and longbows. They did. Before compounds recurves and longbows had a very small % of total harvest. That changed.
There is a change going on right now too - maybe compound shooters feel what recurve/longbow shooters felt 40 years ago ?
Turn it all around, ban compounds and crossbows, that's fine with me. Further split the seasons and give trad guys 70% of the season, compounds 20% and crossbows 10% or whatever. Maybe ban mechanical releases, drop away rests and the scopes on crossbows? Restrict crossbows on poundage and design ?
I don't know the answer. I know quite a few old men who love to hunt with their crossbows. I've seen kids and pics of them with their crossbow kills. Those are the positives. I do hope that in every state, the hunters can impact the G&F decisions on what equipment to allow and what not, and right now I don't think that's the case, hunters have way less input overall than they should.
For Kansas, I hope ya'll can find a balance that maximizes hunters enjoying the resources without being a negative to those resources or overall hunters experiences. if Crossbows are a negative, then I hope ya'll can succeed in banning them. if they're proven to be a negative (and not like compounds have but in other ways) then other states too need to look deeper at banning them as well maybe.
A good article thanks for sharing.
Agree with Ray. Wonder how many people regularly practice with their crossbows. It's probably similar to the percentage of people that shoot their rifles more than 5 times a year outside of rifle season. 5%?
I totally agree with you Catscratch! It is getting harder every year to hold on to hunting land. Poor middle class like me can't afford to lease or buy! I used to trade work for hunting but that generation is about gone, the younger wants $$$!!
I don't think the shift from compound to cross bow is anything like the shift from recurve/longbow to compound. NO way.
The effective range between trad and compound isn't huge. The effective range for a cross bow is far greater. Not to mention there is no drawing the weapon in the presence of the animal, which in my opinion, is the big reason a cross bow shouldn't be considered a bow at all...it's a gun.
At any rate, the cross bow phenomena is making a bunch of gun hunters take up the cross bow. That wouldn't be a problem except cross bows are used during bow season. I think this will prove to be a devastating impact on deer quality that won't be addressed until it's more obvious. It won't be long.
I remember the first time I let an arrow go out of a compound in utter amazement almost 40 years ago. Almost seemed like cheating with the let off and speed compared to the recurves I had been shooting for years. Then added in sights and a mechanical release. Wow, what a difference. I have shot a cross bow a fair amount in the last few years but lately have enjoyed shooting a recurve again. At least for me, the difference in proficiency between a recurve and compound are much, much greater than between a compound and crossbow. Frankly, I do not get the warm fuzzy when shooting a crossbow like shooting a recurve or even a compound. Is a crossbow accurate? yes. But then, so is a compound. And both take too long to get an arrow to the target at long range for my taste. But then I am a 30 yard and under kind of guy. Can I shoot 50 or 60 yards with either? Yes. I just don't like the risk and won't shoot that far at an animal. A crossbow is heavy, a pain to load compared to a compound, not near as much fun to shoot (try shooting 20 or 30 arrows with a crossbow), seems to catch on everything when walking through the brush, and follow up shots are virtually impossible. So in short, crossbows have advantages but are not without their disadvantages. Blaming the current state of deer hunting on crossbows is analogous to Hillary saying "It's Russia!" Crossbows do not have so much of an effect as some would have us believe. I see the issue as competition by our fellow hunters, not crossbows. It would be interesting to just get rid of compounds, crossbows, sights, mechanical releases and have everyone go back to bare bows...and see how many bowhunters there are. Imagine everyone hunting with a recurve or longbow and cedar arrows with Bear Razorheads...maybe that's the way it should be.
Kansas needs to completely reform there deer hunting and seasons, Iowa does a great job at protecting there deer, I’m not saying Copy Iowa but use parts. Xbows only for youth, over 65, and injury. Make the lottery draw system truly a draw system, and no baiting. I’m still in the no rifles camp only for youth and over 65, but I’m willing to give that up for the before mentioned.
Orlando nailed it perfectly!
I like what you are saying JB. I liked it when KS was a draw for rifle tags and teeth were sent in for data. I see no data collection currently used except for a random survey sent out. I have no clue how they determine tag numbers with the data collection they currently use (unless they provide tags strictly to collect money and appease insurance companies). Regardless of any changes they could or could not make I really do not want to see us quit being a 1 buck state, and I do not want to see rifle moved up a week. I do wish they would take away the any-season tag. I liked it when a hunter chose what season they were going to participate in and stick with it. A bow tag should stay a bow tag, and a rifle tag should stay a rifle tag. I think this would alleviate some of the issues with rifle hunters picking up a crossbow and treating it like a rifle. Many of them would choose to stay in rifle season if they had to choose one or the other.
I read this article, one of the first honest articles I’ve read in a mainstream publication.
Thing that stuck out to me is towards the end where millennial’s are the least likely to own a crossbow. In other words we get it, we understand what is about.
Game departments and crossbow companies were selling the crossbows as “recruitment” of new young hunters and young people aren’t even buying it!
We don’t want easier
Stealthy cat. Nobody bowhunts in Arkansas I’ve hunted public land there extensively and although your deer are the size of Chihuahuas bow hunting pressure is not the same as states like Kansas. The only thing saving every gun hunter in Kansas from picking up a crossbow is the 1 buck limit.
