Why Anti Crossbow?

[walleyeralph]

How can someone say a person that uses a crossbow doesn't put his time in.Doesen't scout, practice, etc., etc.Ive been hunting along time and I could care less what someone else is using to hunt.The fear of someone shooting a deer with a crossbow and u blame him for shooting it before u, really. Personally hunt with what u want and don't worry what someone using 50 miles from u.

[briar]

I really don't care what people hunt with. It's up to them and their states laws. That being said, growing up and hunting for years before crossbows were even a thought other than for individuals with a permit, I will NEVER look at any deer killed with a crossbow without a sense of it being of a lesser accomplishment.

Nothing against crossbow hunters, but I'll always view it as lazy and the ez way out. Prob zero truth to that but it's my impression.

[Uncle Lou]

I really think it is about the word Challenge. Some people have more time, some people have more skill, some people have jealousy, some people want people to work harder, and many other reasons involved in this topic.

I refuse to let the weapon define me. I am a hunter and enjoy all the seasons. I xbow hunt a lot during archery season, and have had a lot of fun. For me everything I do is movement. I walk around during archery season and try to shoot deer. I got a longbow in 2018 and still not quite there yet, kinda like with my 44 revolver during gun season, but if I ever feel I need more challenge, I can select these in the appropriate season.

I love hunting, and welcome anyone who has any desire to join in the fun in what ever means legal. Great topic, great responses.

[stash59]

It's all about personal satisfaction. I may personally get more satisfaction making a kill using one weapon over another. Or one tactic over another. It's "personal"!!!! So my personal feelings shouldn't be placed onto others. As long as the method or weapon is deemed legal for the time period and species I'm hunting in a particular state/province. Than I have no complaints.

[cspot]

I really think it is about the word Challenge. Some people have more time, some people have more skill, some people have jealousy, some people want people to work harder, and many other reasons involved in this topic.

I refuse to let the weapon define me. I am a hunter and enjoy all the seasons. I xbow hunt a lot during archery season, and have had a lot of fun. For me everything I do is movement. I walk around during archery season and try to shoot deer. I got a longbow in 2018 and still not quite there yet, kinda like with my 44 revolver during gun season, but if I ever feel I need more challenge, I can select these in the appropriate season.

I love hunting, and welcome anyone who has any desire to join in the fun in what ever means legal. Great topic, great responses.

Great post!!

[cspot]

It's all about personal satisfaction. I may personally get more satisfaction making a kill using one weapon over another. Or one tactic over another. It's "personal"!!!! So my personal feelings shouldn't be placed onto others. As long as the method or weapon is deemed legal for the time period and species I'm hunting in a particular state/province. Than I have no complaints.

Great post!!!

[buttonbuck]

I really don't care what people hunt with. It's up to them and their states laws. That being said, growing up and hunting for years before crossbows were even a thought other than for individuals with a permit, I will NEVER look at any deer killed with a crossbow without a sense of it being of a lesser accomplishment.

Nothing against crossbow hunters, but I'll always view it as lazy and the ez way out. Prob zero truth to that but it's my impression.

Well if that's your opinion then you may use no trail cams, cell cams, satellite maps, release, site, binoculars, air craft grade super light hang on stands or general technology. Period. To me you stop judging as soon as it benefits YOU and start right where your ability's lye.

[briar]

I really don't care what people hunt with. It's up to them and their states laws. That being said, growing up and hunting for years before crossbows were even a thought other than for individuals with a permit, I will NEVER look at any deer killed with a crossbow without a sense of it being of a lesser accomplishment.

Nothing against crossbow hunters, but I'll always view it as lazy and the ez way out. Prob zero truth to that but it's my impression.

Well if that's your opinion then you may use no trail cams, cell cams, satellite maps, release, site, binoculars, air craft grade super light hang on stands or general technology. Period. To me you stop judging as soon as it benefits YOU and start right where your ability's lye.

Sorry little button buck, but I can judge however I please. I was sure to say it's my view. It's just the opposite of when I see a hunter getting it done without all the technology and a recurve it longbow..why? Cause it's harder. Please argue that a crossbow is harder than a hand drawn bow, and if it isn't and your a healthy person...why do u use the crossbow?

All those items you listed surely benefit any hunter just like the crossbow and anyone who doesn't use them can look at them as a crutch. The difference lies in that most of us see these aids as benefitting our hunts and are ok with that, not trying to defend our crutch because of obvious insecurity.

[Dewey]

One thing to remember is if you ask for someones opinion be ready to accept what the response is with an open mind. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and just because you don't agree with it doesn't necessarily make it wrong. This works both ways. Threads like this tend to get a little heated for obvious reasons. For the most part everyone has been pretty respectful and hoping we can continue this trend to keep the conversation going. Lets not go down the wrong road here. You can disagree without pointing fingers at each other. If this continues it WILL get locked down.

[milkweed-militia]

This my not hold true to all areas, but where I live, 100% of the crossbow hunters that I know think they can shoot a deer at 80 yards. You can figure out the rest on your own.

[hoyt31786]

Crossbows are nice for older hunters trying to extend their years of archery season, hunters with injuries, as well as younger hunters just getting into it. It also serves a purpose for hunters who are honest with themselves in knowing their limitations, and are just not effective with a vertical bow. Actually there are probably too many vertical bow hunters out there taking non-ethical shots way beyond their effective range who probably SHOULD be hunting with a crossbow. It does kind of rub me the wrong way when an accomplished able bodied vertical bow hunter switches to the crossbow just because its easier.

I hunt with friends who use crossbows, compounds, and trad bows. We all get along just fine. That being said I do not consider crossbow hunting to be "archery" but who am I to judge. Our sport needs participants to keep this great tradition alive.

I agree totally with this. I think they should be limited for age and disabilitys both young and old. Also just a side note here's Pope and Youngs Record books statement in Quote: "Consequently, the Pope and Young Club does not consider the crossbow to be a hunting bow and will not accept any trophies collected by crossbow hunters. ... Also, the Club strongly recommends that crossbow hunting be abolished from all existing bowhunting only seasons." You hear both sides on them i agree everyone's entitled to their own opinion!

[Rich M]

I'm fine with them.

But call em what they are.
Tigger, locking mechanism, scope.
It's a crossbolt gun.

All for letting anyone that wants to use them do so.
During the muzeloader season.
With the other midrange fire arms.

You bring up some good points.

Trigger - let's remove hand held triggers from archery season. Use yer fingers like the indians & Fred Bear did.

Scope, sights - same thing. No sense having them. Real archers like Fred bear didn't need em - why does any other archery hunter?

Let's take it a step further - no mechanics - stick bows only. Them wheels make it too easy to hold the bow at full draw. Cheating.

Then it can be called archery.

I grew up listening to those arguments. Everyone has an angle. And back then we didn't have 1/10th the number of deer that are around now - at least where I was raised.

Crossbow is not anymore a mid-range weapon than a compound bow. I think I'd rather have a bow with heavy arrow as opposed to a crossbow bolt at 50+ yards.

Knew a guy who was truly handicapped - go electrocuted and had 2 fake hands, claws, and I think one fake leg. He was down on crossbows and said if he could hunt with a compound bow, then anyone could. A fun and interesting fella - he was good in the woods too.

[buttonbuck]

I really don't care what people hunt with. It's up to them and their states laws. That being said, growing up and hunting for years before crossbows were even a thought other than for individuals with a permit, I will NEVER look at any deer killed with a crossbow without a sense of it being of a lesser accomplishment.

Nothing against crossbow hunters, but I'll always view it as lazy and the ez way out. Prob zero truth to that but it's my impression.

Well if that's your opinion then you may use no trail cams, cell cams, satellite maps, release, site, binoculars, air craft grade super light hang on stands or general technology. Period. To me you stop judging as soon as it benefits YOU and start right where your ability's lye.

Sorry little button buck, but I can judge however I please. I was sure to say it's my view. It's just the opposite of when I see a hunter getting it done without all the technology and a recurve it longbow..why? Cause it's harder. Please argue that a crossbow is harder than a hand drawn bow, and if it isn't and your a healthy person...why do u use the crossbow?

All those items you listed surely benefit any hunter just like the crossbow and anyone who doesn't use them can look at them as a crutch. The difference lies in that most of us see these aids as benefitting our hunts and are ok with that, not trying to defend our crutch because of obvious insecurity.

Dewey is right about going down hill on this one, my response to you was done quickly and probably seems aggressive, I apologize.

Comments like “lesser kill” and “obvious insecurity” are bothersome. As well as “little button buck” lol

My point I was trying to (respectfully) make is I hear these comments and more, while folks want the xbow taken out of the archery season. They want everyone affected by their stance. The whole time their using NASA level technology in every aspect of there hunt. Even in their compound. And ignore this fact.

[briar]

I don't think it's that people care whether or not people choose to hunt with crossbows. I think it's bothersome to hand drawing bow folks when crossbow folks want to treat the two tasks as equal and are demanding the tasks be treated as equal accomplishments.

To give a "beast" example. When a member shows up with a stud in the kill zone, all beasts are supportive, but one of the first questions asked is "public?"....

It's not trying to take away from the kill, but this site is based on the challenge of public land bow hunting. The kill is not diminished if it's on a private lease in Iowa, but it's certainly not viewed as "as much" of an accomplishment as the same deer killed in a Wisconsin swamp.....the perception and truth is, the public deer was a harder goal to achieve.

A crossbow or rifle kill is still an accomplishment, but there are levels to this game.

[Jonny]

I don't think it's that people care whether or not people choose to hunt with crossbows. I think it's bothersome to hand drawing bow folks when crossbow folks want to treat the two tasks as equal and are demanding the tasks be treated as equal accomplishments.

To give a "beast" example. When a member shows up with a stud in the kill zone, all beasts are supportive, but one of the first questions asked is "public?"....

It's not trying to take away from the kill, but this site is based on the challenge of public land bow hunting. The kill is not diminished if it's on a private lease in Iowa, but it's certainly not viewed as "as much" of an accomplishment as the same deer killed in a Wisconsin swamp.....the perception and truth is, the public deer was a harder goal to achieve.

A crossbow or rifle kill is still an accomplishment, but there are levels to this game.

Definitely true. And if someone is concerned with others perception of their kill, then yeah they should use a compound or even a more traditional bow. Or open the can of worms if you want to try and pass something that is easier off as harder. Don’t demand equality for things that aren’t equal.

If you are only concerned with your own perception of your hunt (which I’d hope we all fall into this category) then it doesn’t matter what you use because who cares what other thinks. Personally I am out to hunt and kill deer so using a crossbow won’t cause me to lose sleep at night. But I also hunt for my own pleasure, not to look good in a crowd. I don’t see why we need to have separate seasons because it isn’t like crossbows are killing the herd more than anything else is. But in Wisconsin the licenses are either archery or crossbow, and kills show up as either one. The seasons just happen to align. Which makes sense because the lines aren’t drawn to make them equal.


The pope and young comment is laughable whoever added that. That’s the same organization that won’t even let people use lighted nocks. I also don’t really have anything good to say about a group that makes deer hunting a competition between hunters instead of how it should be, hunter vs the animal they are after.