In light of the archery season question at this year's spring hearing I decided to break down the success rate based on licenses sold vs harvest numbers.
Numbers are for 2017-18 season
Gun deer (includes regular, youth, muzzleloader and all antlerless)
License sold 582,281
Deer killed 227,645
Kill Rate 39%
Regular Archery
License sold 152,660
Deer Killed 45,166
Kill Rate 29%
Cross bow
Licenses sold 82,660
Deer killed 47,228
Kill Rate 57%
With the current season frame work a hunter using a crossbow has a 18% higher success rate than any other form of weapon. Almost 2x the success rate over a verticle bow.
