Since I have about 2 months to burn being laid up and haven't been on in a while, I figured I would see how some fellow lake linkers feel on the topic of crossbows now that they have been legal in the archery season for a few years.
I'm interested in knowing WHY (big emphasis on the "WHY")….you either do or don't support having them being a part of the archery season.
As the thread progresses I figure I'll have chances to support my own thoughts on the topic.
Crossbows hopefully are here to stay. Still love hunting with my old PSE though. And enjoy helping with archery, "and hunting" related activities.
Problem with archery, in hunting "size and strength do matter". Would be interesting to see the height and weight of people posting for and against. I'm 5'7 180lbs bow is set at 60lbs. My 20yr old daughter is 4'10 'an a half' 95lbs, bow is set at 31lbs 23 inch draw length. Should her "disability' be that shes small? In competition she always did well against the boys. She wanted to bow hunt when she was 12, 4' 2" 75lbs. What would you do? I bought a crossbow and got her in the woods. My son was 4'10 shooting 30#+ at age 12.
The organization I volunteer with does hunter safety and shooting sports. About 300 kids total a year. 8-18yrs of age for archery and air rifles. Lot of these kids, especially younger girls, have the same size issue. Many times have had dads come up to me and ask me to crank their son or daughters bow down at the start of the year. "Had to crank it up to make it legal for hunting. They can pull it back if they had to".Lol.. There was No way little "Timmy or Tina" were pulling that bow back. And if they did the result would not be good.
As for the bow having to fit the archer. We have a bunch of Genesis, Recurves, and long bows any kid can try. Start adding aids most kids get more accurate. It's fun to take the real good shooters with all the bells and whistles and have them shoot a bare recurve for a day.
I wouldn't mind seeing the one buck per season rule. But you would have to eliminate using others tags during rifle season for that to work.
Just my opinion and experience on the subject.
While I acknowledge they're here to stay, the issue I have is the argument for crossbows is the same argument that could be used for any weapon up to high powered rifles. Just open all the second saturday of september. Hunt with what you want. I mean the crux of the argument for crossbows can easily be used to go further and further. So where do you stop? I may sound like an elitist but if you don't have to draw the weapon it's not archery. Drawing, practicing, etc is what archery is for. Your bow needs to fit your body. You can't just have it sighted in and have anyone use it. You have to draw with game present. You don't use a scope. The archery season was long because it wasn't easy. A crossbow may not be a "gun" be definition but it's not archery. And taking away drawing and fit is why the "people said this about the compound bow" comparison doesn't work. A compound bow still needs to be drawn and fit to you. Making a bow into something that functions like a gun isn't the same as putting cams on a bow. Not even close.
As soon as anyone comes on a forum and can't even call a weapon by the correct name, you lose any shred of credibility you might have had. You are just a child who reverts to name calling when you have no facts to back up your argument.
So is everyone who uses a rifle just using the easy button also?
Stop making up words like an angry little toddler. Crossgun? You come on here making up words and making demands of people and being a condescending pr!ck to further your agenda. I got news for ya, you’re wrong according to the law.
If a crossbow was a gun or firearm, the Wisconsin regulations for firearms on page 18-19 would state as such. It doesn’t because crossbows don’t use gun powder or black powder.
A 30-06 rifle will shoot game at 100's of yards. A 12ga. with a rifled barrel and sabot slugs will shoot game up to 200 yards. Even a modern muzzleloader will shoot deer at 200 yards. A 44mag revolver is a lethal hunting weapon. They all shoot bullets by using gun powder. A crossbow shoots a arrow by means of a string and pressure from bow limbs same as a compound bow. Regardless of what some say, it is still a 40 to 50 yard maximum range hunting weapon. A crossbow with average overall weights with attachments of 10lbs., is held at the shoulder and aimed with a scope, and with a trigger release. A compound bow which likely has a overall weight of 4lbs and less then 36" long with a 80 to 90% let off, using a peep sight with multiple sight pins and shot using a trigger release. The compound bow is equally a 40 to 50 yard maximum range hunting weapon. Most deer hunters using either weapon will restrict their shooting distances to 20 to 25 yards. Now if you want to bring up shooting bullseyes at 100 yards, both the crossbow and compound bows can be set up to do that with somewhat consistent accuracy. That is shooting at stationary targets in a controlled environment. Not shooting at live animals in hunting environments. A look at arrow trajectory tables will point that out.
When ATV's first came out I had a major issue with all the air born dust it created as I am close to the trail. I complained once to a business owner in town and his response was, better get used to it because they are going to be around for a long, long time. Well I'm here to say the same about crossbows. As mentioned, some people want season changes. Unfortunately, the majority don't.
