My comments were not for injured hunters or elderly hunters. Im old too , but Cr its called bow season for a reason. With a bow you have to draw and fire, not a cocked weapon you can just pull a trigger on. Gun season and what kind of gun you use has not a damn thing to do with bow season. Bow hunters agree with injured and elderly, just not anyone too damn lazy to learn. Ive head idiots talking about killing deer at one hundred yds. Do you thi nk thats bow hunting ? Bow hunting is about the thrill of getting a deer close. Not slinging bolts as far as you can see.

[quote=perchjerker]My comments were not for injured hunters or elderly hunters. Im old too , but Cr its called bow season for a reason. With a bow you have to draw and fire, not a cocked weapon you can just pull a trigger on. Gun season and what kind of gun you use has not a damn thing to do with bow season. Bow hunters agree with injured and elderly, just not anyone too damn lazy to learn. Ive head idiots talking about killing deer at one hundred yds. Do you thi nk thats bow hunting ? Bow hunting is about the thrill of getting a deer close. Not slinging bolts as far as you can see.

Give me a break, with your holier than thou attitude about cross bow hunters, you guys kill me, you have to pull something back, you to lazy to learn, it's ok if you are old/injured.

But it's ok to have an mechanical advantage so you don't have to strain as much but that's ok in your eyes, the way I see your to darn lazy to pull a longbow back so you cheat also.

It's like the little white lie, it's still lying.

Well, the title is cross bow "craze". And that's what it is. Healthy gun hunters are walking into outdoor stores and buying the heck out of them. It's not a "craze" due to guys that could get medical exemptions. The popularity is exploding because non-archery hunters can hunt during archery season, plain and simple. I have a relative that works at a Bass Pro, and sees it all day, every day.

If you can't see the fundamental difference between creating the energy while the animal is in range, and pointing to shoot, I can't figure out any other way to frame the conversation. A compound bow is an excellent modern weapon, but I still have to wrestle 70 pounds of energy in the moment of truth if I want to be successful.

Best example I have - I have an eight year old that has a youth bow, and it is basically non lethal because he can't create enough energy. He asks about going bow hunting like Daddy, and I explain to him the difference. We talk about working hard, and getting bigger, better, and strong enough that his opportunity will come in due time. And don't feel bad for him - he gets all the opportunity he can handle with a gun, and killed two deer last season.

So, what if I go get him a crossbow? Create the energy for him, and a tripod to rest it on (cause most are too heavy for him to aim). I have no doubt he could shoot it just as accurately as he shoots a rifle. But what would I be teaching him?

I, like others here, have no problem with medical exemptions during archery season - which was the deal when they first became legal. I absolutely support handicap hunters of all ages to have the opportunity. And I've even taken it a step further to say I have no problem with any person using them during gun season.

I believe my thoughts are how most bow hunters feel on this topic (but maybe I'm wrong).

Claims, I am with Perch & Turkey, I feel you are exempt from these arguments.

It's not a Holier Than Thou Argument (though I understand the perception through the fence). For me I just don't feel that it is even a bow at all, plain and simple.

I don't care if you personally use a machine gun, Everyone knows you good enough through your posts here that No one is ever gonna argue that you aint the real deal out in the woods.

I know for me this is a hot topic and I am quick to argue and counter someones point of view. But I would never level a personal attack against anyone because of how they legally hunt. I know it may sound like it sometimes but that aint who I am. This is directed to everyone on here.

Don't get mad at me CR, I have too much respect for you ! LOL
This issue was never about getting lazy hunters in the woods. It was about money, sell X-guns. The Moultrie guy was big into getting it pasted. Greed nothing but greed. Capehorn pull your panties out of your
crack and calm down.

DAMN I AM GLAD YOU'RE BACK PERCH...Now quit bein' a pansy and say how you really feel.

I guess I just don't see it the way you guys do. And no one bothered to address my thoughts on using compounds vs. recurve or longbows..... because compounds are a DEFINITE advantage over recurves and longbows. Just like carbon arrows are an advantage over wooden arrows. Release vs. no release... I could go on and on and on.

Turkey247, suppose your boy wants to hunt this bow season with you but still isn't strong enough to pull back a bow. You tell him "No Jr., you're gonna have to wait till your stronger and then you can go." But then 2-3 years later Jr. has no interest in going... should you have allowed him to use a crossbow?

If hunting with a crossbow is an avenue to introduce kids to hunting, should we not take advantage of this legal means of hunting and get kids out in the field? Seems to me that we should.

And I see you guys using the word "disabled", however I don't consider myself disabled at all - I just can't pull a bow back and hold it back like I used to be able to. "Disabled" to me means in a wheelchair, having COPD and not being able to walk more than a hundred yards, etc. I still walk 1-2 miles in when I hunt Bankhead, while toting a climber on my back, pack in one hand, bow/crossbow in the other hand.

I know y'all ain't targeting me personally, but I think y'all are wrong about people using a crossbow.

I aint got any issues with a kid using a crossbow before they can draw an actual bow back

Alright, everybody chill out. Everybody has there opinion and fussing about it on the interwebs ain't gonna change anyone's. I think Perch's biggest gripe is the same as mine. The way the state went about legalizing them was dirty and corrupt. I'll have one at my house this week setting it up for a buddy of mine. He's fixing to have open heart surgery and will miss most of the season. Even he got pissed off when the state legalized them because he is a disabled vet that jumped through all the hoops years ago to get a permit.

Why would I compromise for that? We may disagree, but my values are my values.

My priority list for each of my boys, are God, family, school - then a whole bunch of stuff after that in no particular order. Hunting is just not that important. Hunting is a privilege. Hunting makes some folks over emotional, and it can absolutely cause folks to compromise their values. I have to check mysef when it compromises mine.

I'm gonna ease out of this conversation because I've stated twice why I feel there's a difference (creating energy at the moment of truth vs. not having to do that), but the reason is mostly ignored.

This right here. I don’t like xbows and won’t ever use one. But in reality, bow hunting has gotten so gadgety there isn’t that much of a difference in my mind between a wheel bow and a crossbow. I have to shoot my stick bow every day to stay in practice. My brother is trying to get back into hunting this year shot a bow for the first time in 3 years this weekend. He’s a compound guy and hit center on the target every shot and could still hit the target very accurately from 60 yards. Like I said, I don’t like xbows and will never use one, but I also don’t understand the ill will that wheel bow guys have for xbow guys.

They don't like more people in the woods. Just that simple.

For the record, my "sit to pee" comment was intended as a joke. I, quite literally, could not care any less if someone else uses a crossbow - healthy or disabled.

Do. Not. Care.

Now, when someone tells me they killed a deer with one, I'll congratulate them, but I'm not nearly as impressed as someone killing one with a "regular" bow. Luckily for them, my being impressed (or lack thereof) is completely meaningless to them (or, it should be anyway).

If it's legal and ethical, then quite frankly it's nobody else's business what you use. I have a feeling most (not all) bashing of crossbow shooters probably began in jest, and only escalated when the crossbow shooters got bent out of shape about it instead of just laughing it off and moving on. Because let's face it, when someone gets their panties in a wad over something stupid, you just can't help but poke and prod a little more, hence:

Its more than just more people in the woods. Its people that didn't care to learn the woods craft to get animals close. They sit with a cocked weapon and sling bolts at long range. Bow hunting is not about 50 yd shots. Its about getting close to an animal and making a clean kill shot. Every bow kill I have , I've seen or heard drop dead.Why can't anyone understand that wounding an animal is not acceptable to a bowhunter ?

Well said Gomer and perch.

Hunted for 15 years with a compound. Got a crossbow last year and really enjoy it.

It's all I used last year.

To me this is such a pie in the sky reason and your reasoning doesn't really work.
1. People don't care to learn the woods craft to get animals close??? I've only killed 1 deer with my crossbow over 35 yds. How close is close enough to have learned the "woods craft"?
2. I don't know that my idea or definition of bow hunting is making 50yd shots, but what if is? The distance someone decides to shot at a deer is up to them but people with bows and crossbows can shot accurately out to 50yds. So the idea that a crossbow hunter doesn't have to or doesn't get deer close is ridiculous. As I said I've killed several deer with crossbows and only 1 that I can remember was over 35yds and it was under 50yds.
3. The comment about wounding deer not being acceptable to bowhunters doesn't work either. So crossbow hunters are ok with wounding deer? Is that part of the package you get with a crossbow? I've wounded more deer with a compound bow than a crossbow. I don't think anyone likes wounding deer but most bowhunters of any sort experience it at some time whether with a bow or crossbow or even rifle for that matter. Your reasons for being against them are really just personal preference or opinions of what bow hunting should be about. I just can't see preference or opinion on what bowhunting is about being what decides who should be able to be in the woods.

Now while you have given your reasons for being against it I'll give my real world reasons for being for them.

1. I work anywhere from 50-70 hrs a week. I don't have the time to put in practicing to be consistent enough to where I want to use a compound. With limited time the easy setup of a crossbow allows me to still be efficient enough to harvest deer.
2. I now get more opportunity to hunt with my dad. I hunt wheeler and its bow only. He is older and has had some neck surgeries so would struggle with a compound, plus he just doesn't know the ins an outs to whats needed to have a compound set up so he could be good with it. Since crossbows have been legalized he has gone on several hunts with me which wouldn't have been possible before.
3. My son is 8yrs old and Lord willing we hope to hunt Wheeler this year. It would be several years before he would be strong enough to shoot a compound accurately that could kill a deer. Crossbows will make it possible for him to hunt with me years before he could have without them.
4. Since crossbows have been legalized I have killed 10+ deer with them. We eat deer meat regularly so thats food it has put on my table.

Bla bla bla can't learn the wood's bla bla bla bla bla bla hunt over corn bla bla bla bla bla football injuries bla bla bla bla bla roll tide................

Let the arrows fly!!!! It won't be long now.........Can't wait