I want to add crossbows to the list of legal weapons for all Utah hunters. I have a smaller framed daughter that isn't able to pull a bow back yet (at 13) and I'd love to take her on the bow hunt with me. I also have a dad who is older and couldn't pull back a bow that I'd like to take some time.
Archery has a lower success rate than other hunts. There are currently 21 states that allow crossbows to be used during archery season. There are HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of crossbow hunters and so far in all of the states that allow crossbow to be used during archery season, and they have almost exactly the same success rate. The distances shot are pretty much the same too.
There are myths that crossbows are so much better than other archery equipment. In the hundreds of thousands of hunters it hasn't shown true.
I spoke to the Wyoming DWR and asked them for info about crossbows. They average around 12-17 percent of archers that hunt with crossbows. They have stopped keeping statistics in the differences because they found no difference in the success rates of the two weapons over the last 20 years.
There was a question asked about if you could only hunt with bows but hunt every year would you do it. I think that if you are trying to pull more people into the archery hunts it would be better to be more inclusive and more attractive to people who don't bow hunt. Give the guys who aren't interested in bows a reason to try archery.
Archers get the better longer seasons. I think that is a good thing because they are much less effective. Crossbows fall into this same category.
I like to archery hunt. I've shot a bow for a lot of years. My shoulders are getting worse and I think a crossbow would be a great way to keep archery hunting.
Crossbows are a great limited range weapon. They are hard enough to ##### so that another shot is pretty much not going to happen. You also have to unload and rest them every 4 hours or so for a half an hour. You don't have to draw with the animal watching but you still have to move a wide horizontal crossbow around to get on the animal. At under 50 yards they are going to be catching almost any movement.
I have a lot of friends who don't want to bow hunt because they don't want to shoot a bow. They would give it a try if they had a crossbow.
I think that archery is a great way to hunt with less impact than other methods. Its not for everyone but the numbers say that it is less successful so less deer are killed = more hunting opportunity.
Most bow hunters wont choose to hunt with a crossbow, they are hunting how they want to hunt. But for youth, older hunters, and those who don't want to pick up a bow, this is a great way to get them into archery. It would also make a more valid reason to have more archery tags.
I don't understand why they aren't legal for a lot of hunts right now anyway, such as:
Turkey Hunt: You can use a bow or shotgun. Why not a crossbow? It isn't more effective than either of these.
Bear Hunt: There aren't dedicated archery tags. If you can use a bow over bait why not a crossbow.
Cougar hunt: Why not?
Once in a life time hunts: These are any weapon hunts?excluding crossbows? If I can use any gun why not a crossbow?
Antelope: Most archery antelope hunting is done from a blind. There isn't any real difference here.
Elk hunt: There are unlimited archery tags and a lot of general any bull and spike tags. Its another archery weapon, with limited range.
Deer: It would be great to move more hunters into a weapon that has a limited range, is a single shot and is PROVEN BY HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF CROSSBOW HUNTERS TO BE NO MORE EFFECTIVE THAN OTHER ARCHERY EQUIPMENT.
Anyway these are a few of the thoughts I've had.
Andy
respect my authorita
Archery has a lower success rate than other hunts. There are currently 21 states that allow crossbows to be used during archery season. There are HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of crossbow hunters and so far in all of the states that allow crossbow to be used during archery season, and they have almost exactly the same success rate. The distances shot are pretty much the same too.
There are myths that crossbows are so much better than other archery equipment. In the hundreds of thousands of hunters it hasn't shown true.
I spoke to the Wyoming DWR and asked them for info about crossbows. They average around 12-17 percent of archers that hunt with crossbows. They have stopped keeping statistics in the differences because they found no difference in the success rates of the two weapons over the last 20 years.
There was a question asked about if you could only hunt with bows but hunt every year would you do it. I think that if you are trying to pull more people into the archery hunts it would be better to be more inclusive and more attractive to people who don't bow hunt. Give the guys who aren't interested in bows a reason to try archery.
Archers get the better longer seasons. I think that is a good thing because they are much less effective. Crossbows fall into this same category.
I like to archery hunt. I've shot a bow for a lot of years. My shoulders are getting worse and I think a crossbow would be a great way to keep archery hunting.
Crossbows are a great limited range weapon. They are hard enough to ##### so that another shot is pretty much not going to happen. You also have to unload and rest them every 4 hours or so for a half an hour. You don't have to draw with the animal watching but you still have to move a wide horizontal crossbow around to get on the animal. At under 50 yards they are going to be catching almost any movement.
I have a lot of friends who don't want to bow hunt because they don't want to shoot a bow. They would give it a try if they had a crossbow.
I think that archery is a great way to hunt with less impact than other methods. Its not for everyone but the numbers say that it is less successful so less deer are killed = more hunting opportunity.
Most bow hunters wont choose to hunt with a crossbow, they are hunting how they want to hunt. But for youth, older hunters, and those who don't want to pick up a bow, this is a great way to get them into archery. It would also make a more valid reason to have more archery tags.
I don't understand why they aren't legal for a lot of hunts right now anyway, such as:
Turkey Hunt: You can use a bow or shotgun. Why not a crossbow? It isn't more effective than either of these.
Bear Hunt: There aren't dedicated archery tags. If you can use a bow over bait why not a crossbow.
Cougar hunt: Why not?
Once in a life time hunts: These are any weapon hunts?excluding crossbows? If I can use any gun why not a crossbow?
Antelope: Most archery antelope hunting is done from a blind. There isn't any real difference here.
Elk hunt: There are unlimited archery tags and a lot of general any bull and spike tags. Its another archery weapon, with limited range.
Deer: It would be great to move more hunters into a weapon that has a limited range, is a single shot and is PROVEN BY HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF CROSSBOW HUNTERS TO BE NO MORE EFFECTIVE THAN OTHER ARCHERY EQUIPMENT.
Anyway these are a few of the thoughts I've had.
Andy
respect my authorita
