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Crossbows at a Crossroad
Crossbow legalization is on the rise nationwide....
By Bowhunt America Staff
Barnett Jackal
Certain bowhunters cast leery eyes toward their horizontal-bowed counterparts in the same manner some fly-fisherman glance at their “bait-chucking” counterparts—perhaps with a bit of suspicion or condemnation. Not all bowhunters carry negative connotations toward the crossbow, but some do.
Is the disdain founded in puritanical beliefs about the sanctity of archery? Is there a fear of a forest overrun by new hunters during archery season? Do these bowhunters think crossbows make it too easy? Is crossbow legalization solely a money-making push for wildlife agencies or for crossbow companies themselves?
A myriad of arguments crop up for and against the crossbow when the subject gets discussed; some contain truth, some contain half-truths and some don’t add up at all. Piles of articles have been published on this issue—see below for links to some of them. It can be a contentious issue, even amongst close hunting buddies.
Because of all the information out there, we are not going to reinvent the wheel here and go through all the arguments ad nauseaum (just check out a few of the links below if you are unaware). But the fact is that crossbow use is becoming legalized in more states. The current count is 22 states with each claiming its own type of restrictions. Crossbow use and sales are on the rise. And most of the nightmare-scenarios envisioned by anti-crossbow bowhunters haven’t panned out. We just want to know what Bowhunt America readers think about the subject in order to better provide you with the proper amount of coverage on topics you are interested in.
Should we cover more crossbow-related information with a greater depth? Should we cover less? Should we cover none at all? We will be providing the information gathered here in an upcoming member newsletter, so if you would like to see the results of this survey, just click here and sign up (you will also be entered to win a free Mathews bow). We appreciate you taking the time to fill this out and once we have gathered a substantial amount of feedback, we will let you know what everyone else is thinking.
And also feel free to discuss this issue in the comment section below—but please keep it friendly and respectful.
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