Don't waste your money on XBows just yet!

[Dredly]

As usual... the PGC doesn't even agree with itself and crossbows may have their own season, the first 2 weeks of Archery season

BOARD TAKES STEP TO RE-EVALUATE CROSSBOWS
HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners, by a vote of 4-3, today gave preliminary approval to regulatory changes that would, if approved at a subsequent meeting and published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin, restrict the use of crossbows for the upcoming fall hunting seasons.

Those voting in favor of the proposal were Game Commissioner Ron Weaner, who requested that the proposal be placed on the July meeting agenda; as well as Game Commissioners Tom Boop, David Schreffler and Jay Delaney. Those voting against the proposal were Game Commissioners Greg Isabella, David Putnam and Robert Schlemmer. There currently is one vacancy on the eight-member Board.

Under the proposal given preliminary approval today, any archery license-holding hunter could use a crossbow during the first two weeks of the statewide early archery deer season (Oct. 3-16); only disabled hunters with a permit to use a crossbow could use them for the remainder of the early archery season, as well as all of the late archery season. Crossbows would continue to be legal for all deer seasons, including the early and late archery seasons, in WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D. Only those with a disabled person permit to use a crossbow could use a crossbow during the two-day archery bear season. Lastly, crossbows could be used by any muzzleloader license-holding hunter in both the October antlerless muzzleloader season (Oct. 17-24) and the late flintlock muzzleloader season (Dec. 26-Jan. 9).

The Pennsylvania Bulletin is the Commonwealth’s official gazette for information and rulemaking by various branches of government and state agencies, including the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Under the Commonwealth's Documents Law, any proposed change in regulations must be given preliminary approval by the Board of Game Commissioners at a public meeting. Following its preliminary approval, the proposed rule-making must be reviewed by the state Office of Attorney General and published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin to allow for public comment. After considering public comment, the Board is permitted to take final action on the proposal at a subsequent public meeting, after which it must again be reviewed by the Office of Attorney General and published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin before taking effect.

http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/cwp/v...?Q=176837&A=11

[beerhunter]

Thanks for the news, I'll be sure to pass along to hunters that have already purchased.

I don't like the idea at all. Nothing wrong with compounds.

[Dredly]

Originally Posted by beerhunter

Thanks for the news, I'll be sure to pass along to hunters that have already purchased.

I don't like the idea at all. Nothing wrong with compounds.

I don't either, I'd rather see Xbows legal whenever rifles are but the PGC wouldnt' sell tags if that was the case :P

[keystoneman 85]

I'm failing to see how an X-bow would be a waste of money either way.

Scenario A) You can only use it the first two weeks of Archery unless you have a disabled permit.

Scenario B) You can use it all of archery.

Either way, just bag your deer in the first two weeks

[XD40coyote]

Why not just allow x-bows during bow seasons in those areas where there are too many deer? Areas where PGC stupidity has caused the deer to decline badly, can be bow only for bow season. And keep the handicapped permits of course, for those areas.

MD allows x-bows statewide now, but gives "real" bowhunters a 2 week lead before x-bows are allowed to be used. The central part of MD has a deer overpopulation problem, and all bowhunters can harvest all the antlerless deer they want during the bow seasons. Bag limit is unlimited on does, button bucks, and teeny spikers( 3" or less spikes). Shotgun/rifle season allows taking 10 antlerless deer. Bucks are 2 per season type but with certain restrictions.

[Dredly]

Originally Posted by XD40coyote

Why not just allow x-bows during bow seasons in those areas where there are too many deer? Areas where PGC stupidity has caused the deer to decline badly, can be bow only for bow season. And keep the handicapped permits of course, for those areas.

MD allows x-bows statewide now, but gives "real" bowhunters a 2 week lead before x-bows are allowed to be used. The central part of MD has a deer overpopulation problem, and all bowhunters can harvest all the antlerless deer they want during the bow seasons. Bag limit is unlimited on does, button bucks, and teeny spikers( 3" or less spikes). Shotgun/rifle season allows taking 10 antlerless deer. Bucks are 2 per season type but with certain restrictions.

Because we have close to 1,000,000 hunters annually in PA and the harvest is WAY down across the state... unless you include highway deaths. The issue these days isn't the weapon being used... its the significant increase in predators, coyotes are everywhere now and they routinely eat fawns and anything else they can find.

In addition deer habitat is still rapidly disappearing on the east coast, in PA the worst deer over population are almost entirely in the areas where we can't hunt, cities, and suburbs where there isn't enough room and housing developments.

In the open areas where hunting is possible and legal the deer aren't really over populated, there are a lot of areas where there are no more deer at all, a lot of the smaller tracks of public land have a near 0 deer population due to insane over hunting and "brown is down" mentality.

The reason I (and many others) don't want Xbows in the woods is the mentality of a lot of new xbow shooters who think its just like a rifle, pop off 5 bolts at 20 yards and head into the woods to hunt... its unethical, also it isn't the same challenge as a bow and shouldn't be used in an otherwise primitive hunting season.

The reason I said its pointless is the first 2 weeks of hunting season lose the best hunting time in PA... the Rut

[PaGunNut]

I think what pisses me off the most is they already voted printed the book started selling licences then went back and changed their minds. Let your yes be yes and your no be no. They should set a rule that says when the books printed all rules are final.

[Dredly]

Originally Posted by PaGunNut

I think what pisses me off the most is they already voted printed the book started selling licences then went back and changed their minds. Let your yes be yes and your no be no. They should set a rule that says when the books printed all rules are final.

In their defense I believe there was just a big shake up in the upper ranks, the vote that approved crossbows was in no way even close to a unanimous decision.

What they are looking at is sort of a "middle ground" which gives a X-Bow season in addition to the rest of the seasons (ie: money for archery tags and all the rifle / muzzleloader tag)

I agree, its stupid, this is how they should have started with and see how it works, better to let it out slowly and then expand as needed instead of throw open the gates and then try to close them.



also I think their decisions would be for next year and not this season?

[JIMMYC308]

AWW Man, I missed another crossbows are bad discussion! Oh well I guess I'll get back to lubing up my flight rails and waxing the string on my Tenpoint. Here in Special Regs,PA crossbows are legal all season long.

[riverpirate]

Personaly I think x-bows should be limited to rifle season. I have no problem with them but I think they are more along the lines of a rifle then a bow.