Cross bows

[dreamingbig]

My vote is still NO.

[NWWABOWHNTR]

Sure and we need lazer sights, GPS tracking inserts in the arrows, and anything else to take away from actually learning how to hunt with a close range weapon that requires practice and woodsmenship.

[D-Rock425]

I say make them legal and they can hunt during muzzleloader season

[h20hunter]

There you go....fuel to the fire and stirring the pot!

[D-Rock425]

There you go....fuel to the fire and stirring the pot!

that's what I do.

[lokidog]

Since this is back up, again, I will post my 

1.  Crossbows are legal to own.
2.  Most poachers are too lazy to go to all the work of having to cock a crossbow.
3.  Crossbows are effective animal harvesting weapons.
4.  Crossbows do not have the range of a muzzleloader, unless you are a really bad ML shot....
5.  Crossbows can be cocked and left cocked before firing eliminating the need for a lot of movement when game is close by.
6.  Crossbows take more time to reload than a bow but maybe less time than a muzzleloader.
7.  Crossbows are somewhat noisy but less than a modern rifle.
8.  An errant crossbow bolt will probably not go through the side of a house or car or go nearly as far.
9.  Crossbows are currently legal to hunt with in WA in firearm restricted areas.
10.  Crossbows have not been implicated in any rashes of poaching to my knowledge.
11.  Crossbows would allow youths who are not large enough to draw an effective bow to hunt in a similar manner to archers.
12.  Many other states allow crossbows to be used during their modern weapon seasons, by handicapped archers, and/or during archery seasons by archers that are "old".  Granted, these states probably have way more deer than we do....   

IMHO

1.  Crossbows have an advantage over compound and traditional bows by not having to be drawn while in the presence of your target animal.
2.  Crossbows offer a safety advantage over modern rifles and muzzleloaders (even when improperly handled).
3.  Crossbows are quiet and low impact for those who prefer/need to hunt in more populated areas.

THEREFORE

Crossbows should NOT be allowed during ARCHERY ONLY seasons, except by disabled hunters.
Crossbows SHOULD be allowed in firearm restricted areas and anywhere else a modern firearm is allowed during modern firearm seasons.

[washelkhunter]

Bob33  "I became a PSE TAC 15/15i/10/10i crossbow dealer because my own PSE TAC 15i crossbow shot 6 arrows into 1.875 inches at 100 yards, on my third day of shooting it. "

I don't know too many compound bow shooters who can do that...


Well how do ya do!  I think i just found my new crossbow! I cant wait to start hunting archery season with one of these babies. Oh yeah! Man i can hardly wait. 

[backyard bucks]

even if you did have a permit for special use.. that crossbow isn't legal in this state..

[washelkhunter]

Lets hope it never is eh.

[TwoSixFourWins]

I still fail to see the reasoning behind the protest of crossbow use during a firearms season. Could someone please explain?

[Snapshot]

I don't think, TwoSixFourWins, that there is a 'protest of crossbow use during a firearms season'. To my knowledge no one has ever asked the commission to consider making them legal outside of the firearms restriction zones where they are currently allowed. If someone wanted to make that pitch to the commission it might get some backing, especially from manufacturers; it would present a new challenge for the majority group of hunters in the state and so it would sell some product.

[et1702]

Bob33  "I became a PSE TAC 15/15i/10/10i crossbow dealer because my own PSE TAC 15i crossbow shot 6 arrows into 1.875 inches at 100 yards, on my third day of shooting it. "

I don't know too many compound bow shooters who can do that...


Well how do ya do!  I think i just found my new crossbow! I cant wait to start hunting archery season with one of these babies. Oh yeah! Man i can hardly wait. 

If crossbows have about the same range as a Muzzleloader, maybe they should be legal during the ML seasons    Sorry, WashElkHunter, I couldn't resist

[TwoSixFourWins]

I don't think, TwoSixFourWins, that there is a 'protest of crossbow use during a firearms season'. To my knowledge no one has ever asked the commission to consider making them legal outside of the firearms restriction zones where they are currently allowed. If someone wanted to make that pitch to the commission it might get some backing, especially from manufacturers; it would present a new challenge for the majority group of hunters in the state and so it would sell some product.

Well then how many here are opposed to crossbows all together, how many during archery season, and how many would like to see them listed the same as any other bow?

Perhaps a new poll should be started.

[Snapshot]

They are not the same as "any other bow" because they aren't a bow at all; they are an entirely different weapon that shoots something that looks like an arrow. A particular Ruger rifle does the same and that doesn't make it a bow. A particular crossbow in the hands of a trained military man shoots 1-hole groups at 100 yards; no bow can do that in anyone's hands. Crossbows are where they belong...in firearms season. If the commission wanted to expand their use to the whole state during firearms seasons, I doubt it would harm anything, because all they would do is up the level of the challenge for anyone wanting to use one of them instead of their rifle.