Ok, my turn. We had this same discussion last year and the year before and not many minds were really changed. First some facts. I looked up several crossbows on the Cabala's site. Most were 7 to 9 pounds, very heavy. Most had a limb span of 30 to 36 inches and had speeds of 300 to 345 fps shooting bolts of 21 or 22 inches. I could not find weights on the bolts but I doubt that with a 100 grain head that they weigh much over 300 grains if that. All the cross bows had arrow channel that was about 20 inches long the bolts only had straight vanes. For you compound shooters that is like having a whisker biscut 20 inches long contacting your arrow from the time it leaves the string until it clears the bow itself. Not having shot one of these modern crossbows I can't speak to their long range accuracy and killing power, but logic tells me it ain't what some beleive it to be. Most of the Cabala's listings talked about 120 or 122 foot pounds of energy at 345 fps, not a lot to start with and at that speed and weight those bolts would shed energy very quickly. Another fact most of the limbs look to be 29 to 31 inches even when cocked, and most truck windows are on 27 or 28 inches wide and then you have the mirrors to contend with also. I'm not saying it can't be done, but I think it would be very difficult for a passenger to wiggle a cocked and loaded crossbow arround and get it out of a truck window quietly while a big buck waits paiently 30 yards away, and get off a lethal shot.
Enough facts for now, lets move on. While I don't think that crossbow should be legalized for the entire bow season, I do think that they should have a place in the deer woods. They are not any more of a guarrented kill than a muzzle loader or a shotgun are during their season. A hunter must still get the deer close enough for a shot and execute a good shot just like any other kind of weapon. The comments about sitting down in a good spot with a pair of cross sticks can be said about almost any kind of weapon. The big thing is getting the deer to read the script and walk by at the the right time to make the shot.
We need to be very carefull about being hyprocritical reguarding our choice of weapons vers the other guys choice. Tall Tines I don't mean to pick on you or be disrespectful in any way, but how can you make coments about making hunting to easy? I see from your picture that you are using a very modern compound bow proably with 85% let off, a weighted stabilizer, a peep sight, an adjustable fiberoptic sight, string silencer system,and high speed cams. You also proably use a trigger release, carbon arrows, plastic vanes, and mechanical broad heads. Don't forget the Scent Lock camo clothes and the Gortex boots, and the light weight tree stands. All of these things have been developed with in the last 15 or 20 years to make bow hunting easier and better for the average person. How sucessful do you think you would be if you were required to use a hickory long bow with cedar arrows and wild turkey fletching and hunt primarily from the ground? These are things I have choosen to do to add more to my own satifaction of my hunt, but I would not begin to think I should have the right to tell you that you must do the same and throw away your compound and all the other stuff. We all must choose what makes us happy and fulfilled with our hunting as long as it doesn't infringe on other hunters rights. Comments like scopes and inline muzzle laoders shouldn't be allowed because they make things too easy would be like saying that you must hunt with a stickbow because that makes it more challenging. Every single product listed in the deer hunting catalogs have been designed and accepted because they make hunting easier,not because they make it harder! As for the remarks about not haveing to practice once the sights on a crossbow are dialed in the same can be said of your compound setup. I haven't shot a compound bow for about 10 years but I am absoultley confident that if I fired 6 shots from your bow as practice that I could kill a deer with it out to 25 yards in most hunting situations. That is not a brag, but a testement to the lethalness of your setup.
The long and short of the subject, I would support some kind of a crossbow season for deer in Iowa, but not during and for the entire bow season. Maybe something arround Thanksgiving would be nice. Thanks for listening and lets try to make room for people to enjoy hunting in a moral and eithical and legal manner even if it isn't our cup of tea.
Enough facts for now, lets move on. While I don't think that crossbow should be legalized for the entire bow season, I do think that they should have a place in the deer woods. They are not any more of a guarrented kill than a muzzle loader or a shotgun are during their season. A hunter must still get the deer close enough for a shot and execute a good shot just like any other kind of weapon. The comments about sitting down in a good spot with a pair of cross sticks can be said about almost any kind of weapon. The big thing is getting the deer to read the script and walk by at the the right time to make the shot.
We need to be very carefull about being hyprocritical reguarding our choice of weapons vers the other guys choice. Tall Tines I don't mean to pick on you or be disrespectful in any way, but how can you make coments about making hunting to easy? I see from your picture that you are using a very modern compound bow proably with 85% let off, a weighted stabilizer, a peep sight, an adjustable fiberoptic sight, string silencer system,and high speed cams. You also proably use a trigger release, carbon arrows, plastic vanes, and mechanical broad heads. Don't forget the Scent Lock camo clothes and the Gortex boots, and the light weight tree stands. All of these things have been developed with in the last 15 or 20 years to make bow hunting easier and better for the average person. How sucessful do you think you would be if you were required to use a hickory long bow with cedar arrows and wild turkey fletching and hunt primarily from the ground? These are things I have choosen to do to add more to my own satifaction of my hunt, but I would not begin to think I should have the right to tell you that you must do the same and throw away your compound and all the other stuff. We all must choose what makes us happy and fulfilled with our hunting as long as it doesn't infringe on other hunters rights. Comments like scopes and inline muzzle laoders shouldn't be allowed because they make things too easy would be like saying that you must hunt with a stickbow because that makes it more challenging. Every single product listed in the deer hunting catalogs have been designed and accepted because they make hunting easier,not because they make it harder! As for the remarks about not haveing to practice once the sights on a crossbow are dialed in the same can be said of your compound setup. I haven't shot a compound bow for about 10 years but I am absoultley confident that if I fired 6 shots from your bow as practice that I could kill a deer with it out to 25 yards in most hunting situations. That is not a brag, but a testement to the lethalness of your setup.
The long and short of the subject, I would support some kind of a crossbow season for deer in Iowa, but not during and for the entire bow season. Maybe something arround Thanksgiving would be nice. Thanks for listening and lets try to make room for people to enjoy hunting in a moral and eithical and legal manner even if it isn't our cup of tea.
