Date: 3/15/2009
Ed Noonan's OUTDOOR JOURNAL
Sportsmen should pull together on crossbow proposal

Once again, allowing crossbow hunting in New York state is being proposed to our legislature.
   The bill, number A924, is being introduced in the Assembly by Francine DelMonte (D-Lewiston). It was read once and referred to the Committee of Environmental Conservation.
   For the state’s sportsmen, this is not a new proposal, and is always a controversial one.
   For instance, the New York Bowhunters Association, on its Web site, states its opposition to the use of any weapon other than bows drawn, held and released by hand, in any archery season or archery- only area. Additionally, it opposes the creation of any new hunting or fishing season or the extension of any existing season which will decrease the length of the archeryonly season or displace the season into less favorable dates.
   In a time when hunting/shooting sports are under attack from all dir ections, the one thing our hunting fraternity does not need is this type of self-centered attitude that ult imately pits hunters against hunters. The only benefit of the infighting it has created is aiding the anti-hunting groups who oppose our sport. Shouldn’t this be the time when we all unite in an effort to insure that the hunting/shooting traditions that we enjoy and are entitled to are promoted and carried on for future gen erations?
   Bob McNitt, a good friend and the former editor of New York Sportsman Magazine, said it best in his letter to Assemblyman Cliff Couch (R,I-Guilford): “When we consider an aging New York state hunter force, a declining number of new hunters entering the scene, and the ongoing need for hunting as a deer management and funding tool for DEC, the time is past due that any one special interest group should prohibit any positive action that would slow or reverse this trend.”
   Currently, the only crossbow hunting regulation we have, other than “no hunting with a crossbow,” is for those who qualify for the Modified Crossbow Permit. This permit is issued by the Department of Evironmental Conservation to hunters whose disability is so severe that they are physically unable to operate a mechanical device attached to a regular bow.
   A permit holder is authorized to use a crossbow modified with a device that requires no hand movement, since it is released by means of a person’s discharge of breath. This license is free, and is valid for five years. According to DEC, it has issued a total of 25 of these permits.
   I’ve been an avid bowhunter for more than 40 years, and still enjoy it, but I also have enjoyed crossbow hunting in other states and at various licensed preserves in the state. And I have listened to the myths voiced by those who oppose the use of crossbows and compare them to conventional bows. I have a compound bow, and there’s nothing conventional about it. All those wheels and pulleys with 80 percent let-off, fiber optics, scope sights and adjustable trigger releases are a long way from what I would call traditional. And I enjoy every bit of the advances in the compound bow technology, too.
   Surfing the Internet, I found out that the fastest-shooting compound bow is the Black MambaX1. With an 80-pound draw weight, it will launch an arrow at 355 feet per second, while the new BowTech Stryker crossbow with a draw weight of 175 pounds will launch a bolt (14-inch arrow) at 405 feet per second.
   However, ballistically, the smaller crossbow arrow begins to lose velocity and energy slightly faster than the compound bow after 30 yards because the arrow is lighter and shorter. And although hours of practice with sights on both the compound and crossbow will allow the shooter to accurately adjust his/her trajectory for longer shots, the average and ethical hunter will try to stay within the 30-yard range when hunting.
A924
   This new proposal is an act to amend the environmental conservation law that would allow DEC to create standards for a crossbow hunting season.
   It includes the use of a crossbow on private property during any deer season. Also, DEC would also define crossbow specifications in terms of minimums/maximums concerning arrow length, draw weights, etc.
   I found the justification section of the bill to be very interesting as it relates to increasing hunter populations and potential rev enues. It refers to how other states that have more liberal crossbow hunting regulations found that it became a significant recruitment and retention tool for hunters. And the sportsmen in these states have realized that the recruitment of additional hunters outweighs any differences of opinion they may have over hunting tools. There are 30 states that allow general big-game hunting with a crossbow, and the hunters don’t have to have a disability to qualify.
   They also found that the crossbow has resulted in neither decreasing bag limits nor poaching increases, and that it has been documented as a safe, responsible and popular means of hunting. And most importantly, it has created hunting opportunities for people with disabilities and those that cannot use a longbow or compound bow and older persons who lack the upper-body strength needed to draw a compound or long bow.
   The last, and equally important, benefit cited in this bill is the positive fiscal implication to the state in terms of increased number of licenses issued.
   I asked my friend, Steve Zahurak of Schenectady, an avid bowhunter, what he thought about the crossbow issue, and his response was: “I’ve been an avid bowhunter for over 42 years, and I don’t see why the two can’t survive and interact for the good of hunters. Why should someone who is new to hunting, or someone who has hunted for years, not be allowed to use a crossbow to harvest game?”
   If you’re a hunter/shooter, your job now is simple — call and write your legislators, and tell them to support this crossbow bill.
   To review the entire text of this proposal, go to www.assembly.-state.ny.us/leg/?bn=A00924.