Bowhunters vent over crossbow use
By Bob Frye
pittsburgh TRIBUNE-REVIEW OUTDOORS EDITOR
January 26, 2009
It's not true that all 3,000-plus members of the United Bowhunters of Pennsylvania were at Sunday's meeting of the Pennsylvania Game Commission in Harrisburg.
But it felt like it at times.
They turned out in force to ask commissioners to do one of two things: keep crossbows out of the state's general archery season altogether or, at the very least, limit their use to just one week of the year.
"Believe me, you will sleep better at night," said Buck Appel, vice president of the United Bowhunters.
Crossbows are a hot issue because of a proposal before the commissioners.
Currently, crossbows can be used in the October muzzleloader season, the regular firearms deer season, and during the flintlock season. They can also be used in archery season by handicapped people with a doctor's excuse and by anyone hunting in the state's special regulations counties.
They cannot be used in the regular archery season statewide, however.
On Tuesday, though, a proposal to make them legal statewide in the six-week fall archery season comes up for final approval.
That prompted bowhunters to make one last push at defeating the idea. Of the more than 50 people who testified at yesterday's meeting, two-thirds addressed the crossbow issue. And of those, opponents of their use outnumbered supporters four to one.
Many of the bowhunters who testified against legalizing crossbows for the archery season said they are not primitive weapons, which the season is designed for.
"A shotgun and a rifle are both used for hunting small game, but they are not the same weapon. A muzzleloader and a modern rifle are both long guns, but they are not the same weapon," said Joe Filaseta of Bethlehem. "And a bow and a crossbow are not the same."
Many others said they worry what legalizing crossbows for the full six-week archery season will do to the deer herd.
In the past, archery seasons have been implemented slowly, some said, pointing to the commission's archery bear season. It's being limited to two days midweek for three years until the impact on the population is studied.
Commissioners have always said that their decisions regarding deer seasons were based on science, added Joe Basile of Rochester in Beaver County. But allowing untold numbers of hunters to go into the woods with a crossbow - some have estimated the move might convert 30,000 to 60,000 rifle hunters into crossbow users - without any controls doesn't follow that pattern.
"For me, I just don't see the science," Basille said. "There's no other state like Pennsylvania in terms of hunting pressure. There's just so much. I think rifle hunters could come into this sport and decimate the deer herd."
Bernie Spozio of Clarion, president of the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs, said that group's board discussed the idea of allowing crossbows into the archery season at its meeting Saturday. That board decided that, at the very least, commissioners don't have enough data to predict the impact on the deer herd and so should hold off on making any decision for now.
Others disagreed. Todd Bromley of Sharon, a co-founder of the Pennsylvania Crossbow Federation, said allowing crossbows into archery season is just another way to recruit new hunters to the sport and keep those in it involved.
"We're all bowhunters. None of us want to destroy the thing we're all so passionate about," Bromley said.
Game Commissioners did not take any action on the issue Sunday. They will listen to staff reports Monday, then vote on the crossbow issue and other items tomorrow, such as seasons and bag limits for 2009-2010.
By Bob Frye
pittsburgh TRIBUNE-REVIEW OUTDOORS EDITOR
January 26, 2009
It's not true that all 3,000-plus members of the United Bowhunters of Pennsylvania were at Sunday's meeting of the Pennsylvania Game Commission in Harrisburg.
But it felt like it at times.
They turned out in force to ask commissioners to do one of two things: keep crossbows out of the state's general archery season altogether or, at the very least, limit their use to just one week of the year.
"Believe me, you will sleep better at night," said Buck Appel, vice president of the United Bowhunters.
Crossbows are a hot issue because of a proposal before the commissioners.
Currently, crossbows can be used in the October muzzleloader season, the regular firearms deer season, and during the flintlock season. They can also be used in archery season by handicapped people with a doctor's excuse and by anyone hunting in the state's special regulations counties.
They cannot be used in the regular archery season statewide, however.
On Tuesday, though, a proposal to make them legal statewide in the six-week fall archery season comes up for final approval.
That prompted bowhunters to make one last push at defeating the idea. Of the more than 50 people who testified at yesterday's meeting, two-thirds addressed the crossbow issue. And of those, opponents of their use outnumbered supporters four to one.
Many of the bowhunters who testified against legalizing crossbows for the archery season said they are not primitive weapons, which the season is designed for.
"A shotgun and a rifle are both used for hunting small game, but they are not the same weapon. A muzzleloader and a modern rifle are both long guns, but they are not the same weapon," said Joe Filaseta of Bethlehem. "And a bow and a crossbow are not the same."
Many others said they worry what legalizing crossbows for the full six-week archery season will do to the deer herd.
In the past, archery seasons have been implemented slowly, some said, pointing to the commission's archery bear season. It's being limited to two days midweek for three years until the impact on the population is studied.
Commissioners have always said that their decisions regarding deer seasons were based on science, added Joe Basile of Rochester in Beaver County. But allowing untold numbers of hunters to go into the woods with a crossbow - some have estimated the move might convert 30,000 to 60,000 rifle hunters into crossbow users - without any controls doesn't follow that pattern.
"For me, I just don't see the science," Basille said. "There's no other state like Pennsylvania in terms of hunting pressure. There's just so much. I think rifle hunters could come into this sport and decimate the deer herd."
Bernie Spozio of Clarion, president of the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs, said that group's board discussed the idea of allowing crossbows into the archery season at its meeting Saturday. That board decided that, at the very least, commissioners don't have enough data to predict the impact on the deer herd and so should hold off on making any decision for now.
Others disagreed. Todd Bromley of Sharon, a co-founder of the Pennsylvania Crossbow Federation, said allowing crossbows into archery season is just another way to recruit new hunters to the sport and keep those in it involved.
"We're all bowhunters. None of us want to destroy the thing we're all so passionate about," Bromley said.
Game Commissioners did not take any action on the issue Sunday. They will listen to staff reports Monday, then vote on the crossbow issue and other items tomorrow, such as seasons and bag limits for 2009-2010.
