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Post by boonechaser on Nov 29, 2021 18:00:49 GMT -5
I'm getting a crossbow for grandkids for Christmas (9 and 10) both have bows now but gonna be 4-5 years before be able to pull above legal weight. Rather break them into deer hunting with crossbow than rifle.
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Post by Mack Apiary Bees on Nov 29, 2021 18:13:37 GMT -5
More deer are killed by crossbows verses vertical bows. I think if majority rules then vertical bows are out. Who cares what weapon someone eles uses? End day WE are all hunters and enjoy the outdoors. That's what it's about. Weapon choice is just that. A CHOICE. I agree. Isn't there an old saying about what you ask for might come back and bite you. I was just was throwing it out there. I'm a crossbow hunter now. Started with recurve, then compound to crossbow. Keeps me hunting.
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Post by tynimiller on Nov 29, 2021 18:16:29 GMT -5
Or…….heaven forbid someone just communicate observations and weapon related topics purely as that. If anyone thinks I’m anti anything you’ve grossly missed the zero depth observations I was sharing.
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Post by boonechaser on Nov 29, 2021 18:20:01 GMT -5
Or…….heaven forbid someone just communicate observations and weapon related topics purely as that. If anyone thinks I’m anti anything you’ve grossly missed the zero depth observations I was sharing. I know your not.
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Post by boonechaser on Nov 29, 2021 18:21:31 GMT -5
This thread is doing pretty well. Couldn't have this discussion on Facebook as people's heads would explode..
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Post by tynimiller on Nov 29, 2021 18:26:13 GMT -5
Very true.
I just think it is always amusing folks think they have to be so far one side or another on say crossbows for example they cannot even admit that a lot of gun hunters are swinging over to archery because of them. Admitting this doesn’t apply any kind of stance or opinion one may hold or feel for crossbows, it is purely just stating a fact or observation. 😆
Even woody gets a little excited whenever I say anything like that lol love ya woody my dear (and deer) friend.
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Post by parkerbow on Nov 29, 2021 19:00:07 GMT -5
I'd like to add my thoughts as I am just now seeing this discussion for the first time. 1. Someone posted earlier in the thread that less and less people are hunting each year. I have heard this before and I do not know if this is true or not. Maybe someone can give me the statistics for Indiana that back this up. Personally, I have seen the number of people hunting going up drastically in my area. That could just be annecdotal to my area though. Just looking for the actual stats on this. 2. I think that the governing authorities that set our deer regulations get quite a bit right, but still have a decent amount that they get wrong. The way public land properties are managed is absolutely abysmal, at least in my area. Rules are not enforced even when provided with license plate numbers, pictures, etc. of people breaking said rules. The more people see rules being broken, the more likely more people are to break rules and then you end up with a property/deer herd being destroyed because there is no rule of law on the property. This has exponentially gotten worse over the last 3 years. 3. Before I say this I have to post this disclaimer: I have absolutely no issue with crossbows. I even have one due to an injury one year that caused me to not be able to use a vertical bow. That being said, a vertical bow and a crossbow are not the same thing and I wonder if some thought should be put to regulating them differently. Now, to give context, from late winter/early spring (typically March), I am shooting my bow 60-80 arrows each session 2-3 days a week. I practice out to 80 yards and would take a shot at a deer out to 50. I have killed a deer at 51 yards with my vertical bow. I know that the majority of people using a vertical bow do not do anywhere near this much shooting, but this plays into my thoughts on this. The problem of weapon proficiency is not witht his weapon; it is with the person using the weapon. I think this statement rings true: a properly-sighted in gun is easier to shoot with less practice than a properly-sighted crossbow out to farther distances. A properly-sighted crossbow is DRASTICALLY easier to shoot profficiently than a vertical bow, especially out to further distances. And when you start talking about trad bows (recurve and longbow) things get exponentially harder as well. A vertical bow and a crossbow are not the same as far as ease of use. That being said, the bigger issue is that people don't take the time to become profficient with the weapon they decide to use across ALL WEAPON TYPES. QDMA does a annual study on hunter recruitment and if memory serves trend has been downward for last several years depending on states ranging from -20% to -3% annually. The blame from what I read was in the Baby Boomer generation not getting involved in hunting. I am sure there are hunter participation numbers in the annual Indiana deer report. I would 100% agree Indiana does a very poor job of managing it's public lands. In my area too, I do not see the number of hunters going down. I live and hunt close to public land and the number of hunters around is crazy. I think leasing is one reason alot of guys are forced to hunt public land and you are correct, it is not managed worth a crap. Just down the road from me are some pines with an access gate to HNF land and every day of the season there are people parked in that lot. Mostly 2 or 3 trucks a day. Most people hunting public around me will shoot anything cause the pressure is so high that they "think " they have to shoot whatever they see to get a deer. My wife said the other day 2 young fellows knocked on the door and asked her if we owned land and if they could hunt it because they have been hunting public all week and ran into too many people. Of course my wife said my husband loves deer hunting more the her. "Just during deer season I told her"
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Post by esshup on Nov 29, 2021 19:22:07 GMT -5
muzzleloader I agree with the above 100%. A couple of observations/points... esshup Maybe I'm missing something but doesn't firearm and muzzleloader season run concurrently with the archery season now? Finally I think many posts in this thread are really thinly veiled attempts for some to complain about certain types of equipment that they don't want hunters to be able to use because they never have agreed with their legalization. This has been going on for years and it'll never end. They do, for a very short window. What I had in mind was to have the ML season start when Archery season started. I wonder how much screaming there would be then? How many states have ML seasons that start before the regular gun season? As an addendum to this thread, when I was at the bank today I talked to a guy that knows the guy that shot 5 and didn't recover any. His opinion is that hunter is all mouth and no talent. The mouth was bragging on his bow skills. But when pressured, he wouldn't even take a shot at a tennis ball that the first 2 archers in the group hit with their first shot at 37 yds. "A tennis ball has nothing to do with how well you can hit a deer."
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Post by tynimiller on Nov 29, 2021 19:28:50 GMT -5
muzzleloader I agree with the above 100%. A couple of observations/points... esshup Maybe I'm missing something but doesn't firearm and muzzleloader season run concurrently with the archery season now? Finally I think many posts in this thread are really thinly veiled attempts for some to complain about certain types of equipment that they don't want hunters to be able to use because they never have agreed with their legalization. This has been going on for years and it'll never end. They do, for a very short window. What I had in mind was to have the ML season start when Archery season started. I wonder how much screaming there would be then? How many states have ML seasons that start before the regular gun season? As an addendum to this thread, when I was at the bank today I talked to a guy that knows the guy that shot 5 and didn't recover any. His opinion is that hunter is all mouth and no talent. The mouth was bragging on his bow skills. But when pressured, he wouldn't even take a shot at a tennis ball that the first 2 archers in the group hit with their first shot at 37 yds. "A tennis ball has nothing to do with how well you can hit a deer." “The lie detector test determined that is a lie.
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Post by esshup on Nov 29, 2021 19:28:52 GMT -5
I actually don't really care what weapon you use, nor when it is used. All I really want is that the person using that weapon be proficient with it and know his/her limitations. I still have 2 compound bows, but don't use either of them except for bowfishing. I don't have the time to practice enough to be confident in their use. I will use a crossbow, but again, due to the arrow speed and more importantly the noise, it's not the weapon of choice. I prefer the rifle or ML. I am good with both, and have setups that allow me to shoot from a very steady rest.
Where I aim to hit on the deer depends on a number of things. 1) The deer's atitude. Is it nervous or calm? Prone to fast movements/steps or relaxed? 2) Distance. Even though the rifle will shoot less than 1" groups at 100 yds, (and even half that). I won't aim for a small target if the distance is too great for the shot. 3) weather conditions. Windy or calm? Wind blows a bullet further than many people think, and if you are in a tree, the tree moving makes the situation even worse.
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Post by mstr2175 on Nov 29, 2021 20:18:32 GMT -5
The only reason I bought a crossbow is because I really enjoy walking around public land at times and sitting on the ground. Last year I had a nice buck catch me off guard and got really close. I was on the ground with my compound and couldn’t risk moving. Crossbow does have a disadvantage from a treestand though, can’t really stand up and hug a tree to shoot behind you.
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Post by treetop on Nov 29, 2021 20:34:27 GMT -5
muzzleloader I agree with the above 100%. A couple of observations/points... esshup Maybe I'm missing something but doesn't firearm and muzzleloader season run concurrently with the archery season now? Finally I think many posts in this thread are really thinly veiled attempts for some to complain about certain types of equipment that they don't want hunters to be able to use because they never have agreed with their legalization. This has been going on for years and it'll never end. Archery has ran the same time as shotgun and ML back as far as I remember Not sure how to look it up but I don’t remember it closed at anytime from opening to close of season I could be wrong but I don’t think I am this time
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Post by welder on Nov 29, 2021 20:52:05 GMT -5
I have zero experience with crossbows. It seems like I see a lot of posts about them breaking. Is this a common thing?
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Post by ms660 on Nov 29, 2021 21:13:49 GMT -5
Since Indiana has included crossbows in the early archery season how much has the harvest increased in the archery. season. A dead deer is a dead deer whether it died from a broadhead or lead.
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Post by ms660 on Nov 29, 2021 21:18:05 GMT -5
I have zero experience with crossbows. It seems like I see a lot of posts about them breaking. Is this a common thing? A lot of crossbow breaking is user error. All brands break, some more than others.
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Post by greghopper on Nov 30, 2021 3:53:22 GMT -5
muzzleloader I agree with the above 100%. A couple of observations/points... esshup Maybe I'm missing something but doesn't firearm and muzzleloader season run concurrently with the archery season now? Finally I think many posts in this thread are really thinly veiled attempts for some to complain about certain types of equipment that they don't want hunters to be able to use because they never have agreed with their legalization. This has been going on for years and it'll never end. Archery has ran the same time as shotgun and ML back as far as I remember Not sure how to look it up but I don’t remember it closed at anytime from opening to close of season I could be wrong but I don’t think I am this time IIRC years ago there was a early and late archery season.I believe it stopped with the end of gunseason and started back when muzzleloader came in. At one time there was no hunting at all the week between Gun and muzzleloader then that changed to what we have now.
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Post by welder on Nov 30, 2021 5:31:59 GMT -5
IIRC years ago there was a early and late archery season.I believe it stopped with the end of gunseason and started back when muzzleloader came in. At one time there was no hunting at all the week between Gun and muzzleloader then that changed to what we have now. This is correct. My GUESS is this ended roughly 15 years ago.
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Post by sculver7 on Nov 30, 2021 7:59:21 GMT -5
Archery seasons being hunted is increasing 100% due to crossbow usage exploding. This isn't me stating that as a negative or positive, just a fact. I know numerous gun folks that now are grabbing crossbows due to how they're essentially a gun which instead of powder uses a loaded/cocked string and instead of a bullet a bolt - I know a VERY boiled down short way of describing it - not a true one to one comparison but the ease of use is quite similar and makes it easy. I 100% agree with you. They are not the same thing. As I stated before, I have no issue with crossbows. However, archery season hunting has been flooded because of the option to use a crossbow by people that have never even thought about hunting archery season before crossbows were allowed. My problem lies with people, regardless of what weapon they are using, not getting themselves to be proficient with their choice of weapon and in my opinion, the number of people hunting archery season without being proficient with their weapon is pretty high. I know we all make a bad shot now and again, that;s part of hunting a live and wild animal. That being said, archery season is a catalyst for this when you have people hunting not being proficient with their weapon. Now, I think the argument could be made that crossbows have increased how easily it is to become proficient with your weapon, but now we're getting into the philosophical discussion of where is the line on what level of fair chase is acceptable for an archery season and I'm going to choose not to even get into that one... Again, I HAVE NO ISSUE WITH CROSSBOWS.... I just like discussion.
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Post by firstwd on Nov 30, 2021 9:54:38 GMT -5
Archery seasons being hunted is increasing 100% due to crossbow usage exploding. This isn't me stating that as a negative or positive, just a fact. I know numerous gun folks that now are grabbing crossbows due to how they're essentially a gun which instead of powder uses a loaded/cocked string and instead of a bullet a bolt - I know a VERY boiled down short way of describing it - not a true one to one comparison but the ease of use is quite similar and makes it easy. I 100% agree with you. They are not the same thing. As I stated before, I have no issue with crossbows. However, archery season hunting has been flooded because of the option to use a crossbow by people that have never even thought about hunting archery season before crossbows were allowed. My problem lies with people, regardless of what weapon they are using, not getting themselves to be proficient with their choice of weapon and in my opinion, the number of people hunting archery season without being proficient with their weapon is pretty high. I know we all make a bad shot now and again, that;s part of hunting a live and wild animal. That being said, archery season is a catalyst for this when you have people hunting not being proficient with their weapon. Now, I think the argument could be made that crossbows have increased how easily it is to become proficient with your weapon, but now we're getting into the philosophical discussion of where is the line on what level of fair chase is acceptable for an archery season and I'm going to choose not to even get into that one... Again, I HAVE NO ISSUE WITH CROSSBOWS.... I just like discussion. But would you still be upset with the number of people hunting archery season if everybody met your definition/standard of proficient?
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Post by jimbob on Nov 30, 2021 10:25:08 GMT -5
I see a lot of replies geared towards, what gives you the best chance at a clean kill. Do you think there would be an audience for all weapons, all season until the state hits said quota per county? You get rid of bad archery shots to some degree, meet state objectives, and if most kill early, you won’t be killing as many breed does? Or are we kind of already trending that way with the advancement of weaponry?
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