4 replies to this topic

[buckeye dan]

Commission concerned for crossbows, deer and more

Gary Blockus
    July 15, 2009

Listening to the controversy surrounding the full inclusion of crossbows in Pennsylvania's archery season bordered on the moronic at times.

When only eight percent of Pennsylvania residents actually buy hunting licenses, it's pretty self-defeating for hunters to start arguing against each other regarding who should be in the woods with what weapon at what time of year.

In the end, Game Commissioner Ron Weaner's amendment passed. Other than firearms season, crossbow hunters will only get to enjoy the first two weeks of archery deer season before the vertical (traditional and compound) bowhunters get the three prime weeks of archery deer season all to themselves when the deer are in the mating rut.

''I am for crossbows and I hope that actually we do have full inclusion at some point,'' said Commissioner Jay Delaney, who is from Luzerne County. ''I just want to go a little slower rather than faster … more importantly from the deer rifle hunters' perspective is how many more deer are going to be taken [in archery season] before they get their time in the woods?''

The numbers break down dramatically where full crossbow inclusion is allowed as part of a special regulations area. In 2B, the area of Allegheny County, 1,600 antlered deer were harvested during firearms season, and 2,360 during archery. In 5D, Philadelphia County, 300 were taken during firearms season and 990 during archery. Locally in 5C, 4,100 antlered deer were harvested in firearms season, and 4,490 in archery season.

It is clear that areas utilizing bows and crossbows harvest more bucks with those implements than they do with rifles and shotguns, but it is also clear that when crossbows are not utilized for full inclusion, archers tend to harvest far more bucks than they do antlerless deer, which leads to the charge that archers are targeting all the biggest bucks before firearms hunters get their chance to hunt deer. The PGC's harvest estimates back that up, citing only four WMUs where archers takes more antlerless deer than bucks, and three of those are the areas with full inclusion of crossbows.

Crossbows seem to be the neutralizing factor. If crossbows indeed bring more ''rifle hunters'' into the woods in the delightful weather of the fall hunting season, then those rifle hunters using crossbows seem to be more concerned about harvesting a deer in general rather than a trophy rack; more concerned about putting food on the table rather than a trophy on the wall.

If those who went out and purchased crossbows based on full inclusion in archery feel betrayed by Weaner's amendment, imagine how the four crossbow manufacturers who paid in excess of $12,000 for a full page ad in this year's Pennsylvania Hunting & Trapping Digest feel. Mark Ambrose of Arrow Precision, LLC in Allentown, which distributes Inferno Crossbows, showed me the bill for his ad, which appears on Page 10 of the digest.

''We've got a lot bigger issues here than what weapon we're going to use in what season,'' said Commissioner Thomas Boop.

Indeed. The PGC had been facing a financial crisis even before the state budget got tied up. Once again, a request for a license fee increase was denied by the state legislature. And, as many hunters fail to acknowledge, the PGC is responsible for managing all 467 species of wild birds and mammals in the state, not just deer and game animals.

''Each year, the agency spends more than 40 percent of its total budget on wildlife habitat improvements,'' PGC executive director Carl Roe said.

Lost in the energy of the crossbow debate at last week's PGC meetings was Delaney's proposal to include cottontail rabbits among the species open for Youth Hunting days. That proposal should move through for the 2010-11 hunting season and give youngsters a chance for one more small game animal.

One group of losers in that whole bow debate is the firearms deer hunters, who continue to see less deer available to them by the time the Monday after Thanksgiving rolls around, and who aren't allowed in the woods during archery season because of safety issues.

The other set of losers is the wildlife of Penn's Woods, the other 466 species which are being obscured and overlooked not by the game commission, but by those who claim to care so much about the resource that they want those prime three weeks of the deer rut all to themselves.

Apparently, that is resource in the singular, not as in 467.

gary.blockus@mcall.com, 610-820-6782

[Riva]

At the end of the day, it really boils down to who gets first dibs on the big buck. It aint the bow, it aint "cherished traditions", it aint the manufacturers. It's all about who gets first dibs on the big buck.

[G Money]

Predators/disease/winter do.
Then the poacher?
Then the motor vehicles?
Then the land owner?

Then the archery hunter??

Edited by G Money, 15 July 2009 - 11:49 AM.

[aceoky]

Quote

Indeed. The PGC had been facing a financial crisis even before the state budget got tied up. Once again, a request for a license fee increase was denied by the state legislature

YET "they" just tossed away MILLIONS of $$$ in P-R funds, increased license sales etc. to appease the UBP????????

Defied the Legislature yet again forcing HB 965 "out" , does anyone wonder WHY they would claim to need more funding and toss away much needed funding? It's NOT a resource issue, obviously the above data proves that out in spades (as we know ALL the PA data does just that).....I don't see the fee increase anytime soon NOW either

[leebo-hunter]

I keep trying to give the PGC my support, but year after year it seems to get harder to do that. This year though, they have finally succeded in losing my support. I went out, and purchased a new Tenpoint Phantom, and accessiores. The cost was over $2000.00 for the new crossbow. I did this, because of the full inclusion passed for crossbow use. Now, they are trying to take my right away, to hunt the full archery season. I have held stedfast in supporting the PGC for 45 years, when alot of my friends, and family lost faith years ago. They have now lost all my support now, if they go through with this change. I have been looking everyday, on their web site, to see if they got the disabled permit applications to download, so I could at least get the permit in the works. I think, that they had better get it on there pretty quick, or they are going to open up a can of worms, that I don't think is not going to pan out for them very well. They passed this law, and need to stick by it, at least for this year. I even planned 2 weeks of my vacation, so I could use my new crossbow the last two weeks of archery. I don't know if I am more mad at, or just sad, that our Game Commission can't get their act together. I just hope, that they will realize what they have done to alot of PA. sportsmen, with their flip floping on this issue.