Crossbows in Pa

[skeeter@ccia.com]

Well they are going to let anyone use a crossbow in Pa during deer season. From what I hear they want to remove any magnified scope used on one. A red dot will be ok as long as not magnified. Now the thing is this. There are thousands already special permit xbow users in Pa now and lots of them will have to alter their sights. I still don't believe they think a scope will add an advantage to xbow users..it does not make it shoot any farther. In fact, I would rather be able to go back to my compound bow any time. Horton came with a 4x scope when I got my bow and I just hate to go back to pins. They also stated the bow association is making a fuss over use of scopes...From what I remember, it is legal to put a scope on a compound bow..will this be removed too? I don't know...if anyone knows that answer, I would like to hear....Now I also hear they are going to hold a vote again on the use of a scope on xbows sometime in April....Well it is a + anyhow that we can all use xbows and not need a medical reason to do so...

[Swift]

Gotta say I don't agree on this one.

[skeeter@ccia.com]

Just found out the scope restrictions do include any bow in Pa. April vote will decide if legal or not. So if any bow users in Pa use a scope, better let them know your side before the vote.....another interesting note is the new online license system. I got a fishing license online but have no rule book..Sales agents are stingy when handing theirs out...I figure the same would happen with the online Hunt License....but since they do have to still mail your tag to you...you will get all the envelopes, rule books etc along with it.

[jmarriott]

I don't see a 4x scope giving A real advantage to a 40 yard Xbow shot still many bows come with this type of scope installed on the package. A reddot still is an option and I bet someone makes them with 3 dots for 20, 30 and 40 yard pins. I have not seen one with 3 dots.

It could be that the game people think the magnified scope would make lots of hunters fire at longer distances wounding to many deer.

If you want scopes on a Xbow I bet you should write the scope makers/Xbow manufactors and have them help out on the situation. Nothing like companies that pay taxes and sell items that generate sales tax to be on the same side as the hunters.

Indiana has Xbows for late season use and you can use a archery permit to harvest so you can bow hunt in the fall and Xbow in jan. Not yet allowed in regular season without a handi-capped permit.

Most of my late season areas are field edges in evening and bed areas in mornings. I have been looking into Xbows. The shots are normally under 60 yards easy but 40-60 yards shots are very common so a muzzleloader is still a better bet and these late seasons overlap. The better chioce is the Muzzyloader but you do need a late season muzzy tag at like 27 dollars a tag.

I have a sore shoulder with possible repeative action injury that keep me at less than the prefered high poundage settings. I can shoot 62-65 pounds well but at 70 the shoulder gets real sore faster and the front pin is not as steady. I can see a xbow in the future and keep checking up on them but I have heard some stories of poor long term issues with many brands.

Is there a real simple, long term reliable, accurate, somewhat fast without breaking the bank crossbow out there? I Have not found the one for me.

The best reccommended have been 10 point but the price would once again make a muzzyloader the better choice. 1000 buck a x-bow package is a pretty step price. I have a decent muzzy and 27 a tag is lots of years of a 1000 dollar xbow.

[Adam Helmer]

skeeter,

Excellent Post! I am glad the crossbow is NOW considered a bow in Pennsylvania. The Unified Bowhunters of PA have a MERE 5,000 members and presume to SPEAK for all 250,000+ PA archery hunters. A crossbow IS a bow, so what is the problem it is a 30+ YARD ARM, AT BEST.

The UBP need to get a life and get over it. They have a 6-week PA archery season in the Fall beginning about October 1 until mid-November. The UBP considers that 6 weeks THEIR SEASON. Well, get real, it is the PA archery hunters' season, which INCLUDES crossbows.

Adam

[gd357]

Glad to see you'll be allowed to use them on a regular basis. Growing up in Ohio, it's been legal since before I started hunting deer, so it was always a bit confounding as to the reasons behind restricting their use. There is no better way (in my opinion) to get a youngster involved in deer hunting during bow season. These days, roughly half of the deer taken during archery each season in Ohio are killed with a crossbow. I hope your restrictions for scopes are dropped too.

gd