Hey guys and gals, I noticed that there is a crossbow season that coincides with bow season here in Florida now.  Is this the first year for that or did they have that last year?  I'm not a big fan of this move by the Florida Wildlife Commission.

I seem to remember the crossbow season being after the archery season last year, so this looks like a new change this year.  

They snuck it in there last year. Crossbows in archery season is a foregone conclusion at this point fellas. Soon to be nation wide.

Are they still going to be limited to the aged, disabled, or youth??  If they're green lighting use by able bodied young to middle aged adults that's lame.  Don't really get the point anyway.  Use a gun.

While I don't like it either I have had these thoughts. First a guys who has no inclination to shoot a bow will also have no iclination to tune a crossbow, and will likely give up when he is not as accurate as he likes. Then they are pain to cock and uncock everytime you shoot or travel whick makes more people give it up. Then they are bulky and unweieldy weapons which run off the rest. What you are left with is a small group of dedicated crossbow guys who don't really number enough to get on your nerves. Compound archers still number the highest during archery season.

Looking over the regulations crossbow season now coincides with arrchery season, just as it did last year. Crossbows are legal equipment throughout all Florida zones during the archery season.

QuoteOriginally posted by bigbadjon:
While I don't like it either I have had these thoughts. First a guys who has no inclination to shoot a bow will also have no iclination to tune a crossbow, and will likely give up when he is not as accurate as he likes. Then they are pain to cock and uncock everytime you shoot or travel whick makes more people give it up. Then they are bulky and unweieldy weapons which run off the rest. What you are left with is a small group of dedicated crossbow guys who don't really number enough to get on your nerves. Compound archers still number the highest during archery season.

Well put.

They've been legal in PA and NJ for some time, where I hunt, and I must admit I've seen very little to no impact on the archery season here.  Bigbadjon nailed it, those who do hunt with a crossbow tend to be dedicated to it *for the most part*, because it is quite a pain to lug around the woods.  I'm not even sure why anybody would hunt with one they're so inconvenient.

While I really enjoy traditional archery and this is what this forum is dedicated to and I am very grateful for that, I have no beef with any ethical hunter regardless of weapon.  In the end, we're hunters and we should stand together.

It is my opinion crossbows are also more limited in distance than a compound.  In the end, you still have to be good enough to get within 25 yards or so of your quarry.  Most of the time that takes a pretty good hunter.

It's a nationwide epidemic. Our archery seasons are in jeopardy with every state that legalizes crossbows.

Scott you are right, if it keeps going in this direction, we will only have one season!

And Scott E and T-Bowhunter how will that affect you?

I fail to see the bad implications. On Ocala WMA only disabled can use during archery. During general gun you can use them , but it's always been this way. I really can't see how allowing them is gonna hurt any archery season.

Crossbows are much easier to sight in than compounds, they shoot flatter so you don't have to be quite as good at guaging distance, basically it's easier to be lethal with a crossbow than a compound.......they have been legal in pa for a while now and haven't had any negative impacts. And honestly, there used to be a lot of guys who didn't practice enough with heir bows who hunted anyway, taking bad shots, wounding deer, I'd rather have those guys shoot a crossbow and kill the first deer they shoot at rather than wounding one or two a season.

You don't want the crossgun in the archery season. We have it here in PA now and its causing a stir with bowhunters. Possibly too many bucks being taken before the rut. Also the opportunists of our state is bringing the deer drive mentality with them. Crossguns should not be in the same category as archery. The traditional archery community needs to take a stand on this...They crossgun community calls this division now but when a weapon has a negative impact on our season then I guess it has to be division...

Ron