Editor’s Notes by Don Zaidle | TF&G Editor-in-Chief
Legion of the Anti-Cross(bow)
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or some inexplicable reason, I recently received a small spate of letters decrying crossbows and users thereof. More precisely, I received one letter, which I published with an appropriately snarky retort in the May issue, which in turn prompted a handful of additional letters calling me an old meanie. I dared to challenge the Legion of the Anti-Cross(bow) religion, you see, and dissing someone’s religion is highly taboo. Or so they tell me. Since all of the specious arguments against crossbows have been shot down time and again, the one thing to which Anti-Cross Legionnaires cling in hopes of convincing someone that only their method is “real bowhunting” is the absurd notion that “drawing in the presence of game” is some mystical ninja skill only an elite few can master. Which means precisely bupkiss, even were it true. I did it at age 12 with a 40-pound recurve bow. So, since the Legionnaires seem hell-bent on a new Crusade to cleanse the land of evil, let’s once again wield a stick upon yon moribund equine: Crossbows wound too much game. Were this true, Texas would not have legalized crossbows during the general season. Further, the state eliminated the minimum draw weight requirement for longbow, recurve, and compound bows, a situation more likely to result in crippling shots. A crossbow is no more or less lethal than any other bow. Crossbows are not “primitive.” Clear historical evidence dates crossbows to around 300 B.C. 10 |
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Crossbows are not true archery equipment. A crossbow uses energy stored in a flexible bow to propel an arrow—just like any other type of bow. The bow is mounted to a stock and has a trigger, but on that basis, a modern compound bow is not “true” archery equipment with its intricate cable and pulley systems that dramatically reduce the holding weight once drawn; glow-in-the-dusk sights; mechanical release (with a trigger, no less); stabilizer; string peep sight; any one of a variety of technologically advanced rests; and arrows made of space-age materials tipped with laser-cut or complex mechanical broadheads. Further, TPWD deems crossbows archery equipment since they are legal in archery-only Grayson County—except during archery season, a political capitulation to the Legion’s hue and cry to keep at least Grayson County “pure.” Crossbows are too easy to learn to use. Having hunted with a longbow, a compound, and a crossbow, I find this argument dubious at best. Even if true, I cannot fathom why it would matter. Crossbows will flood the bow season with hunters. Almost all hunting in Texas is on private land. Will landowners suddenly swing open their pasture gates to anyone wielding a crossbow? A few more hunters might show up on public lands—but don’t we want more hunter participation? Crossbows have greater range and lethality. A crossbow is no more or less effective or lethal than a modern compound bow, and maximum range is identical (40 yards). Even if crossbows were more lethal, isn’t that a good thing? And isn’t this at odds with the “more cripple losses” argument? F i s h
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You do not have to draw and hold a crossbow in the presence of game. Again, I cannot fathom the reasoning behind this argument. In any event, the argument is moot since a Draw-Loc device that holds a compound bow at full draw is legal in Texas. Crossbow hunters are less dedicated and will practice less. There is no evidence to support this argument. On what basis does a person’s choice of hunting arm reveal anything about their character or dedication? Too many deer will be killed. There is no evidence to support this claim, but plenty to support the opposite. Effective range is the same for all forms of archery equipment, and that factor alone translates to fewer kills with bows than with firearms. Pope & Young does not accept crossbow kills as records. So what? Why should that prevent someone who just wants to hunt and doesn’t care about “making the book” from hunting with a crossbow during archery season? If we allow crossbows in archery season, next it will be muzzleloaders. This is utter nonsense—and clearly untrue. In no stretch of convoluted logic is a black powder firearm comparable to a bow of any kind. A muzzleloader is, after all, a firearm. In summary, there is no valid reason not to use crossbows, or not to call it “archery” or “bowhunting.” Crossbows are here. They are legal. Their use is ethical. It is bowhunting. Get over it and move on. For additional commentary on this issue, see Ted Nugent’s “TexasWild” column on page 20 and Bob Hood’s “Hunt Texas” column on page 43. Contact Don Zaidle at DZaidle@fishgame.com
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6/3/13 9:18 AM