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ILLEGAL IN ARelmRY SEASON

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!e illegal in Areher.y Season

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CROSSBOWS SHOULD BE ILLEGAL IN ARCHERY SEASON

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Abstract

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the box" accuracy, meaning that it takes little to no practice to shoot

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more like guns rather than a bow The invention of crossbows have caused overcrowding in the
not fit anywhere under the definition of archery. Many people think
crossbows are wondertul hunting

will give many voices

archery seasons?

a chance

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to be heard about this matter: Should crossbows be legal in

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CROSSBO$/S SHOULD BE ILLEGAL IN ARCHERY SEASON

Crossbows should be Illegal in Archery Season

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A crossbow is a device made for hunting. It consists of a horizontal bow mounted on the 't )

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stock of a gun. Many states have passed laws saying that crossbows are legal to use in archery
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seasons. Since the invention of the crossbow, there have been many debates on whether or not
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crossbows should be allowed in archery seasonpr should crossbows be considered firearms.
')r.prossbows have caused overcrowding in the woods, gir.d#r[[}Xg.rr*ou*E

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The legalization of the use of crossbows in archery season have caused overcrowding in
the woods during archery season. In the article Relaxed Crossbow Regulations meon more
Hunters will be squeezing a trigger Sunday, Dave Orrick states that some non-archery hunters
have been spotted buying crossbows to extend their hunting seasons without having to leam how

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vertical bow (2014). This means that there will not only be bow hunters in the woods

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seasons, but also gun hunters. In the article Demonized

Archery Tool actualty has

hand in Increasing Hunter Numbers, author David Hunter Jones interviews Merle Shepard, a
board member of the Congressional Sportsman's Foundation, to get his opinion on crossbows.
Shepard believes that the crossbow is the best tool for recruiting young hunters because

it is

easier for kids to shoot. Shepard says he wants the sport to grow, and no one can argue with a

good, clean

kill with a crossbow or a vertical bow (2013). Yes, the recruiting of young hunters is

important; however, recruiting'-bflEs more hunters in the woods during

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overcrowding.

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The more hunters there are in the woods, thb greater the number of game harvested.
believes that crossbows allow hunters to get in the woods more often and be more'

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Mentzler t-rusts
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successfulf Wentzler
entzler could not disagree morer) Wentzler
trusts that the legalization
of

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in archery season will only lead to an increase in harvest (McKean, 2009). In the article

MDC: .\ P U $,
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How adiusting hunting regulations will impact deer herds,Paul Hackbarth writes that according

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to the Missouri Departrnent of Conservation's (MDC) crossbows are now legal in archery

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helped
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stabilize the deer population in Missouri (2014). In another article, Shepard says, "the bottom ,S
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line on crossbows is very simple: at no point in time have crossbows ever negatively affected
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because of the rapid growing deer

populations. This was one of the ways the MDC

deer populations. Ohio is one of the states that has had crossbows thg.longest, and they

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some of the most and biggest deer inNorth America(ii0*3)
increase in harvest can be a

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good or bad thing depending on how bj

compound bow. In the article Cross Off: Conventional Compound vs. Crossbow, author

Brantley performed ufr"ru,Er, *p-orove that hunting with crossbo*,

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speed

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In his

both the crossbow and conventional compound borv5 efficiency, accuracy,

of first shot, and speed of follow-up shots. When Brantley tested efficiency between the

conventional compound bow and the crossbow, the crossbow dominated with speeds greater than
340 feet per second. When testing accuracy, the crossbow beat the compound bow again. He
shot both of

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yards; he shot 3.75 inch groups with his compound bow and 2.63 inch

groups with his crossbow. Brantley then determined

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faster first shot on a

deer
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that shows up unexpectedly. The average crossbow time was 8.3

secondriffi,?.

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compound bow time was 10.3 seconds. Once again, the crossbow has antdvantag.l-Wh.tt
testing the speed of the follow- up

shots,&t$$l!.d

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which weapons could fire three killing

arrows in a row faster, crossbow with 58 seconds and compound bow with 35.3 seconds (2013).

CROSSBOWS SHOULD BE ILLEGAL IN ARCHERY SEASON

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that when using a crossbow you have to take the time to cock it with a

rope cocker and pull back the string cable{ until it latches into place, or use a built-in uanking

device. A compound bow is much simpler. All you have to do is put the arow through the
arrow rest and draw the string back. Brantley states, "[CrossbowsJ may be the heavier, bulkier,
louder choice in the woods. But it's unequivocally the deadlier hunting tool (2013)". Crossbows

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over the conventional compound bow; therefore, crossbows should be illegal

seasons.

to use in all archery DwsDvrrD'

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Crossbows should not be allowed in archery season because they do not fall under the

definition of archery. In the article Bow Wars: The Crossbow Controversy, Amdre*+r{cKcm

write'

ebent the

ep#en erEd

WentzleX

Yfentsle+ states, o'Archery equipment should be defined as implements that are held by hand,
drawn by hand and released by the motion of the hand in the presence of game. If you are
shooting a crossbow, you are not drawing the string in the presence of game. That alone gives
crossbow shooters an unfair advantage. It is not bow

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are not bows.

They are a mixture of a bow and a gun; therefore, should not be allowed in archery season.

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Some states have passed laws stating that only persons with physical disabilities are

allowed to use a crossbow during archery seasons. In the past, Misso

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were legal for hunters with physical disabilities in archery season, but only

if it was confirmed

by a physician (Hackbarth,2014); however, this is not the case anymore. Laws based on the use
of crossbows during archery $eason vary from state to state.
Crossbows should be illegal in archery soasons because they cause overcrowding in the
woods, give an unfair advantage,

*d dQ not fall under the definition of archery.

More gun

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hunters want to lengthen their hunting season; therefore, buy crossbows'lurd

i and contribute
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CROSSBO\MS SHOULD BE ITLEGAL IN ARCHERY

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SEASON

overcrowdingthewood,H:,M*"TS:,L1X1*[I),,:''
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faster first shot +hultahg;away the challenges of archery.

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CROSSBOWS SHOULD BE ILLEGAL IN ARCHERY SEASON

References

Brantley, W. (2013, October 2). Cross Off: Conventional Compound Vs. Crossbow. Rehieved
March 23,2075.
Hackbarth, P. (2014, June 20). MDC: How adjusting hunting regulations

will impact

deer herds.

Retrieved February 16, 201 5.

Jones, D. (2013, October 29). Demouzedarchery tool actually has hand in increasing hunter

members. Retrieved March 23,2015.

McKean, A. (2009, May 7). Bow Wars: The Crossbow Conftoversy. Retrieved March 23,2015.
Orrick, D. (2014, September 12). Rela:red crossbow regulations mean more hunters will be
squeezing a higger Sunday. Retrieved March 23,2015.