SB 298 - Crossbow bill rears its ugly head

[WYelker]

Good for them, glad they were able to get out and have a shot at success!

So by that reason why not just allow firearms in all seasons. If that is all that matters?

 

[thomas89]

So by that reason why not just allow firearms in all seasons. If that is all that matters?

I reckon you could. Quotas are there to maintain/increase/decrease population. If you argue it’s not fair to the animal, well how’d you get to that spot anyway? Probably drove that big jacked up truck in your avatar.

Outlaw mud tires and chains, they’re making game too accessible. You use an e-caller? Poor coyote never had a chance to the 51 flavors of varmint you were throwing at him.

Why does everyone get so worked up about what means is used to do it when it’s already been legalized?

We really should unpack why/where/how the big, bad, crossbow hunters hurt you.

 

[mtmiller]

Quotas?

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

You can currently hunt elk with a crossbow in Montana for 4 months and 1 week.
Name a state that allows more.

Wyoming

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

This thread reminds me of fly fishing

 

[rogerthat]

Why does everyone get so worked up about what means is used to do it when it’s already been legalized?

Because crossbows haven’t been legalized in Montana. We have a legislator that wants to use one during our archery season. That’s the only reason this is being discussed.

 

[bigsky2]

The hearing is this Thursday at 3:00 in the Senate Fish and Game Committee.

 

[rogerthat]

This thread reminds me of fly fishing

It reminds me of playing cards with my brother in laws kids.

 

[DFS]

This thread reminds me of fly fishing

I’ve never met a trout that didn’t like a spinner.

 

[rjthehunter]

Are people really against disabled hunters being able to use a crossbow?

Once my grandpa was too old to hunt with a bow he switched to a crossbow. It wasn't easy for him since he's always shot his bow without sights, just instinct shooting. To have to switch to a crossbow sucked for him, but he still wanted to be able to bow hunt. Whether you want to call it bowhunting is a other story. The fact he was still able to get out and enjoy our 3 month long deer season was great. People say shit like "just gun hunt then" but gun hunting is 9 days and is nothing like bow or crossbow hunting.

 

[DFS]

I don’t disagree with what many have said but let’s look at Montana not wyoming. They don’t keep track of bonus points (apparently) they can’t run a draw without adding more tags. It is a free for all. There are no quotas in most areas of the state. They don’t even have a handle on where most hunters are hunting or dont even care. Inch by inch legislation is taking wildlife down to nothing. I think a crossbow for an older or disabled gentleman would be just fine if we actually managed wildlife. But we don’t and it’s just another add on to a broken system.

 

[thomas89]

Are people really against disabled hunters being able to use a crossbow?

Once my grandpa was too old to hunt with a bow he switched to a crossbow. It wasn't easy for him since he's always shot his bow without sights, just instinct shooting. To have to switch to a crossbow sucked for him, but he still wanted to be able to bow hunt. Whether you want to call it bowhunting is a other story. The fact he was still able to get out and enjoy our 3 month long deer season was great. People say shit like "just gun hunt then" but gun hunting is 9 days and is nothing like bow or crossbow hunting.

Well ya gotta be disabled enough. And ya gotta be disabled to a level that these guys agree with. And also ya gotta try to NOT be disabled, but if you can’t help it you gotta be sure to be disabled so bad that you leave no doubt you should be granted the ability to use a crossbow. Also don’t be a kid trying to hunt with one.

Theres lots of back and forth on here complaining about how it is legal in Wyoming, as well as how it is on the docket to be legalized in Montana and will totally ruin everything hunting in Montana. Though from the sounds of it it won’t do much good.

I don’t know, I’m not anti-crossbow, I’m not pro cross-bow, I simply don’t care what people choose to hunt with so long as it’s legal. I’ve hunted several states where crossbows are legal…I notice no difference compared to states where it’s been legalized.

 

[SAJ-99]

So you guys don’t think increasing hunter days(opportunity) equals more dead critters or more pressure on the resource? To me that’s such a simple linear logic

I think they are saying that you have to pick your fights. In the big picture, this one is minor. Focus on something more meaningful that would have a larger impact, like "pick your weapon". As @Nameless Range points out, there is so many bad bills, at some point the legislators stop listening to you. In Montana (and maybe Wyoming) hunters too often only play defense and want to celebrate killing a minor bill when thing stuff gets shoved down their throat.

 

[tjones]

Are people really against disabled hunters being able to use a crossbow?

Once my grandpa was too old to hunt with a bow he switched to a crossbow. It wasn't easy for him since he's always shot his bow without sights, just instinct shooting. To have to switch to a crossbow sucked for him, but he still wanted to be able to bow hunt. Whether you want to call it bowhunting is an other story. The fact he was still able to get out and enjoy our 3 month long deer season was great. People say shit like "just gun hunt then" but gun hunting is 9 days and is nothing like bow or crossbow hunting.

Who decides what “disabled” is?

Years ago the Permit to Hunt from a Vehicle Montana had allowed disabled in behind some FS gates. The amount of disabled taking advantage of the program was off the charts until the truly disabled rewrote the criteria to meet the definition of disabled for the program.


Also a few years back I hunted with a guy on some deer drives. He was missing his right arm at the shoulder. He shot a long bow by drawing it with a leather tab in his teeth. He could shoot as well as anyone.

 

[WYelker]

I reckon you could. Quotas are there to maintain/increase/decrease population. If you argue it’s not fair to the animal, well how’d you get to that spot anyway? Probably drove that big jacked up truck in your avatar.

Outlaw mud tires and chains, they’re making game too accessible. You use an e-caller? Poor coyote never had a chance to the 51 flavors of varmint you were throwing at him.

Why does everyone get so worked up about what means is used to do it when it’s already been legalized?

We really should unpack why/where/how the big, bad, crossbow hunters hurt you.

Haha. None of that has anything to do with this argument. But good try…. Simply put if all that matters is killing game then we should have no restrictions on any anything.

If it all comes down to only killing the “quota” then why have any restrictions at all on hunting? Why not allow night hunting, hunting from colters, why not allow baiting, and dogs, the use of drones and more? I mean after all it is only about the meeting the quota.

Haha. As for my big jacked up truck, it is not a truck. It is a blazer, and is a toy that is the result of years of building. It is cool and a lot of fun. Thanks for noticing how cool it is…

 

[The Hedgehog]

I’m disabled.

 

[MTGomer]

People that want to use crossbows in archery season want the benefits of being an archery hunter, without putting in the work and developing the skills that it takes to be one.
I.e. lazy

If there is a silver lining for those of us who want to keep non archery equipment out of archery season, it is, that mindset does not lend itself to success in the field, especially in a state with as low of a success rate as Montana.

That said, I still find myself agreeing with Buzz, in that I want to see Montana get it over with and decimate the remaining huntable elk as quickly as possible, so that people will start to get serious about making the changes to dispersement, season structure, and quota that need to be made. When archery season is only 10 days long and there are only 50 tags in a unit, it will matter a lot less what you use for a weapon

 

[The Hedgehog]

@BuzzH @JM77 if you guys think the Wyoming elk hunting is better than MT - you clearly haven’t been hunting the right ranch. You’re right crossbows most make a damn difference. MT will never hit “rock bottom” due to private land. The ONLY REASON WY has better mule deer hunting is a result of MTs decades and decades of general season NOV rifle hunting.

MT could open season year round with rifles and it wouldn’t change much about the quality of hunting on public land.

Bring on the crossbows..

 

[Ought Six]

I’m all for a crossbow season, it could start around October 20th and run all the way until December. Oh wait….

If crossbows were legal during archery season, I can think of so many 80-120 yard shots on giant trophy bulls during archery season that would have been a cake walk had I not been packing my handmade long bow. You can’t tell me the guys who have their compounds dialed out to 100 yards wouldn’t be stretching a 400fps crossbow accurately out to 200+ yards.

Side story: I was at the archery range last fall and there was a family there and they had a crossbow they had purchased off of Amazon. Real dysfunctional looking group, but I was happy to see them outside enjoying the nice weather. None of them could hit the 4’x4’ target at 20 yards. I had to keep waiting while they searched for their bolts. I wondered if the cheap scope was sighted in or not, but they let me shoot it, and sure enough it was dead nuts at 40. They told me they were planning on taking it out deer hunting, not sure if they meant any time soon, as it was archery season for the foreseeable future, but maybe they didn’t understand the regs. Either way, they weren’t ever going to kill anything, maybe wound a mule deer doe in someone’s yard but that’s about it…

 

[rogerthat]

MT will never hit “rock bottom” due to private land.

This!!! Read this again scorched earthers