posted on May 20, 2010 09:57
DEC wildlife managers report that the department plans to have Cornell University’s Human Dimension Research Unit conduct another survey of Empire State hunters, concerning the management of whitetail deer. Primary goal of the survey is to assess hunter preferences for potential strategies that may provide crossbow hunting opportunity, alter buck harvest management and modify deer hunting season structures, say officials.
DEC Wildlife Biologist Jeremy Hurst notes that …”We’re not going to immediately jump into any regulation changes with the exception, perhaps, of some which have broad support and everyone is pretty much in agreement, such as expanding opportunities for youth hunters. Others issues like crossbows, there is a lot of interest, but not much continuity in terms of what the preferred action should be.”
So, DEC recognizes that there is a decided desire for crossbows in this state, but they want to look at it for a while. In the meantime, big bucks are being lost in lost license sales … dollars that the cash starved Conservation Fund needs badly.
It seems to us that the logical answer would be to endorse two bills in the state legislature, sponsored by Senator George Maziarz and Assemblywoman Francine DelMonte, which would make the horizontal bow a legal hunting tool in New York State and authorize the professional wildlife managers at DEC to set the rules, regulations and seasons as they see fit. Who can argue with that?
It’s quite obvious that the pro-crossbow people still have plenty of work to do in convincing DEC wildlife managers that they are missing a golden opportunity to legalize this very effective wildlife management tool in our state. It would also right a very serious “wrong” that the state has forced on thousands of physically challenged hunters in this state. Crossbows would allow them to return to the fields and woods and again participate in the grand sport of hunting. We all should be allowed to hunt with the hunting tool of our choice!
Also, as has been proven in every state that has legalized the horizontal bow (NY and Oregon are the only two states that do not allow crossbows), there is gold in those bows! Much needed gold for our struggling Conservation Fund!
`Let your state legislators know that it is time for crossbows in New York State. Call them, e-mail them, talk to them when they are home on weekends and during their spring break. It is time!!
As mentioned earlier, the two bills that we consider to be the very best in the state legislature are S-307 in the State Senate by State Senator George Maziarz and the companion bill A-924 in the State Assembly by Assemblywoman Francine DelMonte.
They will authorize the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation to promulgate standards allowing hunting with crossbows in New York State. The professional wildlife managers at DEC will have the power to use horizontal bows when and where they determine they would be most effective. They would set the rules, regulations and season dates, as it should be.
All sportsmen and women should support this very sensible legislation. It is time!
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources, working closely with Archery Trade Association, has initiated a study which would help determine the impact that expanded crossbow seasons will have on vertical bow hunters?! They hope this study will show them who the crossbow hunters are and where they are coming from? Which begs the question: Aren’t we all hunters?
It would seem that by looking to the State of Ohio, where the two hunting tools have been legal for almost a quarter-century, would be the logical approach in gathering the data they seek. They would note that the hunter numbers have remained constant, the deer takes increased, as well as the sizes of the whitetails, etc.
This writer has been hunting for about 20 years with crossbows, along with my three sons. Living in N.Y. State, we of course, have to hunt out-of-state and we chose Ohio. It’s been a grand experience and with the many hunters we have shared camp with in Ohio, we found that all of them remained bowhunters first, with the addition of crossbows, as just another way to hunt!
For some reason, many people believe that when you pick up a horizontal bow, you will abandon the compound, or recurve bow?! We hunt with whatever hunting tool we desire. During gun season we use guns, during bow season we use bows. In Ohio, some of the boys hunt with their compound bows at times, then switch to horizontal bows when the urge grabs them. That is way it should be!
There is nothing mystical about crossbows. They merely provide hunters with another way to hunt!
It is time for crossbows in New York State! Let your legislators know!