Posted on 08/24/2009 1:52:45 PM PDT by Coleus
Come September, hunters in New Jersey will have a new weapon to shoot — one that has been around since the Dark Ages. Ramsey Outdoor salesman Paul Haines displaying a crossbow, which can shoot an arrow at more than 400 feet per second. The mechanized crossbow can now be used by all when the fall bow season opens Sept. 12. Once feared by armored cavalry as far back as the Crusades, the crossbow is the state's newest weapon in a battle on two fronts: a declining number of hunters and a growing deer problem, particularly in suburban areas.
"If it puts more people in the field, then that's good," said Larry Herrighty, assistant director of the state Division of Fish and Wildlife. "This isn't just a recreational issue; it's a deer management issue." Unlike the hand-drawn compound bow, which takes strength and dexterity to fire, a crossbow uses a trigger mechanism and a scope and can shoot an arrow at more than 400 feet per second. That's faster than a compound bow but slower than a shotgun's discharge. Like the compound bow, a crossbow has an effective range of about 40 yards, but a wayward arrow will travel much farther than that. Crossbows, because they have a stock similar to a rifle, are heavy — so hunters who use them tend to linger in tree stands rather than trudge through the woods. "We like to call them a 'cross gun,' " said Paul E. Campbell, a Garfield resident who is the regional representative of the United Bow Hunters of New Jersey. "A crossbow is cocked, loaded and ready to go. A regular bow isn't ready until you draw the arrow."
Traditional bow hunting is such a difficult sport that many people simply age-out of the sportit. Drawing on a bowstring is the equivalent of pulling on about 100 pounds, and for many hunters, that's simply too hard as they get older. Herrighty said the decline in the ranks of bow hunters has been noticeable. Fifteen years ago, the Division of Fish and Wildlife sold about 50,000 bow hunting permits a year; last year, that figure was down to about 35,000, he said. For years, New Jersey has allowed bow hunters to use a crossbow if they have a disability, such as arthritis or heart disease. In 2007, the state surveyed its hunters, and 73 percent said they favored allowing crossbows for everyone. In March, the state Fish and Game Council voted to allow anyone to hunt with a crossbow during the 2009-2010 season. It also changed the game code to allow Sunday bow hunting on private land and state wildlife management areas this fall.
Like the compound bow, a crossbow has an effective range of about 40 yards, but a wayward arrow will travel much farther than that. Ed Markowski, the vice president of the New Jersey Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs, said the organization lobbied hard to expand the use of crossbows. "Our members have wanted this change for a long time," Markowski said. "A lot of older guys complained that they could no longer use their bows, due to things like arthritis. So this will help older guys stay in the sport and help younger kids get started."
The state doesn't believe there's much danger in letting experienced bow hunters make the switch to crossbows without any training. The only training requirement is for hunters who are seeking their first bow hunting license. They are required to take a one-day hunter safety course given by the Division of Fish and Wildlife. Much of the opposition to crossbows has come from the bow hunters themselves. The United Bow Hunters of New Jersey pressured the state to require training for all crossbow users, not just rookie bow hunters.
"We're not against the crossbow as a hunting weapon. It's a viable weapon — always has been," said Campbell, the representative of the counties of Bergen and Passaic for Bergen and Passaic representative of the United Bow Hunters. "We were against how fast this was pushed through. We would have like everyone to take a training course." David Flynn, a crossbow hunter from Egg Harbor Township, agreed that training would be a benefit to everyone. "You can easily take a finger off using a crossbow," he said. Herrighty said the state expects that experienced bow hunters who want to use crossbows will learn to handle them on their own.
Allowing crossbows in is part of the Division of Fish and Wildlife's strategy of getting more hunters into the woods to control the deer population — and to raise more revenue. Herrighty estimated that bow hunting permits might increase by about 10 percent this year. Bow hunters killed 21,017 deer during the 2008-09 season, which accounted for 40 percent of the total of 53,260 taken, according to state records. Besides bows, deer hunters may use shotguns and muzzle-loader firearms. The Division of Fish and Wildlife would like to get more bow hunters into the field, mainly because they can be more effective in controlling deer in more densely populated suburban areas, Herrighty said.
State law currently forbids hunters from shooting a firearm or discharging an arrow within 450 feet of an occupied building. But a bill that has cleared the state Assembly (A-535) would lower that perimeter to 150 feet for bow hunters. The Senate is expected to take up a companion bill, (S-976) when the state Legislature reconvenes in the fall.
Crossbows go mainstream
A change in New Jersey hunting codes allows "use of crossbows in any bow and arrow hunting season and other hunting seasons for all species where the use of bow and arrow is allowed. Crossbows must have a minimum draw weight of 75 pounds and a minimum stock length of 25 inches." However, it adds, crossbows are not legal for bowfishing at this time.
I love to hunt. I’ve used bows, rifles, shotguns but a crossbow is a poacher’s tool.
Why is a crossbow a poacher’s tool?
Pointed on one end or suction cup?
400 feet a second? Can anyone verify that?
Probably the same reason as suppressors: gross ignorance.
I’d hazard a guess:
1. It’s silent
2. It’s easier to use than a bow.
A crossbow is no more deadly than a compound bow. I’ll tell you the real poachers tool and that is a .22 long rifle out of a long barrel using standard velocity ammo. To be prejudiced against crossbows when the new compounds are just as accurate and actually more powerful than most long bows is slightly silly.
Apparently so, I googled crossbow 400 fps and got a lot of hits.
Many have red dots on them.
its called a poachers tool because it is as quiet as a bow yet as easily as accurate as short range rifle....thus can stealthfully take deer out of season or in closed areas or using a light at night.
but that alone does not alter its place in history as a primitive weapon and it is more sporting to some than lets say rifles or shotguns. It is a matter of taste and a traditional ancient european weapon. I like the idea.
I’m sure you know why.
It doesn’t go BANG and it can easily be fitted with light gathering scope.
The above sentence should read and actually more powerful than most crossbows, not long bows. Sorry.
Sure. You could have verified it yourself in about 30 seconds...
Google: Crossbow - 5th Result
Barnett Crossbows : Predator AVI
375 FPS, but I'm sure there are custom jobs out there which go faster.
....here in NC the crossbow is permitted for persons with disabilities....as urban deer become more of a problem, I expect they’ll allow the crossbow for all hunters.
“We were against how fast this was pushed through...”
Kind of like healthcare reform?
You can do that easily with a crossbow.
Sounds like a perception issue to me. I have no problem with crossbows and have been considering getting one myself. Anybody who wants to call me a poacher can go right on ahead. Doesn’t matter to me as long as I do my “poaching” legally.
Deadly? Don’t know.
I do know they’re dangerous. I lost most of the tip of my thumb last November, when ‘friends’ insisted I try shooting their crossbow. I had my thumb in the wrong place and the string sliced the tip off as well as a blade.
Poachers will use a .22 with a homemade suppressor before they would use a crossbow. Laws forbidding the use of crossbows make no more sense than laws requiring a permit to carry. If a poacher is going to use one he will use one, just as they use silenced .22s. It is illegal to shoot deer out of season and at night, why would they worry about one more law more or less? All those laws do is prevent people hunting legally from using them.
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