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FeedCrossbow showdown in Albany
Albany — Crossbow opponents and supporters worked frantically in the final hours of the legislative session last week for the passage of bills that would either expand crossbow use or continue to keep the implements out of the traditional archery season.
It at least one case, legislation could threaten the proposed Columbus Day weekend youth deer hunt.
In what has clearly become the most contentious sporting issue in New York today, the two sides lobbied individual lawmakers in the Senate and Assembly.
While the New York State Crossbow Coalition worked on behalf of legislation that would expand crossbow use into the regular archery season, officials from that group also sought to halt the progress of a bill which, if passed, would continue to limit crossbows to firearms deer seasons and would also limit youth hunting days during the archery season.
That would almost assuredly be the death knell for the proposed three-day youth deer hunt, set to be held this fall as part of DEC’s five-year deer management plan.
Much of the lobbying focus was directed at Assemblyman Robert Sweeney, who serves as chairman of the Assembly’s environmental conservation committee.
“We have not been able to get the EnCon Chairman (Assemblyman) Robert Sweeney to put A9682 on the committee agenda,” Rick McDermott, president of the newly formed New York Crossbow Coalition, wrote in an e-mail. “Instead, Chairman
Sweeney introduced a different bill (A10583) which will extend, for two years, most of the present law limiting crossbow use in firearms seasons only, and also add a new section that will prevent the DEC from enacting any regulation that would allow the use of firearms, muzzleloaders, or crossbows, before or during archery seasons. Sweeney’s bill would also limit youth hunting days during archery season to youth archery days only.”
Meanwhile, New York Bowhunters, Inc., a statewide group long opposed to crossbow use within the regular archery season, intensified its lobbying efforts as the legislation session wound down.
That group pushed for the passage of A10583/S7705, which would maintain crossbows during the firearms seasons, and opposed A9682/S6747, which would expand crossbow use into the regular archery season at the discretion of the DEC.
“The archery season as you know it will cease to exist unless you act,” read a “Critical Red Alert” issued to New York Bowhunters, Inc., members.
NYB officials stressed they “do not oppose a youth firearms hunt,” but the placement of that hunt within the archery season. “NYB has made several attempts to negotiate its placement so that it would have the least impact on the archery season,” the NYB statement read. “These attempts have been ignored by the DEC.”
As part of DEC’s five-year deer management plan, the department established an Oct. 1 opener for the Southern Zone archery deer season, instead of the traditional mid-October kickoff. That move, in expanding the archery season, wrapped the youth deer hunt within the archery season.
Some sportsmen, including those who aren’t associated with New York Bowhunters, Inc., have expressed safety concerns with the young deer hunters sharing the woods with bowhunters in early October.
And Sweeney spokesman Steve Liss said that triggered the legislation that would essentially trump DEC’s season-setting power on the youth deer hunt.
At presstime, Sweeney’s bill (A10583) and a Senate companion (S7705) sponsored by Sen. Carl Marcellino had not reached the floor for a vote in the waning hours of the Assembly and Senate sessions. While the bills would extend the legalization of crossbows for an additional two years, they would also restrict them to firearms season and also trump DEC’s proposed youth hunt through a clause that prohibits firearms during the archery seasons.
The bills were amended on June 18 to allow junior archery days only during the regular archery season.
Meanwhile, the New York Crossbow Coalition – with backing from numerous organizations, including the New York State Conservation Council, Conservation Alliance of New York, New York Farm Bureau and New York 4-H Shooting Sports Foundation – lobbied for passage of S6747 and A9682. Those bills would essentially leave the crossbow decision in the hands of the DEC; officials with the department have previously indicated they favor expanded crossbow use into the regular season, at least for senior and physically challenged hunters.
While A9682, sponsored by Assemblyman Sean Ryan, stalled in the environmental conservation committee, S6747, sponsored by Sen. Patrick M. Gallivan, was passed by the Senate and forwarded to the Assembly for consideration.
But S6747 was then funneled into the Assembly environmental conservation committee – chaired by Sweeney – and there was no indication at presstime it would be released for a floor vote.
Another pair of bills, S2973 and A469, would allow disabled hunters to use crossbows. A469, sponsored by Assemblywoman Aileeen Gunther, has not advanced beyond the committee stage. But S2973, offered by Michael F. Nozzolio, was passed by the Senate and, again, forwarded to the Assembly’s environmental conservation committee. A similar bill was approved by the Senate last year but died in the Assembly.
If no legislation related to crossbows passes this session, the current regulations which allow the implements during the regular firearms deer season expire at the end of the year. That would almost assuredly guarantee a legislative free-for-all next year.
Currently, 25 states in the U.S. allow crossbow hunting during at least a portion of the regular archery season. Sportsmen have wide-ranging opinions on crossbows; some contend they shouldn’t be legal within regular archery seasons but many favoring more liberal crossbow use for at least seniors and physically challenged hunters.
For updates on the status of crossbow-related legislation, check with the New York Outdoor News website, located at www.outdoornews.com/New-York/ .
Like I said in a previous comment here, NYB has a history of fighting against any regulations that will help an aging archery population continue to enjoy deer hunting with all available tools that will help them be successful. They fought tooth and nail against compound bows and now they've set their sights and lobbying efforts on denying crossbows. Their continued attitude of "not in MY deer woods" does nothing to help reduce an increasing deer population and a decreasing hunter population. All it amounts to is their selfish disregard for bow hunters who are getting older and are finding it difficult to draw back a bow. Assemblyman Sweeney does a huge disservice to an aging archery hunting population and doesn't seem to understand that making crossbows legal hunting implements during ALL big game seasons will result in more archery licenses sold. Then again, maybe he doesn't care about additional revenue sources.
Wild1 - I couldn't agree more! I have never seen such anti-hunter behavior come from an organization that is supposed to be pro-hunting. The members of NYB may hunt, but their motives are completely self-serving and do not promote hunting for current and future generations of hunters. Thumbs down to NYB...you should be ashamed!
LASHMAN-I BEEN HUNTING 45YRS AND HAVE NEVER SEEN SO MUCH CRAP FROM ONE GROUP NYB IN MY LIFE ABOUT CROSSBOWS.WHEN I WAS A KID I HUNTED WITH A STICK BOW AND A SLING SHOT.IF I WANTED TO HUNT WITH A SLING SHOT IN BOW SEASON WOULD THAT CAUSE A PROBLEM WITH NYB? THIS IS HOW OFF THE WALL THIS HAS TURNED INTO.THE LAST TWO YEARS I HAD MAJOR SURGERY TO MY SHOULDERS AND STOMACH WHICH I HAD TO GIVE UP BOW HUNTING WITH MY TWO SONS,I'VE BOW HUNTED WITH A RE-CURVE,STICK AND COMPOUND FROM 1967 TO 2010 WAS LOOKING TO FORWARD TO HUNTING WITH A CROSS BOW WHICH I HAVE PURCHASED WITH A BUILT IN CRANK SYSTEM SO I COULD ONCE ENJOY THE SPORT AND SEASON WITH MY TWO SONS AND FRIEND.FOR FATHER'S DAY THE BOYS BOUGHT AND BOOKED A HUNT THINKING I WAS GOING TO BE ABLE TO HUNT WITH A CROSSBOW BUT THANKS TO SWEENEYS BILL THAT DON'T LOOK LIKE ITS GOING TO HAPPEN.I HAVE 300 ACRES WHICH I USED TO LET NYB HUNTERS ON NOT NO MORE.I SPEND $110.00 A YEARS ON A HUNTING PERMITS AND THOUGHT ABOUT DOWN SIZING IT TO JUST A BIG AND SMALL GAME.I ALSO DON'T AGREE WITH AR I WANT TO SHOOT AND TAKE A DEER OF MY CHOICE NOT TO BE TOLD.MY HUNTING PARTNERS SPEND ABOUT $3000.00 TO $4000.00 A YEAR TO HUNT AND SOME OF THE GROUP CAN'T WALK 3 TO 4 MILES IN THE BIG WOODS. THANK YOU NYB FOR NOTHING I HOPE YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE BAD LUCK OF SURGERY SOMEDAY.
It's ALL BS!
As a lifetime license holder I assume to be hunting until they drag me out of the woods. Currently 45yrs.
However, to much goverment control and Whine Ass Cry Babies strip our rights as hunters.
Bow is Bow!
Gun is Gun!
CrossBow is both!
No Season for CrossBow!
If you need to use a special weapon such as a CrossBow, you should be able to during the BOW Season providing you are over 60 yrs OR have any form of disability.
I would/will if I can not draw back my compound!
But if you allow the use of CrossBow as a standard, you might as well just open gun all season.
Stop Whining, Man Up and Shut Up.
Go Hunt and Enjoy it!
Mr. Seahawk
Why do you think it is called a crossBOW and not a crossGUN, Mr. Seahawk? Because it has a "trigger"? I have a Scott trigger release for my compound BOW. Does that make it a GUN?
All the arguments against crossbows are nothing but anti-crossbow hunters and groups like NYB desperately trying to keep anyone out of the "game" but themselves.
Just like compounds, crossbows will sooner or later be legal implements for all big game seasons...whether you or NYB like it or not.
I don't know why people seem to think crossbows have unlimited range. The only difference between a crossbow and a compound bow is you don't need to draw the string back on a crossbow. Other than that, the effective range of crossbows and compound bows is similar...about 20-30 yards. The challenge of bow hunting is consistently getting close enough to an animal to get a shot off, which means consistently getting within 20-30 yards of your quarry. If others can share in the thrill of that experience, then I welcome it with arms wide open.
The first year I lived in PA, state-wide crossbow legislation was passed so that hunters could use crossbows during the archery season. Did it ruin anybody's hunting experience? NO! If anything it improved mine! Why? Because if Joe Schmoe next door is a gun hunter and he picks up a crossbow and hunts the same way he does with a gun, he'll learn real quick that bow hunting is dictated by a whole different set of rules if you're going to be successful. If anything, having more hunters in the woods during bow season bumped more deer past my stand!
Unfortunately, NYB is so focused on having more competition in the deer woods they fail to see all the positive aspects of having more hunters in the woods.
Perhaps folks if it is true theese two impliments are the same why not just pick up a bow. To assume greed is a motivation for Bowhunters to not want to share the woods with crossbow hunters is ridiculous. I personally have introduced numerous men women and children into the challenging sport of archery, and will be glad to share the woods any day with anyone sharing this passion. Now enough with the word plays(it has bow in the name so its the same) really? Does anyone really believe that? It takes hard work and dedication year after year to become consistently proficient with a bow. dragging a gun in the woods with limbs and a draw weight of 200lbs that you loaded with a crank or two hands and feet and equipped with a 10 power scope is hardly the same. Hunt however you choose but do it during the appropriate season. And as far a handicap users go I would be all for that as long is it can be legislated in a way as to prevent abuse. I went to a local hunting event a year ago and me and my three buddies all took turns shooting some crossbows they had set up, and no one missed the bullsey not even close. I'm pretty sure if there were compounds set up the outcome would be far different. I guarantee it would be very unlikely that you could pick up a compound bow and some arrows and take a game animal without serious practice. Bowhunters take a tremendous amount of time effort and pride in our craft and we will put that same effort in preserving the sport we love. Pick up a bow and go hunting. I hope to see each and everyone of you out there(bow)in hand. P.S. theres a crossbow company advertising quarter size groups at 50 yards with their weapon. Theese weapons are far superior to compound and recurve bows. lets be honest a set of limbs is the only similarity!
In your self-serving statements you fail to take into consideration a number of factors,REALBOW. The first of which is that many of us who once enjoyed hunting with various types of bows are getting older. You may be able to hold your compound or stick bow at full draw for a lengthy period of time on a deer, waiting for a lethal shot to present itself, but many of your peers cannot due to the effects of getting older. It is condescending for you to offer to "share the woods any day with anyone sharing this passion". Trust me Sir, you will not be "sharing" my 90 acres with me. There is a definite reason why a crossbow is called such, regardless of you saying that it is more a "gun" and you know it. I propels an "arrow" (bolt) with a string and not a bullet, so I would suggest that YOU quit the "wordplay". Your compound bow can be equipped with a red-dot sight, as well as luminous sight pins seen through a "peep" sight, much as a rifle can be sighted using a luminous front sight and a rear peep in order to provide better accuracy. And that's what it's all about, better accuracy. While you perch on your soapbox and condemn another method of harvesting deer, car/deer accidents are at an all-time high. I say that allowing crossbows DURING THE ARCHERY SEASON may help to reduce these costly accidents caused by sex-crazed bucks searching day and night for willing does. Lastly, if legalizing crossbows gets more people in the woods and results in additional revenues from license sales, then I'm all for it. When license sales are down because of high cost and over-regulation of the sport, coupled with young people who are not interested and constant attacks by anti-hunters, then I think it's time to stop fighting with each other over what we consider to be "appropriate" tools for hunting deer. Your elitist attitude does nothing to promote hunting. Instead, it drives a wedge between hunters and keeps people out of the woods. Maybe that's what you want?
If crossbow proponents are so concerned about bringing more hunters into the sport because of their weapon of choice, they should have their own season dedicated just for crossbows It should be in their own time slot not overlapping with other seasons. The revenue raised by adding a whole new season should be great for the DEC, they could get another $29 a pop. No bow hunter would have a problem with that, after all we have to pay extra to bowhunt.
The late bow season would be a perfect time for crossbows, the deer are starting to "yard" up, it's cold and usually snow covered, makes for easier tracking and dragging. The cold shouldn't matter at all seein as you don't have to draw the bow, you can dress real warm and not make a sound, just pull the trigger.
"Crossbows effective range 20-30 yards", Uh, that's a bunch of BS. You can see for your self, go on youtube and type in Barnett Preadator and you'll see guys hitting 6" ballons at 80 & 100yds. with ease.
I was thinking the first two weeks prior to the early bow season being dedicated to crossbow hunters, myself, if they won't be included with all bow hunting seasons. The "vertical" bow hunters have a month or more to themselves and if they had their way "horizontal" bow hunters would be restricted to the coldest, nastiest time of year, if at all. Just plain selfishness, is the way I see it.