Same with a crossbow if you have a crossbow license;
Didn't know it was two different tags?
Yes, it is. Even though we could use an archery tag (handicapped and late archery season) for crossbows before they were legalized for everyone that changed when they were included in the full archery season. It was a "compromise". The organized bowhunter group wanted crossbows to have their own license so they just might be able to keep them out of the full archery season. I said, "OK, make a crossbow license but put us in the full archery season".. and that is what the DNR/NRC did. It took from 2001 to 2012 to get that inclusion.
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Data collection.
Diff license allows them to track vertical bow and X bow separately.
Bow shops are having a rough go with the vertical bow sales.
A couple I've talked to.............50% are X bow sales.
And total sales of both X bow and vertical, are down.
People buy one X bow and let everybody in the fam use it.
Pretty well true, but...
The DNR does not know for sure what hunting tool every hunter uses as a lot of the hunters are Lifetime License holders, landowners. or bundle buyers..
They can get a handle on how many deer are killed with what.. See - https://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/10286.htm where you can see how many deer are killed with what hunting tool as well as compare those numbers to previous years.
Pretty ineresting as it appears that crossbow kills will pass the vertical bow kills for the first time since their inclusion in 2012
https://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/10286.htm
It shouldn’t be a surprise there are more deer being killed with a crossbow than a “vertical” bow. It doesn’t take a lot of skill for a crossbow hunter to put the bow on a rest and, after centering the animal in the crosshairs of the scope, to pull the trigger with accuracy out to a possible 100 yards (or at least many think an ethical shot can be made out that far).
I’m sure I’ll get flamed for dissing the crossbow shooters - and for those with torn ligaments or other shoulder problems I understand the physical limitations of using a vertical bow. However, for those who are just too lazy to practice or too inept to become proficient I say shame on you. The only possible positive benefit I can think of is a possible reduction in wounded animals by folks using the more accurate crossbow.
It shouldn’t be a surprise there are more deer being killed with a crossbow than a “vertical” bow. It doesn’t take a lot of skill for a crossbow hunter to put the bow on a rest and, after centering the animal in the crosshairs of the scope, to pull the trigger with accuracy out to a possible 100 yards (or at least many think an ethical shot can be made out that far).
I’m sure I’ll get flamed for dissing the crossbow shooters - and for those with torn ligaments or other shoulder problems I understand the physical limitations of using a vertical bow. However, for those who are just too lazy to practice or too inept to become proficient I say shame on you. The only possible positive benefit I can think of is a possible reduction in wounded animals by folks using the more accurate crossbow.
It shouldn’t be a surprise there are more deer being killed with a crossbow than a “vertical” bow. It doesn’t take a lot of skill for a crossbow hunter to put the bow on a rest and, after centering the animal in the crosshairs of the scope, to pull the trigger with accuracy out to a possible 100 yards (or at least many think an ethical shot can be made out that far).
I’m sure I’ll get flamed for dissing the crossbow shooters - and for those with torn ligaments or other shoulder problems I understand the physical limitations of using a vertical bow. However, for those who are just too lazy to practice or too inept to become proficient I say shame on you. The only possible positive benefit I can think of is a possible reduction in wounded animals by folks using the more accurate crossbow.
I have used a crossbow and I want to trade it for something else. For me the crossbow wasn’t any easier to use for hunting.
They don’t balance well which makes it really hard to shoot off hand which happens a lot when hunting deer at close range. Scopes can be hard to follow deer at close range especially if they are walking. Follow up shots if needed are almost impossible and try cocking one without a crank style cocking device in a climber. Yeah I would rather use an evil compound(that hard line traditional bowhunters call them) or a recurve(which many compound shooters call less effective).