LAST week’s decision to allow the use of crossbows during the New Jersey archery season has a lot of bowhunters in New York worried.
For the past few years, many bowhunting purists in New York have been fighting to keep crossbows out of the archery season, feeling the crossbow is closer to a gun then it is to a bow. If you ever have seen a demonstration of a crossbow, that description is on target.
The amendment, passed by Fish and Game Council, expands the definition of bow by removing the prohibition on all draw locking and draw holding devices and by including crossbows. This allows their use 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.
This ruling, in addition to the recently passed law allowing Sunday bow and arrow deer hunting on Wildlife Management Areas and private property, is expected to increase participation in New Jersey bow and arrow hunting seasons.
Hunters who never have purchased a New Jersey bow and arrow hunting license or have not purchased one since the implementation of the electronic licensing system must present one of the following to purchase a license: 1) a hunter education archery certificate, or 2) a prior year resident bow and arrow license (from N.J. or any other state), or 3) a prior year nonresident N.J. bow and arrow license. Information on hunter education requirements for bow and arrow hunting and hunter education session schedules can be obtained at njfishandwildlife.com.
New Jersey is the fourth state this year to approve crossbows during the archery season, joining Pennsylvania, Texas and Michigan. These are three states with high hunter participation numbers especially during the bow season.
The new additions bring the number of states allowing crossbow use in bow-only deer seasons to 12. The others are Alabama, Arkansas, Maryland, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Wyoming.
A crossbow should be allowed only during the regular gun season, except by those who are physically handicapped. These hunters should be afforded the use of a crossbow during the bow season.
New York, like other states, is looking to increase the number of hunters in the field, and there are some in the Department of Environmental Conservation who have been trying to get crossbows allowed.
Will New York be next on the list for crossbows? Not if the archery purists have anything to say about it.