Public Hearing on HB 968...
 

Looks like the Public Hearing the latest "crossbows in October" bill has been set for Tuesday, March 10.

http://www.legis.state.tx.us/BillLoo...81R&Bill=HB968

What's the game plan?

Great on a full moon.

Is it true that states like Alaska, Arkansas and 1 or 2 more that added cross bows to their archery only season ended up making the archery season longer?

Contact each member of the committee by phone, and email and let them know your position on the bill. I sent a letter from LSBA to each of them via email today and will followup on Monday with phone calls. Here are the contact numbers.

Mark Homer 512-463-0650
Donna Howard 512-463-0631
Dawnna Dukes 512-463-0506
Tracy King 512-463-0194
Tim Kleinschmidt 512-463-0682
Edmund Kuempel 512-463-0602
Brian McCall 512-463-0594
Larry Phillips 512-463-0297
Kristi Thibaut 512-463-0514

If any of these folks happen to be your representative a personal visit would go a long way.

I will post up the email address when I get home this evening and a copy of the letter I sent.

The email format goes like this:

mark.homer@house.state.tx.us

Here is a copy of the letter I sent each of the members:

In 1975 there was an agreement made between the bowhunters of Texas and the legislature that in exchange for a fee (the archery stamp) the bowhunters would have a season established for archery only hunting. This effort resulted in the establishment of the Special Archery Season and the birth of the Lone Star Bowhunter Association (LSBA).

Since that time there have been numerous attempts to open the season to other forms of hunting such as muzzleloaders, crossbows, and rifles. Each time the LSBA has had to defend the agreement that was made. This is another one of those attempts.
The LSBA opposes the provisions of HB 968 which will allow the use of crossbows during the Special Archery Season. Crossbows are not recognized as archery equipment. By their own admission crossbow manufacturers boast that their equipment shoots “like a gun.” If you need confirmation of that fact please take a moment to view the video at: The LSBA is not opposed to the use of crossbows for hunting. The current regulations which allow the use of crossbows during the General Season and by upper limb handicapped persons during the Special Archery Season are adequate and are strongly supported by the LSBA. The only people who will benefit from this change to the regulation will be the crossbow manufacturers and a minimal number of hunters who will choose to hunt with them.
There will be an argument made it will increase opportunities for women and children to hunt during archery season. This argument was rendered mute when the Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPW) Commissioners eliminated the minimum draw weight for archery equipment last March. In fact I have heard several success stories from this past season of kids as young as 7 taking deer with archery equipment.

There will be an argument made that it will increase license sales. I seriously doubt that. I believe the majority of the people that will be hunting with crossbows in the Special Archery Season will be folks that will also be hunting with guns during the General Season and who would have bought a license anyway. I have talked with TPW and they have no way of accurately determining the impact on license sales aside from a guess. My guess is that there will be no increase in the number of new hunters and NO increase in license sales. There exists no army of potential new crossbow hunters. The truth is that the only ones desiring this measure are rifle hunters who just want to hunt in the October SPECIAL ARCHERY SEASON, but who won’t learn to shoot a bow!!

The original agreement was crafted by a lot of hard work from dedicated bowhunters and legislators. The LSBA is asking you to honor their efforts and reject HB 968.

Sincerely,

Jack Jetton
President
Lone Star Bowhunter Association
281-910-1432


Just remember to remain respectful in your letters and phone calls.

I like the way my question as gone un-answered & the pres of the assn has read around it like never seeing it. I guess that why people refer to bow hunters as elitist?

http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/welcome.php
http://www.senate.state.tx.us/75r/Senate/Members.htm

Here is how to find the senate & house rep for people

Busted you got something to say to me you have my number. I haven't answered your question because I don't know the answer. If I did I would have.

Jack, If I had something to say to you I would call. I was pointing out the fact that the president of my association skated around the question like nothing was asked at all. A simple "I don't know" would have worked.

OK let me re-phrase. If they offered to extended the bow season like they have done in other states if crossbows were allowed would that sway anyone's opinion on them in our season?

No! Where exactly would you extend it? I'd like to see a youth archery season the weekend prior to the special archery season, but where would you extend the archery season? I'm not for crossbows in archery season, especially since they are only going to improve in technology.

I see what your saying..It just seems when the anti's pull their divide & conquer (which they do every 6 months it seems) it would be nice to let one blow up in their face. I mean every time they can separate hunters & make us fight amongst ourselves they won in one way or another. I dont know where they could extend it. I was just trying to come up with an offensive look at it instead of always feeling like we are on our heels.
I need to go back to work before I go nuts.. You can only rearrange the shed so many times.

Lots of good quotes on that video...looks like a gun, shoots like a gun, "cock it", "load it", "anyone could be stacking arrows in just a few minutes"...yeah, that AR-15 lower unit makes a real good riser for a bow. LOL :D

Thanks for posting, Jack.

More letters going out now, phone calls on Monday.

I would like to go and speak at the hearing as an individual but I won't be able to attend the hearing Tuesday due to work. I hope some others can attend to represent the LSBA as a whole.

BAR, nobody here wants to fight, Jack wasn't ignoring ya buddy. I appreciate where you're coming from, while the anti's might benefit in some minor way from this type of division in our ranks, they are not to blame...it's Generation Asterisk. ;)

BAR,

You're wasting your breath.There is no middle ground when it comes to LSBA's stance on archery season.

Fixed that for you, Travis. ;)

Eventually this too. SHALL PASS!:D

:think::think::think::think::think::think::think:: think::think::think::think::think:


Naa, just ain't worth the breath!! :)

Thats a good one Joey
Hi Travis, hope all is well

It would be nice if we all had a ranch where deer were always around, no other people could hunt if we didn't want them to and would let them shoot what we want them to shoot. But that is only for a few ranchers and sons and daughters. The real world for most of the bowhunters is we must lease our hunting land, we must work at least 5 days a week 52 weeks a year to afford to hunt and then only get to hunt on weekends. By introducing a crossbow into archery season, there will not be an increase in the numbers of hunters, it will be from archers or rifle hunters that realize that shooting a bow and being able to kill a deer is hard work, something that you must practice and have some skill and allot of luck. I wonder why every state archery organization and every national bowhunting organizations say that a crossbow is not archery equipment? Do they know something that others don't? have they been around longer to see what impact that is has had in other states? Or is it that one or two others that have the big ranch where they control everything inside it and has only shot a bow for a few years and hasn't had to see each year go by and not be able to hunt because they cannot afford it or the public land that they are hunting is over run with squirrel hunters and bird hunters......? A crossbow is not bowhunting equipment, It seems everytime we as bowhunters have given a little to TPW more is taken from us......When will it end...?

Very well said Mike

Well how did it go?

I hear Jim did a great job speaking for the LSBA. Thats all I know

Jim did a great job. Thanks for representing the LSBA!

The bill was left pending for vote. Please make sure to email, fax and call the Committee Members tomorrow. There was a lot of information that was misrepresented by the Crossbow representative. PSE's TAC 15 Introduction indicated it they could get an inch group of bolts at 100 yards. I believe the rep said it was accurate at 50 yards in the hearing.

Thanks Jim, I know you sacrificed more time than you thought!

One vote down. Three to go.

Don't count your chickens before they hatch Travis:fencing:

Not counting chickens, just stating we are passed vote 1. Since no one has bothered to update the thread.;) Just reporting that there was a vote. Didnt even state which way it went.

Glad to see the committee listened to their correspondence.

The only thing the committee listened to was money/political favors going into their pockets.....

How this will play out with my neighbors. These types of neighbors are in EVERY county all across the state.

A couple of weeks before archery season, they will discover crossbows are legal in October. One of them will run down and buy one, sight it in, and put maybe 20 bolts through it. They'll go out come October and shoot a deer or two. Tracking will be tough which they aren't use to so they will give up after 50 yds and they will lose the animals. They'll throw the Xbow in the closet til next year and wait for the general season. Bow hunters get additional black eyes.

Thanks to the legislature for stepping in where you have not business being.

Bar bowhunters did not pick this fight!


TX is having the crossbows stuffed down our throats right now. After a little research it seems the NRA is the big power behind the push. The politicians want that A+ endorsement.

I canceled my membership after talking to the NRA staff who are working to push the crossbows into all the states archery seasons. Bowhunters who are opposed to the crossbow issue need to drop their memberships. Then and only then will the NRA will start to listen to the needs of bowhunters.

Take the gloves off like the NRA. Bowhunters who are opposed to the crossbows in archery season need to form and fund an add committee. Place half page adds in the Bowhuning magazines asking bowhunters to withhold their support for the NRA, Academy, and the Crossbow Manufacturers until such time they honor and respect archery only season.
I've got $50 bucks I'll kick in for an add!

Where is the info about the NRA pushing this coming from? If this is true I'm done with the NRA.

Bill, there was a representative from the NRA there. As well as one from Dallas SCI, Academy Outdoors, Keith Warren & his daughter, xbow manufacturers, Gib Lewis (paid lobbyist and former Speaker of the House) all there to support this bill and help push it through.

remember what I said about divide & conquer???

Thanks Joey but does anyone have a site stating the NRA's position and why they would be involved in a matter concerning the Texas Archery season?

I have looked for a while this morning & last night on the web. I can not find anything about the NRA or TSRA being for this bill..other than on bow hunting sites. I fount it on several bowhunting sites. I wonder how many more bow hunters dropped their membership to TSRA or NRA over rumor? or even if it is not a rumor......

Correct me if I'm wrong but I think what most bowhunters are citing as NRA backing for HR 968 comes from their representation @ the committee meetings...I don't know if you've had a chance to look @ the video but if you follow this link and scroll down to the 4th (Agricultural & Rural Affairs) you can view the testimony given on that day...
http://www.senate.state.tx.us/avarchive/?yr=2009 :)

Ok while I wait for Real player to down load. I will ask this.
If the NRA (who fights for our gun rights on a national level) backed this bill.. I should drop my membership with them? I love my bow & bow hunting. IMO we are losing too many rights on both fronts. What makes this more important than the NRA backing my other rights?
Divide & conquer... Antis win again..

well after sitting here watching/listing to it for over 20 minutes I still have not heard about the bill at all. do you have an approximate time when it starts?

Bas, I've had three phone conversations with NRA Staff and their nation wide support for the crossbow in archery season is way off the charts. NRA main number 800-392-8683, Darren 703-267-1207, and John 703-267-1141. Don't let them push you off to the side and just leave a voice mail opinion.

The NRA also posted a news release on their website listing PA as the 12th state in which they made crossbows legal during archery season and how they were going to work to push the crossbows into all state archery only seasons (tx will be the 13th state). In PA the NRA actually sent three different email alerts urging their members in a five state area to contact the PA Game Dept and support the crossbow issue. Here in TX it wasn't before TPWD where its been defeated in the past, all they needed was a few politicians.

Monday before last the NRA Lobby guys were present when the tx senate overwhelming passed the crossbow issue here in TX when support against the crossbow issue is running 6 against to 1 for. In PA two of the players who voted for the crossbows have been replaced and at this time the crossbow issue in PA is in question of passing whole all together. TX needs to follow this lead and remove those who placed the crossbow into our archery only season.

O.K. you got me.....screw the NRA TSRA (they give money to the NRA) TTHA I'm sure they wanted it to pass (even though they let us set up youth archery booths at their expo's. *note* IMO they are just another business & have nothing to do with my rights) or anyone else who wants to help protect my gun rights at the expense of my bow only season...They can all go to hell as long as I don't have to sit next to a guy with a crossbow in Oct. You make a valid point...I am on the phone telling them my opinion of them right now. I'm glad we have Obama in office so we don't have to worry about our gun rights......

You are on a roll today bustedassranch:D:D:D:D