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Old 02-19-2009, 05:44 PM   #1
DoubleJ
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Thumbs down Let's Talk Crossbows - Long read!

I am sending the following message out to all members in our mass e-mail list:

Fellow Bowhunters

A couple of months back I came to you in a call to action to oppose a proposal by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission to allow youth only firearm hunting for the entire Special Archery Season. You answered the call with a passion and professionalism that impressed not only the management at TPW but the Commissioners themselves. Your voices were heard and the proposal was modified to leave the Special Archery Season as it is. Congratulations! Please take the opportunity to attend one of the many public hearings planned for the remainder of this month and early March to support the proposal on youth hunting. I would also ask that you voice your opinion on the limiting of taking Alligator Gar to one fish per day. Those of you who bowfish realize the impact this will have on our sport and I’m not sure we have reliable science to justify this limit.

I find that I need to ask for your help yet again. This time it is the Texas Legislature that is threatening the Special Archery Season. On February 2, 2009, Representative Mark Homer of Paris, TX filed HB 968 which will allow the use of crossbows by anyone during the Special Archery Season. Representative Homer is the Chairman of the Committee that will be considering this bill for advancement. This bill is cosponsored by Representative Edmund Kuempel of Seguin.

The Lone Star Bowhunter Association (LSBA) is not opposed to the use of crossbows for hunting and in fact we strongly support the regulations as currently written which allows the use of crossbows during the Special Archery Season by persons with upper body disabilities and by anyone on MLD 2 & 3 properties. So why change the regulations?

There will be an argument made that it will increase opportunities for women and children to hunt during archery season. This argument was rendered mute when the 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. The only thing that will increase is the number of people hunting in October.

The truth is they just want to hunt in October but don’t want to learn to shoot a bow!!

This same proposal was made during the last legislative session and died in the Senate after passing in the House. This is going to be a much bigger challenge than the youth hunting proposal and will take a much stronger effort to defeat. This bill will be supported by the national crossbow association, some bow manufacturers, magazine editors, TV hunting show personalities, and even some of our members.

Thirty five years ago some dedicated men and women fought for and won the Special Archery Season that we enjoy today. The LSBA was born of this effort. Now it’s up to us to keep it. Recruit new members, now! There is strength in numbers.

You can track the status of this bill and find out the contact information for your Representatives at http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/

I urge you to contact Representatives Homer and Kuempel and let them know that how you feel about this proposal. Contact your local representatives and if possible visit with them personally. As always remain respectful and professional but let them know how you feel.

We will keep you informed as to the progress of this bill and any future actions we may need to take. With your help we can maintain the status quo.

Wishing you soft winds and straight shots,

Jack Jetton
President
LSBA
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Old 02-19-2009, 07:44 PM   #2
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All for it! Bring on the crossbows!
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Old 02-19-2009, 08:42 PM   #3
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Well said Jack
Hi Travis
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Old 02-19-2009, 09:01 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rns View Post
Well said Jack
Yep, I'm glad someone can say what I can't.
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Old 02-20-2009, 09:09 AM   #5
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It is what a majority of our members want!!
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Old 02-20-2009, 10:16 AM   #6
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Apathy is a major problem within our ranks. With new members joining and becoming bowhunters, many of the things that the LSBA has had to overcome gets by-passed and overlooked. Things such as the start of archery in Texas along with the bow stamp. The long battle over the wounding loss report that Horace Gore of TPW published that showed a wounding loss greater than 50% from bowhunters. Once this report was made public, the report it was dissected by the LSBA and a National Organizations and was found to be full of untruths and lies and finally the report was revoked by TPW.
New folks won’t know of the time that the broad head was brought up in court to be inhumane to harvest an animal, and the leader in this battle was the LSBA and the Texas Bowhunter and Bow fishing Record Book.
No one has ever helped the LSBA in these times, except National Bowhunting organizations, (Pope and Young). Texas Parks and Wildlife has not helped us. Senator, Congressmen, Representatives have not helped us, unless of course you count the times that TPW and State Representatives tried to introduce, a muzzleloading season, a special youth season, a crossbow season…..all of these seasons to be held in the “Special Archery Season,” that has legislation enacted for bowhunting…some folks feel that this cannot effect them, it probably won’t because they can go hunt on a place that no one else hunts, (it belongs to their family), they have borders that a deer cannot go through, but that is not the average bowhunter, not the average person the LSBA represents…that hunter will only hunt a few times a year, he leases his hunting land and must share the hunt with others, many of these that they share with don’t bowhunt and would rather not have someone else hunt before they get the chance…….so before you give up remember what bowhunting has done in the state for bowhunters, and look what the other groups have done to bowhunters…..
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Old 02-20-2009, 10:57 AM   #7
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Mike, that deserves being forwarded to our congress.
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Old 02-20-2009, 02:56 PM   #8
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Very well said Mike
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Old 02-20-2009, 03:02 PM   #9
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Excellent posts, Jack and Mike! Thanks for your help in this issue, Mike!
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Old 02-20-2009, 06:07 PM   #10
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Very well said Mike and Jack, not everyone has grown up with a silver spoon, and in a family that had land that they could hunt on as they wish, or have laws written or changed to accommodate them. Bob
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Old 02-20-2009, 11:04 PM   #11
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Hey all, I am a fairly new member of LSBA and an avid bowhunter. Sorry but I cant back yall on this one. I have shot a crossbow for fun a few times, but never while hunting. Grew up in a state where crossbows are legal archery equipment. What is the big deal on this? So it allows a few more hunters in the woods during October, what will it hurt? Crossbows are a more primitave weapon than the compound bow. I have seen the new model that supposidly can shoot 100 yards, but have seen some compound shooters that can do the same. I just dont get what everyone is so scared of for allowing this. Please enlighten me.
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Old 02-21-2009, 08:26 AM   #12
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Excellent post Mike. And I completely agree. Thanks for what you and the other "Legacy" members of LSBA have done for bowhunting in this state. I only hope we can maintain it.
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Old 02-21-2009, 09:11 AM   #13
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rjet

As I said in my original post, 35 years ago a few dedicated bowhunters fought for and won the an agreement with the State of Texas that bowhunters would pay for an archery stamp in exchange for a dedicated Archery season. The Special Archery Season was born. Over the years we bowhunters have had to defend this season against numerous attempts to "Poach". We are not against the use of crossbows for hunting. In fact they have a season for their use already and are allowed in the Special Archery Season for upper limb handicapped folks. We support the rules as written. We are simply defending a deal that was made 35 years ago.

Thank you for your membership and hopefully we will meet at one of the LSBA functions around the state.
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Old 02-21-2009, 01:08 PM   #14
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Jack is correct, the LSBA went before the legislation to have a bowhunting season started. Since that time numerous groups of legislators have tried many times to take that season away from us. It has not been a group of individuals and volunteers, it has been State Representatives, Senators,etc...that are looking to infridge on the special season due to special interest groups, (manufacturers of crossbows and muzzleloaders) that look at a way to make more money. right now we are battling a state representative with his own personal direction.
In states, (other than Texas and maybe one that you came from), has very limited hunting seasons sometimes lasting only a week or less so these states try to lump all the different hunting groups together and establish limits to what can be used, i.e. slugged shotguns......In Texas we have a long season, many more animals per acre than what is recommended and ample time to hunt. Remember bowhunting was established to give the bowhunters an better chance at harvesting an animal before the start of the general rifle season.
If a crossbow organization came forward to be allowed their own season, the LSBA would be in favor of that added season just as we were with the muzzleloaders.
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Old 02-21-2009, 02:06 PM   #15
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Default Hb 968

I've sent numerous copies of the following letter out today. I did this fairly quick and I'm sure it could have been better. My letter took into consideration it's intended audience.



Dear Representative,
As a lifelong resident and sportsman of the great state of Texas I respectfully request that you do not pass HB 968 that would allow the use of crossbows during the archery only season. I realize that some, mostly crossbow manufactures and others who would gain financially support this bill. My position has nothing to do with the dollar and all to do with the original intent of the archery season, tradition and safety.
The original purpose of our archery only season was simply to allow a window of time within the hunting season to allow those with archery equipment to take to the field with equipment that required a great deal of knowledge, practice and dedication to be successful. Equipment has and will continue to improve but the basic underlying requirement is that archery equipment allowed during this special season needs to continue to require that it be hand-drawn and held. Sights, camouflage, composite arrows all improve performance but the overwhelming challenge remains in the fact that the weapon has to be hand-drawn and held in the presence of game.
All sports have seen technological advancements over the years that would change the sport as we know it. For example, aluminum baseball bats would certainly cause more homeruns, improve stats and possibly make the professional baseball games more exciting but we know that the overwhelming desire and remaining rule is to disallow them. You simply cannot compare the player using the wooden bat to one that would be allowed to use an aluminum bat. In football they could lower and widen the goal post for more successful field goals, basketball could have a larger hoop and the list could go on.
The archery season was created by and has been supported by men and women who worked hard for a season of limited equipment advancements to keep the season as it were intended. Please do not allow a piece of equipment although it has “bow” within its name to totally change the spirit of this season’s purpose. A crossbow can be a very dangerous weapon in the hands of inexperienced hunters who have no need to obtain knowledge and skills for proficiency. I do not want to think of the possibility of making my way to my hunting blind in the early morning darkness knowing that an inexperienced hunter or child could very well be in the same woods with a new crossbow capable of firing a short and deadly bolt (arrow) with nothing but the skills of pulling the trigger. The crossbows capabilities are more in line with a firearm. Do we really want to arm those in the archery season who do not feel it necessary or desirable to obtain the skills to shoot a hand-draw be it traditional or modern bow?
Again, I respectfully request that you preserve our archery only season and continue to limit the crossbow to the firearms season or to those with limited disabilities. HB 968 would destroy the purpose, history and tradition of the archery season for the many Texas bowhunters.
Regards,
Marty Patterson
Cypress, Texas
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