Here is an artical from Field Staffer Ted Peck
Deer hunting used to be a simple pleasure with clear-cut rules here in the Land of Cheese. But technology and the dubious spectre of Chronic Wasting Disease have Wisconsin deer management tied in an intricate Gordian knot.
The 71 page Deer Regulations handbook is a study of zones within zones, rules within rules and confusion…even amongst DNR personnel trying to interpret this massive tome.
Bowhunting rules used to be a little easier to understand than those governing deer harvest with firearms. But this too has changed. Take the use of crossbows, for example.
In the not so distant past only persons with substantial personal disabilities could qualify to use crossbows—which have been around for over 2,000 years. Crossbows were seen as an unfair advantage for able-bodied hunters . But allowing crossbow use by disabled persons was good , as it allowed the opportunity to enjoy deer hunting.
A few years ago the definition of disabilities changed , enabling those who could demonstrate difficulty in using vertical bows a pass on this highly accurate, deadly mideaval weapon.
In the last legislative session the bar moved again, enabling hunters 65 years or older to continue hunting deer by allowing crossbow use without special permit. At last year’s spring hearings there was a grass roots movement in at least two counties to drop eligible crossbow use age to 55.
DNR warden supervisor Tom Van Haren says the DNR is not opposed to this change . In fact, Van Haren said the conservation agency would like to open crossbow use up to anybody who wants to use one.
Part of this is due to an overall mission of reducing the deer population substantially in a number of deer management units, especially CWD zones.
There is virtually unrestricted warfare on the deer population east of Rock River in southeast Rock county . You can use a high powered rifle here, for crying out loud. But you can’t use a crossbow if you’re able bodied and younger than 65.
This is fuzzy logic. Apparently, the most organized resistance to liberalizing crossbow use comes from the Wisconsin Bowhunter’s Assn.
For decades the WBA has maintained the crossbow is an unfair advantage. Those who make their own longbows and arrows have a point. But archers who employ modern fiber optic sights and other technologies are being profoundly hippocritical.
Most archers have embraced these technologies . One device called the “Draw Loc” holds a bow at full draw indefinitely. By definition this makes a vertical bow a crossbow, and therefore illegal.
But then somebody came out with a device to hold the standard bow at ¾ draw, making the compound bow with carbon arrows and fiber optic sights a legal and arguably ethical bow in the eyes of the WBA !
“In many instance vertical bow technology has surged ahead of crossbow technology “ Van Haren said “ and mechanical devices have created a headache for enforcement. The DNR would just like to call a bow and arrow a bow and arrow and leave it at that”.
By definition a crossbow is held by mechanical device , shoots at least a 14 inch long arrow, a 100 pound minimum draw and has a positive safety . Most standard bows fall short of this definition—even with accoutrements—because they lack draw weight and a positive safety.
The reason crossbows need to draw at least 100 pounds is because the bow’s arms are shorter, therefore higher draw weights are needed to transfer accurate energy.
Since a crossbow’s arrows are shorter the effective range is something like 30 yards . Last fall my neighbor shot a moose with a standard compound bow at 57 yards. A conscientious crossbow hunter wouldn’t think of taking a shot at any more than half this distance.
We’re living in an ever changing world . If bowhunters and muzzleloader shooters want to use traditional weapons, more power to them. But given the state of our deer herd and prevailing technologies I believe it’s time for traditionalists to become all inclusive regarding choice of weapons.
If you aren’t part of the solution, you’re part of the problem. And this time the WBA appears to be coming out of the treestand on the wrong side.
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bill has digitals of Brock Eshelman sighting in his crossbow; my email address is [email protected].