I know what commercialization is, don't need WikiDan for that..but thanks

You asked me how the efforts to create a special season for bow hunters equated to commercialization of the sport and I did that. I cannot help it if linking my answer to a definition was useful in doing that.

Compound bows and hunting crossbows are not that far removed from each other in history. Compound bows have much more in common with a Crossbow, than a Crossbow has in common with any rifle.

Use of crossbows during bow seasons started long before now. It is not some commercial conspiracy. In fact most don't realize it started right along with some States early bow seasons. The first patent for a compound bow was not until 1969. I was shooting a longbow in 1969 almost daily. Compounds did not start showing up in the stores I think until the early to middle 1970s. At the same time States like Ohio and Arkansas were already allowing crossbows during their bow seasons. Wyoming had always allowed crossbows during archery season. But Crossbows then were so primitive by the days standards that no one paid much attention to them.

Now compounds are a different story. With Bo Luke and his Martin Warthog firing exploding arrows with rifle like range and accuracy, every young man wanted a compound bow. Those that did not own one, much like those who have never owned or shot a Crossbow today, had unreasonable expectations of how effective they could be. I well remember the same arguments as on this thread and was told. "Anyone who would hunt with a compound bow can't call themselves a bowhunter". So sometime around 1979 to early 80s I ceased to be a bowhunter when I bought my first Bear compound at Gibsons. I then killed my first Deer with that bow in Grayson county. And that was at least 5 years before I ever owned a Deer Rifle.

My first Crossbow was a Compound Barnett from Service Merchandise in the late 1980s. I hated the thing. Inaccurate, difficult to sight in and stay sighted in, plastic peep sight that would not stay on, so loud you thought it was going to shatter when you shot it. There was no season that allowed it and that was a good thing. It would have frustrated me out of the sport if I did not have my old Bear along with a Martin target bow to use.

The whole thing about compounds, crossbows, and dedicated archery seasons really are recent history as far as american history goes. I don't know about Texas, but in Oklahoma it was not until 1951 that the first ever whitetail was taken with a bow during a legal hunting season and by a 13 year old kid at that. Not too many years ago the thought of hunting with bows of any kind, vertical, horizontal, compound, were all looked at as cruel and ineffective by many hunters. There are still vocal non hunters, and unfortunately a few hunters that still believe this and would love to see it all taken away from us. If our numbers shrink enough, that will happen.

I have watched the technology for Compounds advance rapidly over time. But during the same years crossbows on the market stayed crappy and mostly the same. Only in recent years has the same technology started to catch up with the crossbow. I think it not just more States allowing them for hunting that is making them popular, but also the technological improvements making both more user friendly. If that gets more new people into hunting, gets experience hunters in the woods more days, more kids and women into the sport, and more money to wildlife departments, I don't see it as a bad thing at all.

I have hunted with a bow for over 35 years. I have shot a crossbow. You pick it up, you aim, you pull the trigger. No experience needed-that's why disabled folks, kids and first time hunters use them. It's a stupid argument.

Which recurve, or longbow, are you currently hunting with? Because I know from reading some of your comments, it dang sure ain't that ole nasty compound!

No offense hook n line, but balloon targets and live critters are worlds different. That balloon could care less how loud that crossbow is, it isn't going to have any reaction to the noise. As far as being easy to shoot accurately once sighted, I have no doubt they require less "skill" when target shooting than does your compound. But I am speaking from a purely "effective on game" basis. You may send a perfectly fired bolt, but, if the sound of the shot is so startling that the animal has time to react then you could be in trouble with shot placement. I've personally witnessed that on whitetail myself. All that said, I neither advocate for crossbows or diminish their uses. Just in my experience they are not quiet fast enough to overcome how noisy they are in respect to whitetail deer, especially at ranges beyond 40 yards. In windy situations with the animal upwind of your location I would assume the effect of the noise would be less apparent. But on a cool crisp fall morning when the deer can seemingly hear you blink your eyes........aim low, certainly if the deer is beyond 20 yards.

None taken. I've been hunting for 30+ years and bowhunting for 20 and can say I've seen a lot of things go wrong while bowhunting. I guess we've just been lucky thus far with the crossbow, we've had the oppurtunity to drop 7 hogs since I got it longest shot being 28 yrds (daughter). No deer yet but let a few pass . I can say though, I didn't expect my 11 year old to be able to do with a crossbow what he doesn't with a rifle. He prefers the crossbow to any other tool in the cabinet. I believe it's all about his confidence level. My daughter on the other hand can pick up anything and look like a pro. She has nerves of steel until after the shot, then she falls to pieces. lol... I love it!

Im not trying to toot my own horn at all, but I got a compound bow for Christmas one year went and got a target set of the cheapest carbon arrows I could find cheapest field points I could find and a $9 release from academy. My first group was the size of a tennis ball at 20 yards and only about 6 inches off the bullseye without even being tuned. I adjusted the site and took it to a bow shop and had it tuned... bam that was it. There is no "experience" needed to me other than a steady hand and knowing where to shoot and how to blood trail. The only differences to me between compound bow and x-bow are physical.

I still think if you want to challenge yourself then challenge yourself right along with all the other hunters in the woods, why do you need a special season all to yourself to challenge yourself? I bow hunt because its fun. Most of the time I don't even get around to it till regular season because it is so crazy hot. People want to challenge themselves so much that they get to start early before everyone else???? sounds remotely like hi-fence hunting to me.

Most guys that have hunted with xbows and vertical bows will tell you that an xbow isnt an advantage over a vertical bow over all. They both have their pros and cons. I have used both and choose to stay with my compound. I find for myself that it is over all an easier weapon to practice/hunt with. Most of the guys that cry about xbows being an advantage have never used one and dont have a clue what they are talking about. They just think that they are somehow superior to someone that uses a xbow which is absolutely moronic. Xbow hunters are just as much a bowhunter as someone that uses a compound. Compounds have sights(scopes included), are just as fast, quieter and can be locked at full draw. I just dont see why people are so narrow minded in thinking they are better because their bow is vertical instead of horizontal. They are both BOWS and the people that use them are BOWHUNTERS period!!!

Well, you are wrong. The reason every Tom, Dick, and Harry bought crossbows when they became legal to use during bow season is because they are easy for anyone to use. Period.

That's why P&Y doesn't allow animals taken by crossbow to be considered. And I have never seen any bowhunter use a draw lock device. P&Y doesn't allow them either.

The "no experience" argument is wrong too. If you can shoot a .22, you can shoot a crossbow accurately. Just aim and squeeze the trigger. Most of them even have scopes. Real hard.