I heard that you could hunt with a crossbow this year during bow season without any kind of handicap except for grayson (ofcourse).lol... IS this true? If so what do yall think about it?

I have heard that too!
Pretty sure its true!
I think its great!

Yep, that is true. It's been beat to death here. It means I will not only get to hunt with my compound and rifle(hogs) this october as in the past, but get to add a third method now. My crossbow. BTW, for Grayson county. Though crossbows not allowed in October. They will be allowed in Grayson county during General season.

It's kind of funny as this year I was going to have to try to get a doctors excuse to use my crossbow because I messed up my shoulder and can't hold a bow straight out in the shooting position, and then they passed the law making it legal during archery season.

Perfect timing, but looks like I may not be needing my regular bow any longer.

Shame because she was good to me!

Answer to your question of what I think?

I think it's been long overdue and fought hard over the years by elietest who didn't want to have their bow season deluted by allowing the evil crossbow.

I've been bowhunting since almost about the time the bow was invented. Well maybe not that long, but a long time, since the 60's, even before it was legal to take deer in Texas with a bow, I had a fiberglass bow that I hunted rabbits with.

Anyway, I joined several 3D archery clubs over the years, and competed in local competitions, and was a pretty fair shot, and won my share of trophys, and I have killed more deer with a bow than I can now count over the years.

Anyway, I argued for the legal use of crossbows for a long time, but those who feared the crossbow made strong arguments, and had numbers on their side, as the crossbow was fairly new to hunters in the south.

Now, more sensible heads have figured it out, and with data to prove it, the crossbow isn't the evil weapon that will wipe out a deer herd, and it won't ruin the achery season by putting more hunters on land that already is limited to a fixed number of hunters, already there that leased for rifle hunting.

Public lands, may be a different story, but everyone knows those places are already over run, so that arguement is hollow at best.

Anyway, welcome to the world of archery, where the crossbow is going to disappoint a lot of folks, as it's not a 100 yard string gun, like a lot of people wanted you to believe.

In fact, it isn't anymore accurate, or fast, or long range, as the most modern compound bow.

So again welcome, and have a great archery season, no matter what you use!

Yep its true.

I guess some will have to figure a way to keep all those crossbow hunters off their private land that they hunt.

i got a crossbow last year to hunt with in arkansas but it turned out good now i get to hunt with it here in texas.......people argue they r to lound but i shot 2 does within 5 minutes of each other and the second doe stayed under the feeder it just took a while to reload while trying to be quiet

I dont know what to think yet, guess all the bowhunters (myself included) can take a poll when we go to the processor during season. Maybe the offset of the special antler counties will take up for the crossbow hunters. Why does grayson not change their policies with the rest of the state. They are the only county in the state without a gun season and now without the crossbow during archery season.

Grayson County has great Texas Reps and lobbyists that did all they could during the legislative session to get an exception and kept it relatively quite while doing so. The bowhunters up there that were pushing for the exception didnt believe that what was good for the goose was good for the gander - obviously or there wouldnt be an exception for Grayson County.

For me I just don't like the idea, but it's just that I love the challenge that a bow gives you. Having somthing that you hold like a gun and uses optics like a gun takes to much of the challenge out for me . This comes from a crossbow owner.

That would be my kind of archery hunting!

The stick and string clique will really be pizzed when October becomes BP or youth deer.

Im fine with the cross bow but those things cost as much as a good bow and have just as many bells and whistles.

Yeh but the string is locked and all you gotta do is pull a trigger.

I was very glad to see the change myself, even though I have no desire to begin hunting with any type of bow. If our sport is to survive, we need to be careful of encouraging the creation of "elite" hunter groups who want the woods and resource just to themselves. Am I being too hard to use the word "elite" to identify some bow hunters? How else can you describe those who allow only one method of harvesting to be praticed on their lease? Personally, I feel feeders and food plots make it much easier to harvest deer, just as some bow hunters feel about rifles. But I wouldn't think of creating a lease that would keep my fellow lease members from using them.

If the decision were mine, there wouldn't be separate seasons based on harvest methods. Everyone would begin, and end their season, at the same time, no matter what they use to harvest the resource.

JMO, but separate seasons based on harvest methods were designed to sell more bows and black powder rifles, at the expense of dividing hunters.

Im also glad they passed it, but will continue to use my compound as long as i can. I want people to be able to chose there weapon and if it brings more hunters in all the better. My wife wants one to hunt with this year and if it will get her out hunting more with me im all for it. Glad to see tpw finally do something i like for a change. Now if i could get em to change the AR rules, well thats another topic.

The bow season will come and go just like every year and there won't be any difference than any other year.

You can bet there will be people complaining about someone did this, or did that, while hunting with a crossbow, but overall it won't make a big difference one way or the other.

The only true fact will be a few more hunters out there, than what might have been otherwise, and when a lot of them find out it isn't as easy as everyone said it would be, they more than likely won't be back.

just another way for folks to hunt!
dont be a hater!

TPWD is trying to get more $$$, period. Raise license fees even during a recession? No one ever said TPDW made intelligent decisions. More complicated and higher priced hunting will continue to lessen the number of hunters - especially new youth hunters who will never see nor have the opportunity to shoot a 13 inch buck. These next generation hunters will get burned out watching all the does and bucks that don't make the rule and most will give up hunting. That is a fact.

Anyone who disputes this - let's wait 3 years - THREE YEARS - and let's see how the buck harvest is increased. By this logic there should be plenty of 3 - 4 year old bucks to shoot in 3 years, according to this B.S. 13 inch rule.

I hunt in a few counties that have been under AR for the past few years and do not see any changes. A few folks might, but time will tell. I'll bet the folks paying $800 - $1,500 per year for a lease will be "upset" after a few years when they see no bucks they can legally harvest.

It's not about the hunter. It's about TPDW income. Period.

Will never understand TPWD and there ways, like bucket said more people are hurting this year than ever before and they raise the fees. My dad stoped hunting years ago because it got too high for him and its getting that way for more people every year. Dont mind paying for a license but when is it gonna stop.

You can use them on private land now but the public land areas still make their own rules. Use of crossbows on public lands will continue to be restricted to hunters with upper limb disability documented by a physician.

TPWD did not want to see the legalization of crossbows that is why they never changed the rule on their own. However they were forced to make the rule change at least for private lands because the texas legislature made them this year.

Where did you get this information? It's only the units in the Northeast portion of the state and the remaining public hunting lands allow them.

APH book you get when you buy the $48 public hunting permit states this. Also alot of ACE and USFS land hunting guides for next year have come out and they are not allowing crossbows either, in their case they are sighting safety as the primary reason they are not going to allow the use of crossbows. They can after all accidentally go off due to the fact they can be locked and loaded.

And as was mentioned, only the Northeast units of the APH booklet is restricting them, not any of the remaining WMA'a or State Parks for the Archery Only Season.

Pretty ignorant rant in general. I challenge you to provide documentation of your "facts".

Here you go, Fred:

The number of hunters in Texas has been decreasing over the past years.

The "Super Combo" is an attempt to simplify the purchase for the "average Joe", as it includes almost all the tags and stamps. Otherwise, you better know exactly what you want to hunt and then pay the additional fees.

Why is there an additional fee for:

Archery tag? A hunter in Texas must pay more to hunt with Archery? $25 isn't enough - let's charge more for each piecemeal aspect that we can...

Migratory Bird

Upland Game Bird - to make dove AND Quail hunters pay a fee

Federal Migratory Bird Hunting - Fed vs. TX?

[Just buy the "SuperCombo" - it's a no-brainer]

Add fishing - I usually don't fish, but TPWD tricks this up with the Freshwater versus Saltwater stamp - to produce EXTRA revenue for TPWD.

As for hunter numbers declining, there are numerous sources overall, but here is one for Texas specifically. TPWD is trying to increase or at least keep their revenues whole, even with a decline in hunter numbers. This is the reason for such allowances as crossbows during archery season. Let's get more hunters paying the Archery stamp fee...

http://books.google.com/books?id=w08egIO...;q=&f=false

Wake up, FRED.