Crossbows and Verticle Bows, New Info ONLY

[boehr]

This is for new information only. Any information in this thread that has been previously posted is subject to being deleted! This thread may include organizations and their stance pro or con of either type of bow.

[boehr]

MBH ACTION ALERT!!!!

The Michigan House of Representatives has just passed a substitute bill for HB 5741 that would make the crossbow a weapon of choice during the archery deer season. If the bill becomes law, it will end bow hunting as we know it in Michigan, the nation’s top bow hunting state.

Michigan currently has more than 400,000 firearm deer hunters who have never taken up the challenge of bow hunting and who would flock to the bow season if they could shoot arrows with guns in October. The resulting social and biological impact will, in all probability, force the DNR to dramatically reduce the length of the archery deer season. The crossbow is not archery equipment, requires no archery skills and is much more user-friendly to firearm hunters than a conventional hand-held bow.

Bow Hunting in Michigan faces its greatest threat in 72 years and the future of the sport rests in our hands. We all need to call our State Senator ASAP and urge him or her to vote AGAINST House Bill 5741-S 2.

If you are not aware of who your State Senator is you can find out by going to http://senate.michigan.gov/FindYourSenator/michiganfys.asp and enter your street address, cit, and zip code. Click on the "Submit Query" button for the information you'll need to contact your Senator. By phone is best especially since their emails are not read individually because of the volume which they receive.

[Riva]

MBH ACTION ALERT!!!!

The Michigan House of Representatives has just passed a substitute bill for HB 5741 that would make the crossbow a weapon of choice during the archery deer season. If the bill becomes law, it will end bow hunting as we know it in Michigan, the nation’s top bow hunting state.

Michigan currently has more than 400,000 firearm deer hunters who have never taken up the challenge of bow hunting and who would flock to the bow season if they could shoot arrows with guns in October. The resulting social and biological impact will, in all probability, force the DNR to dramatically reduce the length of the archery deer season. The crossbow is not archery equipment, requires no archery skills and is much more user-friendly to firearm hunters than a conventional hand-held bow.

Bow Hunting in Michigan faces its greatest threat in 72 years and the future of the sport rests in our hands. We all need to call our State Senator ASAP and urge him or her to vote AGAINST House Bill 5741-S 2.

If you are not aware of who your State Senator is you can find out by going to http://senate.michigan.gov/FindYourSenator/michiganfys.asp and enter your street address, cit, and zip code. Click on the "Submit Query" button for the information you'll need to contact your Senator. By phone is best especially since their emails are not read individually because of the volume which they receive.

That historic vote, which, incidentally passed the full Michigan House of Representitives by a whopping 94-14 margin, occured 2 weeks ago. I thought that you were looking for new info?

Anyway, since some here might not be aware that the people that authored the MBH Alert posted above, are also the same folks posted this public policy statement (below) regarding lowering the criteria that will allow a person with a disability to hunt with a crossbow. It seems that even allowing more disabled persons to share our resources will, accoding to MBH, likewise "end bowhunting as we know it in Michigan".

"MBH supports the current standard for determining crossbow permit eligibility for physically challenged hunters. However we are opposed to lowering the level of permanent disability from 80% to 60%. Our Association acknowledges that the current evaluation process for crossbow permit applicants is expensive and frequently abused.
We therefore support removal of the physician from the evaluation process as a means of addressing both issues. Also, we would be very supportive of a more vigorous scrutiny of crossbow permit applications by the DNR Law division to further address the abuse issue. In addition, there are other issues with the crossbow permit system not mentioned in the proposal. We look forward to working with the NRC to resolve these concerns.":sad:

[boehr]

Posted because I didn't find where the exact wording by MBH of their stance was posted by anyone. If it was please adivse where and I will delete it. I also agree with your post too because it contains the exact wording.

[BigBirdVA]

Here's the link to the NJ crossbow survey with graphs and clearer numbers and explanations.

http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/pdf/2008/xbowsurvey07.pdf

[Munsterlndr]

Mildly interesting article about the crossbow battle in New York. It's an older article but timely in that NYB is the bowhunting organization that virtually every other bow hunting organization models their crossbow opposition strategy after. You could replace NYB with MBH in this article and it wold be pretty accurate! Declining hunter numbers and declining memberships but these organizations stubbornly stick to the illusion that they are "protecting" the tradition of hunting. Pretty pathetic when you stop and think about it.

http://www.eriectyfsc.org/articles/Willsawardwinningcolumn.htm

[Riva]

Below is a letter written to an official of the US Department of the Interior by a New York State resident who was denied a permit to hunt with a crossbow during their archery season. It is relevent to this thread because:
(1) Michigan likewise has overly restrictive criteria regarding people with disabilities being able to obtain a permit to hunt with a crossbow

(2) People there fail to meet the criteria yet are still unable to pull or hold a regular bow (fall through the cracks)

(3) It is new content to this forum (tbomk)

I find it particulary interesting the options that the writer suggests to remedy the discrimination that has occured::yikes:

" On April 29, 2003 I requested an accommodation to use a crossbow as a reasonable accommodation for my disability in the New York archery season. On May 22, 2003 Gerald A. Barnhart, Director, New York Fish, Wildlife and Marine Resources denied me that request, stating that New York law prohibits the use of crossbows for hunting. This exemption of the crossbow is however waived for handicapped archers who cannot pull a trigger to use a crossbow modification that is discharged by breath to hunt in the archery season. (It should be noted that New York does allow the disabled to use the draw-loc bow modification to standard archery equipment

By disallowing the crossbow accommodation for me to use New York is denying me the right to participate in their archery season. The ADA prohibits discrimination against the disabled and requiring me to use the one accommodation New York allows most disabled in archery season is equal to telling all disabled individuals, even the ones in wheelchairs, they are required to use only walkers to maneuver through government buildings. This accommodation would work for some, but not for all disabled.

There are four reasonable bow accessories that allow disabled archers to each find their personal device most able to allow them to hunt as equals in archery season. There is the ‘mouth tab’, ‘body brace’, ‘draw lock’ and the ‘crossbow’. Just as one device is not best suited for each individual disability, the ‘draw lock’ as allowed by New York, meets the needs of some disabled archers, while completely missing the mark for others, like myself. Allowing the disabled who cannot pull a trigger to use a crossbow activated by a sip-puff discharge method further aggravates the situation by allowing the crossbow for some disabled and disallowing others who’s disabilities require it’s use

The US Department of the Interior is the government agency that controls the federal funding to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Division of Fish, Wildlife & Marine Resources. It is your duty to tell New York there are four reasonable solutions that will meet the mandate of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

1. Require all archers, disabled and able bodied alike, to hunt with the draw lock device.

2. Abandon archery season and tell all hunters there will no longer be an archery season in New York.

3. Allow disabled archers to use one of the four reasonable accommodations that best fits their individual disability.

4. Give up their Federal Funding."

[TOW]

Here's the link to the NJ crossbow survey with graphs and clearer numbers and explanations.

http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/pdf/2008/xbowsurvey07.pdf

Sure is a lot of "Strongly Support" going on there.