When ads in the early 1990’s started showing up in catalogs and magazines in New York State depicting the crossbow as a legitimate hunting implement it was time for New York Bowhunters, Inc. to address the issue. We needed to determine if the crossbow met the definition of a bow or if it was in fact a superior hunting implement when compared to the traditional longbow, recurve and compound bow. Some ads in New York State depicted the crossbow as a device with a “unique instant-adjust range system” with a maximum hunting range of 60 yards. This type of ad was in direct contrast to what the public was being told about the crossbow today. Because of this new awareness with the crossbow in NYS we began a research project on the subject. It should be noted that this was not a project taken lightly by the organization. We looked at the information available objectively and with an open mind. The pluses and minuses that the crossbow could provide to hunters within NYS were evaluated, as well as its effect on bowhunting within the state. One of the first official acts we performed in our research was to actually purchase a crossbow and to shoot it as described by the crossbow manufacturer. Many hours were spent deciphering data and reading present and prior research on the crossbow and after a thorough investigation and actual shooting experience, it was determined that the crossbow “was not a bow” and NYB’s official Statement of Policy on the crossbow was developed. Why is it that when the crossbow was first introduced into New York State, it had an effective range of 60 yards but now after over a decade of technological advances in crossbow technology by the crossbow manufacturers, it was been reduced to having an effective range equal to a modern compound bow? The reason is simple, NYB exposed the truth about the crossbow and the crossbow manufacturers have softened their marketing in an attempt to fool the general public. Thankfully, NYB understands that our fellow New Yorkers are smart enough to sort out crossbow fact from fiction and thankfully the crossbow has been kept from entering archery only seasons here in New York State.

Information for Crossbow Discussions
Bowhunting was meant to be, and is a difficult and demanding sport. It requires a high level of dedication from its participants. Today's modem compound bows, coupled with sight pins and mechanical releases, have done much to make it easier for archers to reach and maintain levels of proficiency necessary for hunting. Unfortunately, there are still those sportsmen and women who are not willing to put forth the time and effort to learn to shoot archery equipment proficiently. The crossbow is the answer for today's opportunistic hunter who lacks the dedication and commitment required to be a bowhunter. The crossbow is simply a superior weapon that is much easier to use than archery equipment and therefore should not be allowed in any archery season or archery only areas. Many archers have taken up the sport because they love and appreciate the commitment that is required to shoot a bow and arrow correctly, accurately and proficiently. This same attitude is why some fishermen decide to fly fish over conventional type fishing or why some hunters choose to use a muzzleloader during the regular season instead of using a rifle or shotgun. It is the added challenge of using a primitive weapon that drives many bowhunters and the crossbow simple does not challenge a hunter like a compound, recurve or longbow does. Frankly, an inexperienced individual could literally pick up a scope mounted crossbow and with a few adjustments to the scope be shooting a crossbow with extreme precision. This same level of accuracy would take much more time for an archer to achieve and we accept and embrace this. It helps us to become closer to our sport and this adds to our level of enjoyment. Even the crossbow proponents understand that the crossbow does not take the time nor dedication required to master a conventional compound, recurve or longbow. In the fall 2004 issue of “CROSSBOW” Magazine, the author of an article entitled “The Scoop on Crossbows” states “A second crossbow advantage is the time it takes to become proficient enough to successfully hunt with one. Due to the crossbow’s rifle-like nature, it takes less time and practice to attain or maintain sufficient shooting skills. Attaining good shooting form, the primary requirement for becoming an effective compound bowhunter, requires constant practice and significantly more time to maintain a sufficient competence level.” This statement is absolutely true and is one of the main reasons why bowhunters choose to hunt in the first place. In this time of fast food, disposable products and reduced time for all things in life, the dedicated bowhunter embraces their bow and looks forward to the hours of enjoyment that shooting it will bring.
A survey of NYB membership opposed the introduction of the crossbow during any hunting season, which is consistent with the current law, by a margin of 99.9%. The Pope & Young Club will not accept entries taken with crossbows and the Professional Bowhunters Society is opposed to the use of the crossbow in any archery season worldwide.

The crossbow does not fit into the category of archery equipment. It has a stock, cheek plate, trigger, and rifle style sights. The crossbow can be fitted with a telescopic sight, carried cocked, shot out of a vehicle window, and has an average effective range of 69 yards (Marlow Report).

Additionally, there is no demand by the gun hunting community for the use of crossbows. We as gun hunters would not drop our shotguns or rifles to use a crossbow. The bowhunting seasons have wide support among all sports persons because we accept the challenge of using “primitive” equipment. A crossbow in the archery seasons would no longer allow us to classify the season as “primitive”. We choose to hunt by placing voluntary limits on ourselves. The argument that bowhunters do not want to share the woods with any one is totally untrue. Technical improvements in modern archery equipment make bowhunting accessible to almost everyone but the severely handicapped. The bowhunting season is not a closed season. Anyone who wishes to accept the challenge and complete the necessary education course may take part.

Some archers bowhunt for the challenge of close range encounters with game, others bowhunt to take advantage of the early season and the additional opportunity to bag a deer. But what all these bowhunters have in common is the dedication to learn their equipment and to accept the challenge of getting within ethical range of their game.

The presence of any superior implement defeats the purpose of the archery seasons. The crossbow manufacturers will argue that the crossbow will bring more hunters into the sport. They are absolutely correct; the crossbow will bring people into the sport that are not interested in bowhunting, they are only interested in taking advantage of the early bow season. Any one can pick up a crossbow and pull the trigger. Shooting modern archery equipment requires a moderate amount of practice and dedication and shooting traditional equipment requires almost constant practice to maintain proficiency. Bowhunting takes commitment and dedication; virtues that our society is throwing by the wayside all too often these days.

The crossbow manufacturers, especially those active in NY, have millions of dollars to make by allowing crossbow into the archery seasons. These manufacturers are attempting to open new markets by alienation of the sporting public against the bowhunter in order to achieve their goals. These same manufacturers when speaking to potential crossbow hunters will push the speed, power, accuracy and superior range of the device. If they speak to bowhunters or archers, they will say it is ineffective beyond 20 yards due to the noise and poor trajectory. Some crossbow manufacturers even have a “Dial a Range” system that allows the shooter to zero in on a target out to 65 yards. If the crossbow is ineffective past 20 yards, why then, would a crossbow manufacturer have such a system?

If crossbow manufacturers fail in their attempt to get into the archery season, their next target will be to try to get into the firearms season. It’s not very difficult to figure out that once they legalize the crossbow in a firearms season, crossbow manufacturers will build a constituency to lobby for the legalization in the more lucrative archery season. This is in fact their primary goal and to them the end will justify the means.

Bowhunters as well as other sports persons must step forward and stop the manufacturing community from dictating the future direction that the sport of bowhunting will take. If we are to continue to enjoy the status of a “primitive” season, we must place restrictions on our equipment in order to in fact keep them primitive.

Crossbow manufacturers can change their sales literature and institute catch phases such as the “horizontal bow” in order to try and persuade public opinion. They can continue to promote the crossbow for the youth, women, elderly and the Physically Challenged but when presented with the scientific facts as available the public can only come to the same conclusion as drawn by New York Bowhunters, Inc. and so many others and that is that the crossbow is simply not a bow.

Additional Crossbow Information Sources and Definitions


THE POPE & YOUNG CLUB
The Pope and Young Club (P&Y) was founded to promote bowhunting and to record for posterity the outstanding examples of North American big game animals taken solely with the hunting bow.
A hunting bow is defined as a longbow, recurve, or compound bow that is hand held and hand drawn, and that has no mechanical device to enable the hunter to lock the bow at full or partial draw, other than the energy stored by the drawn bow, no device to propel the arrow will be permitted.
The P&Y Club does not consider the crossbow to be a hunting bow and will not accept any trophies collected by crossbow hunters. Furthermore, the club considers the use of the crossbow during bowhunting seasons to be a serious threat to the future of bowhunting.
Therefore, the club recommends that the crossbow not be considered for use in any bowhunting only season. The club strongly recommends that crossbow hunting be abolished from all existing bowhunting only seasons and the use of the crossbow for hunting be restricted to firearms' seasons.
For more information, contact the Pope & Young Club, 6471 Richard Avenue, Placerville, California 95667
MARYLAND DEPT. OF NATURAL RESOURCES

The Maryland department of Natural Resources defines a crossbow as a “normally shoulder-mounted weapon, which may be operated with only one hand”. Furthermore, they define a bow as “a longbow or compound bow, which is normally operated by using both hands”.

THE PROFESSIONAL BOWHUNTERS SOCIETY
The Professional Bowhunters Society (PBS) is opposed to the use of any weapon, other than those bows drawn, held and released by hand, in any archery-only season.
Furthermore, PBS is opposed to the creation of any new hunting season or the extension of any existing hunting season which will decrease the length of the archery-only hunting season or displace the archery-only season into less favorable dates. While PBS recognizes and supports the rights of hunters who choose to use other weapons in separate hunting seasons, they oppose any efforts to establish hunting seasons where the ultimate aim is inclusion in the archery-only season.
For more information, contact the Professional Bowhunters Society, P. O. Box 246 Terrell, NC 28682

THE MULLANEY REPORT
Mr. Norb Mullaney, a professional engineer, is recognized as the leading authority on the physics of bows and endows. He states that "The hand held bow has one characteristic that distinguishes it from a crossbow or any type of firearm. The internal ballistics are a function of the shooter, his or her physical geometry and capabilities, shooting form, consistency and reaction to stress and trauma. In the crossbow and firearms, the internal ballistics are fixed. The action of the shooter in triggering a release of energy does nothing more than initiate a process that is consistent and repetitive. The hand held bow is different. Every action of the shooter contributes something either positive or negative to the interior ballistic process. As the interior ballistics vary, so do the exterior ballistics. Shooting the hand held bow and arrow is much more complicated than aiming a fixed system of ballistics and touching off the energy discharge. The total energy to draw, hold and release the bow must come directly and unassisted from the shooter's muscle power."
Copies of the Mullaney Report can be obtained from Mr. Mullaney, Engineer, Writer, 8425 North Greenvale Rd., Milwaukee, WI 53217

THE MARLOW REPORT
The technical information on equipment contained in the "Marrow Report" was compiled by Roy S. Marlow and associates; titled "The Modem Hunting Crossbow-- A Study of it's Effectiveness Compared to the Hand Held Bow, 1989".
Roy S. Marlow's areas of expertise are in design, theoretical analysis, and experimental evaluation of structural and mechanical systems. He holds a BS degree in aerospace engineering, an MS degree in mechanical engineering, and an MBA degree in management with a concentration in the management of research and development activities. He is a member of several national engineering societies and scholastic fraternities, is active on industrial committees, and task groups, and has written widely on technical subjects. In 1984 he received the Eugene W. Jacobs Award, which is awarded annually by the American Mechanical Engineers for technical excellence.
The Marlow Report concludes that the crossbow is technically superior to the modem hand held bow in almost every category of comparison. Further, the report concludes that the crossbow is more similar to a fireman than a hand held bow and that crossbows should not be considered as archery equipment. The crossbow which is always cocked, shoulder held, shot from a rest, fired by a trigger and has over twice the effective range of a bow is closer to being a firearm than a hand held bow.
Copies of the Marrow Report can be obtained from R.S. Marlow & Associates, 12503 Chapel Bell, San Antonio, TX 78230

CORNELL UNIVERSITY SURVEY
A 1995 survey titled “Evaluation of Proposals for Change in Deer Hunting Regulation” conducted by Cornell University at the request of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation concluded that "hunters generally do not support the use of the crossbow."
When deer hunters were asked if they were in support of the use of crossbows during the regular firearms season three quarters of the respondents (75.5%) said their satisfaction would change. Of those, a majority (68.2%) said their satisfaction would decrease if the crossbow was allowed and most of the hunters (87.1%) said their satisfaction would greatly decrease.
Copies of the survey can be obtained from the Human Dimensions Research Unit, Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853-3001

NEW YORK CONSERVATION OFFICERS ASSOCIATION (NYCOA)
Although, the New York Conservation Officers Association (NYCOA) was against the inclusion of the crossbow in any NYS archery season or area for several years, they more recently have voted to take a stance of being “Neutral” on this issue.

The NYCOA Inc. can be contacted at 11053 Mill Road, East Bethany, NY 14054