Crossbows approved for archery hunting RICHMOND
June 25th, 2005 by Administrator
Crossbows approved for archery hunting RICHMOND – Virginia hunters won’t need a doctor’s note to hunt with a crossbow this coming autumn.
Thursday afternoon the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries’ board of directors approved a proposal to allow hunters to use the weapons during the state’s archery seasons. The new regulation will also allow hunters to use crossbows during gun seasons.
Only one board member, Richard Railey Jr. of Courtland, voted against the proposal, prompted by General Assembly legislation that received nearly unanimous support this past winter.
The board’s vote followed three months of debate, which wasn’t as contentious as it has been in other states that have tackled the crossbow issue in recent years.
Some Virginia bowhunters expressed concern about having to share the woods with more hunters during the traditionally low-key early archery season. Some said crossbows offer an unfair advantage and don’t belong in archery season, or at least in Virginia’s early archery season.
Crossbow supporters countered by arguing that the weapons have similar capabilities to the compound bows most archery hunters use.
Department biologists also said expanding the rules would increase recreational opportunities for hunters without adversely impacting the state’s booming deer herd.
Officials said the department received comments from nearly 2,300 citizens. Of those, 177 spoke or wrote letters or e-mails arguing against crossbows. The proposal drew support from 2,108 people. Of those, roughly 1,600 signed a single petition.
David Proctor of Linville was the only citizen to take a strong stand against crossbows while addressing the board at the meeting.
Executive vice president of the Virginia Bowhunters Association, Proctor said he and the group are not entirely opposed to crossbows. Proctor had hoped the weapons would be approved for use only during the late archery season, in December. He said that would have given the department and bowhunters a better idea of the potential impact.
“It’s not going to bring in more hunters,” Proctor predicted of the new rule. “It’s just going to move hunters from one season to another.”
Johnny Grace of Mint Springs-based Parker Bows, spoke in support of the proposal, as he had at public meetings throughout the comment period.
Grace said accident and hunter success rates are comparable among users of crossbows and conventional archery tackle. He didn’t argue against the idea that the new regulation would lure more hunters to the woods during the early archery season.
“To that I say what my kids say to me — well, duh,” Grace said. “Aren’t more hunters are a good thing?”
States that have recently eased crossbow regulations have seen participation in archery seasons immediately increase 10 to 15 percent. Virginia currently has about 65,000 licensed bowhunters, about 20 percent of the state’s estimated 300,000 deer hunters.
Archery season crossbow users will be required to purchase a special crossbow license, which will cost $12.50 for residents and $25.50 for non-residents, the same price as the special archery license.
Virginia’s early archery season opens Oct.1. The special urban archery season, during which crossbows may be used, opens Sept. 17 in 18 designated localities
By Mark Taylor
981-3395
The Roanoke Times