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A Heated Debate on Cross Bow Hunting
from: Maxx Sports GuidesCross bow hunting has long been a part of a bitter debate between hunters. Ultimately, the hunters should have the power to decide their own fate, within reason, that is. The problem with the cross bow hunting debate is, for whatever reason, it's a debate that only gets more and more heated between members of the bow hunting community. Perhaps we can examine why cross bow hunting, and cross bow hunters have been vilified in the sport of bow hunting.
It comes down to the opinion of some bow hunters that cross bow hunting offers hunters an unfair advantage over traditional bow hunters. The blend of bow and gunstock has been a matter of contention for many years, in the hunting community, and it seems to get worse every year. The real question to be addressed seems to be whether the cross bow is a bow of a different type or a hybrid that should be used during gun season.
Ohio has allowed crossbow usage during bow season since 1976, which has certainly provided ample time to study trends and results of cross bow hunting being allowed during bow season. For that reason statistics have been complied using Ohio statistics. Current information from the Ohio Department of Wildlife (ODOW) for the year 2001 states:
* 155,000 registered hunters participated in bow season hunting.
* 70,000 of them practiced crossbow hunting exclusively.
* 55,000 registered hunters used a vertical bow.
* 30,000 registered hunters used both a vertical bow practiced cross bow hunting.
Senior Citizen Hunters who received free hunting licenses:
* 4,000 used a cross bow
* 1,000 used a vertical bow
* 1,000 used both
The success rates were identical for both cross bow hunters and vertical bow hunters at 14% each.
An independent source took the numbers above and compared them, and his result was that the numbers did not reflect the actual percentages for cross bow hunting and other bow hunting. The actual percentage according to the independent source was a 23% success rate for cross bow hunting and a 21% success rate for bow hunters.
This seems quite realistic, and appears to be accurate and indicates that crossbows are more effective than other bows, but not by enough to warrant all the controversy surrounding the issue. So, the debate seems to be mostly another false debate.
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