By Ward Parker
TNUSA Directors Chairman

Hunters, especially bow hunters, have myriad opinions on all sorts of things such as baiting, length of season, quality deer management, etc., but no subject draws more lines in the sand than choice of equipment, especially the use of crossbows during bow season. Regardless of your opinion of using crossbows during archery season, bow hunters and bow hunting organizations should, at a minimum, welcome handicapped hunters into the bow hunting fold and let these individuals use crossbows during archery season.

To work to deny handicapped hunters from using crossbows during archery season isn’t very nice. Whatever the reason for attempting to deny handicapped hunters to hunt with crossbows, it doesn’t pass the taste test with me. I have heard all the arguments, pro and con, regarding the use of crossbows during archery season. The bottom-line as I see it is that, as a percentage of bow hunters, handicapped crossbow hunters would be a drop in the bucket. Their impact would be statistically insignificant.

Knowing that, I can’t for the life of me understand why some bow hunting organizations would be so adamantly opposed to allowing handicapped hunters from using crossbows during the archery season. My gut tells me that these organizations believe that by allowing handicapped hunters to use crossbows during the archery season that they would be opening the crossbow floodgates, meaning that other hunters would petition the state to also use crossbows during the archery season. Therefore, these organizations have drawn a line in the sand against regarding the use of crossbows in the archery season. That’s not good bow hunting politics and surely doesn’t cast a positive light on the brotherhood of hunters.

Were I a non-hunter and read that bow hunters would not allow a handicapped hunter to use a crossbow, I don’t believe my opinion of bow hunters would be to high. I would probably think that bow hunters are elitists who have no compassion for disabled hunters. If I were a bow hunting organization that’s not the impression I would want to leave with non-hunters. Yes, I am well aware that crossbows can be used during rifle season in some states. That’s not the point. Rifle season isn’t nearly as long as bow season. Moreover, for the guy or gal who is disabled and wants to hunt when deer are not as disturbed as during rifle season, bow season is that time, not to mention the fact that the weather then is usually more conducive to disabled hunters who often times have trouble with body temperature regulation.

Working to deny handicapped hunters from using a crossbow during archery season isn’t putting our best foot forward and welcoming other hunters into the fold. It is a self-serving position that isolates instead of showing goodwill and unity. Progressive bow hunters and bow hunting organizations realize handicapped hunters with crossbows are not a threat, but an opportunity to share the woods with fellow hunters who are not as physically blessed as others. They also know that allowing them to hunt is putting their best foot forward in the eyes of the non-hunting community. Let’s move forward as a hunting community, not backwards. Let’s welcome handicapped hunters with crossbows. They are fellow hunters who enjoy the woods just as much as bow hunters like you and me. Share the woods. It’s contagious.