JF Griffin - Index

JF Griffin - magazine - Index

Crossbows:
Coming to a Treestand Near You?
By Carole Kandoth, Principal Biologist
The crossbow is a popular hunting tool
throughout the United States. Since 2002,
eight states have added crossbow hunting.
New Jersey hunters have shown an increased
interest in hunting with crossbows based on
requests to Fish and Wildlife to add them as a
legal sporting arm. New Jersey now has a proposal
to expand the opportunity to use crossbows
for deer hunting to all hunters beginning
in the 2009-2010 deer seasons. Crossbows are
NOT legal for the 2008-09 deer seasons except
for hunters issued a physically-challenged
hunting permit.
The Fish and Game Council, which sets
Garden State hunting regulations via the Game
Code, acknowledges this growing interest in
crossbows, as well as an objection to crossbows
among some hunters. Fish and Wildlife’s role
Did you know that
only two states in the
country do not allow
the use of a crossbow
for hunting? Did you
know that only four
states place an age
restriction on crossbow
use? Did you know
that New Jersey is
one of 17 states
that allow physically
challenged hunters to
use crossbows? Did you
know that a change is
in the works?
is to provide the Fish and Game Council with
scientific data upon which to make regulatory
decisions.
To that end, Fish and Wildlife conducted
an opinion survey of resident hunting license
holders about their preference regarding crossbow
hunting. The report to the Council also
compared the capabilities of crossbows and
compound bows, plus reviewed the experience
of other states that hunt with this equipment. In
addition, Fish and Wildlife biologists examined
the current research and literature to identify
crossbow misconceptions.
For the survey, Fish and Wildlife biologists
contacted a random selection of resident
sportsmen and sportswomen representing all
New Jersey hunters. Each license-holder type
– i.e., all-around, archery, firearm, etc. – was
6 | New Jersey Fish & Wildlife Digest Buy your license or permit online at August 2008
2008 Hunting and Trapping Issue www.NJFishandWildlife.com