NY 2025 - crossbows now archery implements for deer/bear hunting

[Erict]

Just recently, NY law was passed that makes a crossbow an archery implement (added to longbow, recurve and compound). This means that one can hunt the entire archery season with a crossbow as long as they have an archery license (and to get that license, you need proof of bowhunter education). Most of the details can be found HERE, and most of the hunting season maps can be found HERE.

For those wondering, for many years now, crossbows could be used to hunt during the "gun" deer seasons, and also during the last two weeks of the archery season, but only if you purchased a MUZZLELOADER privilege. Lots of politics involved with that initial decision.

NR hunting licenses in NY are OTC. NY issues a buck tag when purchasing a $100 NR hunting license (included buck tag, bear tag, most small game hunting), and you get an additional buck tag if you purchase a $30 archery or $30 muzzleloader privilege that are good for those seasons. Time will tell if this leads to any significant changes to deer take, pressure, license sales, etc.

Being that it was a late change, thought maybe you NR may find this info useful. Good luck.

 

[dtrkyman]

Illinois did it years ago now, soooo many guys using them. I managed properties for a group of guys, they all switched immediately and their success rate went way up!

These guys were not bowhunters though, just guys with money that liked to deer hunt.

A lot of my former guide friends working for outfitters have seen the same and they are saying the quality of their clients hunting abilities has fallen way off!

 

[Swamp Fox]

okay, i'll say it ---

there goes the neighborhood.

 

[craigrh13]

Look at Ohio. 75% of all archery hunters use arrow guns now. It's sad, but it's society now days.

 

[Fetty Wapiti]

They will cause less damage to archery hunting than modern compounds have already done.

 

[Swamp Fox]

They will cause less damage to archery hunting than modern compounds have already done.

 

[CMF]

They will cause less damage to archery hunting than modern compounds have already done.

I tend to agree, looking at MS, but I'm sure it depends on the state/region.

Mississippi made them legal years ago, and I heard alot of guys going out to get them when it was new; nearly all of them were gun hunters and didn't have a bow previously. After a couple of years, I know very few people who hunt with a crossbow. My fil has two sitting up untouched for the last 5yrs at least. Most of them still don't hunt the archery seasons for the same reasons they didn't before, It's warm during archery, snakes and mosquitoes are out, brush is thick, the rut is during gun season, etc.

I can definitely see it being different in states like KS, where the rut is in archery season and weather is better. My son just shot a doe here on public in KS yesterday with a crossbow. We've only seen a couple of hunters so far, and they had compound bows.

 

[coyoteman]

They will cause less damage to archery hunting than modern compounds have already done.

Haha time to put down the crack pipe, brotha

 

[LostArra]

I tend to agree, looking at MS, but I'm sure it depends on the state/region.

Mississippi made them legal years ago, t's warm during archery, snakes and mosquitoes are out, brush is thick, the rut is during gun season, etc.

I can definitely see it being different in states like KS, where the rut is in archery season and weather is better. My son just shot a doe here on public in KS yesterday with a crossbow. We've only seen a couple of hunters so far, and they had compound bows.

Any state G&F that puts gun season during the rut is "managing" for opportunity not age structure or mature bucks. Allowing the crossbow during archery is consistent with increasing opportunity.

I've just never understood the attraction other than the moment of the shot. At reasonable distances they are deadly but they are also heavy, loud and cumbersome to carry in the woods and almost dangerous to maneuver in a treestand.

Is there any crossbow state that has seen an actual decline in deer numbers? I realize the archery harvest numbers start swinging toward crossbow but is it affecting the numbers overall? Oklahoma is concerned with opportunity (gun during rut and crossbows legal in archery season and I'm surprised they haven't allowed Claymore mines for archery season) but the deer numbers remain high.

 

[MallardSX2]

Crossbows in archery season = boys playing in girls sports.

Crossbows have RUINED archery season (almost entirely) nationwide.

Said it....unapologetically.

 

[HuntHarder]

Thank god Az went the other way. They made it harder to get a crossgun permit.

 

[LostArra]

Crossbows in archery season = boys playing in girls sports.

Crossbows have RUINED archery season (almost entirely) nationwide.

Said it....unapologetically.

How has your archery season been ruined?

I tried a friend's crossbow for a morning treestand sit. Heavy, loud, cumbersome, borderline dangerous in the stand but deadly. I killed a doe but had no desire to use it again.

 

[MallardSX2]

How has your archery season been ruined?

Your kidding right?

 

[Smtn10pt]

PA crossbow buck kill has overtaken regular bow kill. Since crossbows are now being considered an archery weapon this will lead to shorter seasons for all archers. PA archery bear went from 3 weeks last year to one week this year, its not because the vertical bow guys were wiping them out.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

How has your archery season been ruined?

Someone else is now out there hunting who wasn’t doing it before.

And, just like him, they are using a modernized piece of ancient technology. It has slightly different strengths and weaknesses. That’s all.

His complaint is about the same level of legitimacy as it is for a little kid playing on the public playground and not wanting other little kids to use it at the same time.

 

[2Stamp]

Someone else is now out there hunting who wasn’t doing it before.

And, just like him, they are using a modernized piece of ancient technology. It has slightly different strengths and weaknesses. That’s all.

His complaint is about the same level of legitimacy as it is for a little kid playing on the public playground and not wanting other little kids to use it at the same time.

How has your archery season been ruined?

Two anecdotes from my POV (work for for an outfitter and also in an archery dept).

- My outfitter (who guides a lot of our archery elk hunters) has seen more misplaced shots and crappy penetration from crossbows than compounds. He hasn't been really impressed.
- The two most used reasons for guys getting a x-bow is 1) my shoulder is shot and I can't pull my bow anymore (I completely get that). 2) "I'm tired of the elk hanging up at 70 yds and want to shoot them".

Personal note, as an archery tech they are an epic pain to work on, they are always breaking, go through strings like crazy, guys treat them like rifles and blow them apart while not paying attention to where the limbs/cams are. The people that shoot x-bows are the most ignorant and rude customers I've had.

 

[wind gypsy]

Someone else is now out there hunting who wasn’t doing it before.

And, just like him, they are using a modernized piece of ancient technology. It has slightly different strengths and weaknesses. That’s all.

His complaint is about the same level of legitimacy as it is for a little kid playing on the public playground and not wanting other little kids to use it at the same time.

Other kids coming to the playground dont make some of the best features of the playground disappear.

Xbow inclusion provides additional opportunities for other people to be in the woods, and there is something good about that. But if you expect every hunter to embrace having more competition and fewer good bucks on the landscape for the benefit of people who didn't care about archery season enough to learn how to shoot a compound (not hard), its not going to happen.

 

[BigDewberry]

After a couple of years, I know very few people who hunt with a crossbow. My fil has two sitting up untouched for the last 5yrs at least. Most of them still don't hunt the archery seasons for the same reasons they didn't before, It's warm during archery, snakes and mosquitoes are out, brush is thick, the rut is during gun season, etc.

I'll add my experience in Texas to this. Archery regulations are wide open and guys still don't want to hunt in the heat and bugs.I can fill my tags practically alone with zero pressure.

Last year I went to some public land that allows deer hunting the weekend after archery open and was the only one. Allowing crossbows didn't seem to change behavior of hunters here.

 

[wind gypsy]

MS and TX are a far cry from NY and the upper midwest. We have the opposite situation - Firearm seasons in November, some into december when its freakin cold. Archery seasons with a lot of 30-70 degree temps when it's pleasant to be outside.

 

[BigDewberry]

MS and TX are a far cry from NY and the upper midwest. We have the opposite situation - Firearm seasons in November, some into december when its freakin cold. Archery seasons with a lot of 30-70 degree temps when it's pleasant to be outside.

I would love temps in the 30-70. Thats a cold rifle season for us. A 30 degree day is stay at home the roads and schools are closed weather.

I could see how guys would get upset with more hunters pressuring deer during the nice times to hunt.