The biggest issue with Xbow hunters is the weapon always winds up as a legal method of take during regular archery season. Then you have people (kids, women, seniors, lazy archers who don't practice and can't hit shit) who start harvesting and driving up success rates in areas where they have been even for years/decades. You would be amazed how inefficient they are past 50 yards. The KE falls off of a cliff. I know several make drop charts for their sights and it is hilarious beyond 50.
Once you start increasing success rates DNR (in area of lower recruitment or animals that do not recruit as fast as white tails) has to start limiting tags or opportunity. So you have all of the standard vertical bow people who practice to be proficient so they have more opportunity to hunt instead of rifle/alternative seasons, who now are SOL because crossbow companies decided to lobby and sue to have Xbows become a legal method of take so they can make more sales revenue.
If it was possible they remained a legal weapon only during alt/rifle that's one conversation. It is another if someone was forced to take a standardized test or exam in order to use one during archery. However, the manufacturers have discovered the neat trick of ''archery seasons without Xbows is discrimination to anyone who can't draw one, aim properly or is too young/old/weak/etc.,.'' where they can effectively litigate them into legality. So it becomes easier to just ban them.