Bowhunters unite to abolish 40 lb draw weight

[qzilla]

For that matter I think a .22 rimfire can kill and elk. Does that mean we should allow it?

I also do not think it is right to shoot exotics. I simply pointed out that just because they cannot hunt deer does not mean that they cannot bowhunt.

My friends was a die hard bowhunter and I did say lets find another route. So yes I would.

Last time I checked no one was granted a "life is fair" card when they were born. What all of us have in common is that we live in a free country where we have OPPORTUNITY to do many things that we love. I know of very few people that cannot hunt because they cannot draw 40#'s. Now it is a shame and I truly feel for those that cannot do this because of an injury or a disability. That just stinks, no other way around it. The kids though can and will draw 40#'s. Some may need to work harder and for those it will be more rewarding.

Also the other problem is that you can just pick and choose and say oh this person can do this and others have to do something else. Nothing works like that for obvious reasons. I just do not see how lowering the draw weight or removing it all together makes for a better sport?

[Cotton]

Amazaing, your friend can draw a 35# compound and you still say tuff get over it Dude! Perhaps you have no clue what a 35# compound is capable of?

[LostHawg]

I think the focus should be on whether or not the weight is adequate, not whether or not the person operating the weight is adequate.

If that were the case, we could probably weed out 40% of bowhunters right now.

[qzilla]

Amazaing, your friend can draw a 35# compound and you still say tuff get over it Dude! Perhaps you have no clue what a 35# compound is capable of?

It is no wonder people frown on bowhunting.

Do you know little penetration you would get if you accidentally shot a whitetail buck in the shoulder blade or in the upper leg bone? This is a killing shot with most compound bows yet, at 35# it would do nothing but get infected.

[Cotton]

I have yet to see any bow penetrate a shoulder bone including a 100 pound Mathews. I hear about it all the time but in the 30 years I've been bow hunting I've never seen it. Besides you just answered my question, you don't have a clue but that's OK I didn't either until I tested them and saw them blow threw 150# boars.

It is no wonder people frown on bowhunting.

Much like long range gun shooting. Out of all the tracking jobs I've done on gun shot deer most are shot past 150 yards. Should there be a limit on how far you shoot at a deer with a gun? After all it would cut down on the wounded deer and make for a better sport.

[Walker]

A bad shot with my .375H&H Magnum is just as bad as a bad shot with my 30-06.
A bad shot with a #70 bow is just as bad as a bad shot with a #35 bow.

[Cotton]

Amen Walker! Otherwise I'd just have a couple of lap dogs and not tracking dogs!

[qzilla]

Besides you just answered my question, you don't have a clue but that's OK I didn't either until I tested them and saw them blow threw 150# boars.

Much like long range gun shooting. Out of all the tracking jobs I've done on gun shot deer most are shot past 150 yards. Should there be a limit on how far you shoot at a deer with a gun? After all it would cut down on the wounded deer and make for a better sport.

Yeah, no clue. Lets see, I harvest about a minimum of 150 whitetail a year and probably 200-300 pigs. No experience whatsoever.

There is no point in arguing it does no good. My vote is no and that is how I feel. If my vote counts then so be it. If not my kids will still not shoot at game until they pull at least 40 lbs.

Oh and for the other guys, yeah you can wound game with anything. Bad stuff happens on a regular basis. Why decrease your odds? Sure you can wound something with a rifle but, you have a lot more forgiveness than with a bow. With a rifle a little too high or too forward or too far back and you still have the shock and energy. With a bow you have to be precision. You cannot tell me you think your odds are as good with a .222 as with a .300 weatherby. Bullet placement is the most important thing but, it does not help to increase your odds where you can.

[Birddog]

Mesquitecountry, If you are caught with a rimfire in your stand in deer season......You will be fined, The gun will be confuscated, and you will see the judge..It is legal to have one in camp, it is probably legal to have one in you auto, comeing and going. But I can tell you for fact it's not legal to have one in your stand during deer season..

Don't have to believe me.. Call 1-800-792-1112 TPWD

[Devin]

Among those opposed to reducing the draw weight limit, I see almost everyone admitting 30#'s is adequate for Texas game, but then support retaining the 40# limit as pretty much simply a means of restricting bowhunting numbers. As Tracy said, the reason for an equipment limitation should simply be based on what is adequate to cleanly kill Texas game animals.

Also, as an LSBA member, I am a little concerned at what I see here from the EC members. Other than Tracy (and Joey), I see either indifference or opposition to a rule change that's obviously popular with many and one I believe would be beneficial to promoting new members while retaining the intent of an archery season. I hope that there's more open-mindedness towards this when it’s presented to the EC than what there appears to be. While I understand there are long-term and far reaching implications of such a change and it is not an emergency currently, I do know (and I believe the EC knows) there's pending legislation being “molded” right now that will have a significant impact on archery season. If I were on the opposed side of that legislation, (although I'm not) I'd certainly be looking for bargaining chips and I think a proposition from the LSBA for expanding youth/woman/elderly opportunities during the archery season by lowering the required draw weight would be a pretty decent ante in the game soon to be at hand.

[Africanbowhunter]

Parents still have the option of placing family limitations on younger hunters Not so with older hunters whose time on earth is short and days afield with a bow even shorter.

If i had to wait for my grand daughter w ho has stopped grown at 4'9" and 83# she would never be able to bowhunt as 40# is more than she can handle. god knows she tries % tries.

parent still have the final words on taking shot,or passing on the shot, shot selecting right equipment, tuning & honing the heads so they will produce a good clean kill.


Compare the young hunter with a parent mentor to the once a year bowhunter guy who goes into Wal* Mart on Friday Night gets his Pay check cashed, gets a SIX Pack of beer, pack of ciggys, an archery stamp 3 arrows , a pack of 3 Cheap Broadheads( made in China), and Saturday morning is out hunting with a bow he has not touched since last fall.?


The mentored child hopefully will be guided by an experienced mentor and guide who will hold the child's long term interest to his or her heart.


In Response to Dena's comment some detailed loss studies do not show youths to loose any more or less deer but a ATA or ACC Study few year ago in Wisc ( maybe thru or in DEER & DEER HUNTING MAGAZINE) found 58 year old male with 17 years of experience was the most likely person loose a Whitetailed deer with a bow.


Parent have the final say when Junior or Missy can hunt and with what. The update inthe regulation stillpermit the parent the final say so.

Here is a Pix of Jeff when he was 6 with a flying her turkey she shot out of the air with his 30# Howatt Hi Speed Bow and a bear Razorhead BH Arrow cut the neck in 1/2. Jeff was hooked for life after that harvest. Took me 25 year later for me to kill my first turkey.

Tink

[Walker]

Also, as an LSBA member, I am a little concerned at what I see here from the EC members. Other than Tracy, I see either indifference or opposition to a rule change that obvioulsy popular with many and one I believe would be beneficial to promoting new members while retaining the intent of an archery season. I hope that there's more open-mindedness towards this when it’s presented to the EC than what there appears to be. While I understand there are long-term and far reaching implications of such a change and it is not an emergency currently, I do know (and I believe the EC knows) there's pending legislation being “molded” right now that will have a significant impact on archery season. If I were on the opposed side of that legislation, (although I'm not) I'd certainly be looking for bargaining chips and I think a proposition from the LSBA for expanding youth/woman/elderly opportunities during the archery season by lowering the required draw weight would be a pretty decent ante in the game soon to be at hand.

I'm not a LSBA member (probably should be) but in every organization I am a member of the membership can move on the floor, second, discuss, and vote on an issue and mandate to the EC if themotion passes. Is it not this way in LSBA??

[qzilla]

Among those opposed to reducing the draw weight limit, I see almost everyone admitting 30#'s is adequate for Texas game, but then support retaining the 40# limit as pretty much simply a means of restricting bowhunting numbers. As Tracy said, the reason for an equipment limitation should simply be based on what is adequate to cleanly kill Texas game animals.

Also, as an LSBA member, I am a little concerned at what I see here from the EC members. Other than Tracy, I see either indifference or opposition to a rule change that's obviously popular with many and one I believe would be beneficial to promoting new members while retaining the intent of an archery season. I hope that there's more open-mindedness towards this when it’s presented to the EC than what there appears to be. While I understand there are long-term and far reaching implications of such a change and it is not an emergency currently, I do know (and I believe the EC knows) there's pending legislation being “molded” right now that will have a significant impact on archery season. If I were on the opposed side of that legislation, (although I'm not) I'd certainly be looking for bargaining chips and I think a proposition from the LSBA for expanding youth/woman/elderly opportunities during the archery season by lowering the required draw weight would be a pretty decent ante in the game soon to be at hand.

I would like to clarify on my part what I said. I believe a kill can be made with less than 40#'s. I do not think it is ethical to try and perform such an act.

The other problem is not some of your guys kids. I know many of them can probably out shoot me and they practice like crazy and are very capable of harvesting an animal. For those kids, elders, ladies or whoever falls into that category I do feel for them.

The problem is that the same guy Tink talked about. He is going to buy anything his kids can pull back, 3 arrows that he found or bought at wally world and some mechanical heads so he does not have to spend the time tuning a bow and then let his kid start shooting at game.

I would say this example is far more common than those that should be allowed to shoot. When we are talking about changin a law it affect everyone and not just your child, family member or kid. I cannot imagine that eveyone thinks over all for EVERYONE that wants to they should be allowed to shoot less than 40#'s. It might be ok for your child but for the masses it is a mistake and in many cases it will not be humane or ethical.

And hey Tink,

I know you are a great guy and seen and done everything! I know you do a lot for the sport and for kids obviously. But, I have a questions.

Why was a 6 yr old shooting at a flying turkey? That does not seem ethical to me? I am sure there is an explanation but, I had to ask.

[Cotton]

Yeah, no clue. Lets see, I harvest about a minimum of 150 whitetail a year and probably 200-300 pigs.

OK, how many were with a bow under 40 pounds?

qzilla, I remember a thread awhile back were this guy shot a real nice buck with a gun at an unbelievable range. He was on top of a hill and the buck was way off in a mesquite flat. Man he was getting raked across the coals for taking such an unethical shot! Why did he decrease his odds? Talk came up about how long it took for the bullet to get there and how that deer could have moved and been wounded. I figured up the time for gun to target and it came out to be comparable to a 30-yard bow shot at 300fps. Point I made on that thread was if he and his weapon were capable of making the shot then it was an ethical shot. Same thing applies to lower poundage bows the hunter has to know their limitations.

To quote myself

My point is that everyone is focusing on "Kids" for me it's more about adults. In reality it shouldn't be about either and only about whether or not a bow under 40# can ethically take Texas game. If a bow below a 40# draw can do the job then the law should be revamped if not then it should stay the same. The added bonus would be more folks both young, old and some in-between participating in bow hunting Texas game animals.

The problem is that the same guy Tink talked about. He is going to buy anything his kids can pull back, 3 arrows that he found or bought at wally world and some mechanical heads so he does not have to spend the time tuning a bow and then let his kid start shooting at game.

Those same people are going to do that at 40 pounds, they will have their kids out there with a rifle before then that may not of seen a range in years.

qzilla, got ya down as a "No".

[qzilla]

Point I made on that thread was if he and his weapon were capable of making the shot then it was an ethical shot. Same thing applies to lower poundage bows the hunter has to know their limitations.

To me 40#'s is pretty light but, realistic.

If I had attempted that shot with a .222 remington would it still be ok? No.
Do I do it on a regular basis? No. I do not even recommend it and I will never post another story like that again as I feel I should not have. That is why I never updated with the rest of the year.

While I feel that I could make it and I knew the conditions were right, I would not condone that. That was a terrible example on my part and I regret it.