CROSSBOW ISSUE THAT REALLY NEEDS TO BE STOPPED, OR CUT THE LENGTH OF REGULAR BOWS ALSO.

18: Crossbows In 2014 the Wisconsin Legislature established a crossbow season for deer hunting to help recruit new hunters and provide additional deer hunting opportunity at a more clement time of the year. The legislation required the crossbow season run concurrent with the archery season for a minimum of two years to analyze the results and granted the DNR the authority and responsibility to adjust the crossbow season after the two-year trial. The Legislature recognized crossbow technology would continue to advance and today some crossbows already rival shotguns with slugs in both range and accuracy. The data is in. Crossbows did not produce the anticipated increase in deer hunter numbers. The long season did create a dramatic shift of both gun hunters and bowhunters into the crossbow season where their odds (success rate) of harvesting a buck are approaching approximately 50% greater than those of either gun hunters or bowhunters in their respective seasons. This imbalance and the increased harvest of bucks before the traditional gun season has created frustration, concern and a further breakdown of Wisconsin’s deer hunting traditions. In order to give all deer hunters an equal chance to harvest a buck, and to return the exclusive advantage of a long crossbow season to the disabled and elderly, it has been suggested to shorten the season for the ablebodied to reflect the effectiveness of the weapon based on harvest data. 18. Do you support the DNR adjusting the length of the crossbow season, for those that are not disabled or elderly, to better reflect harvest success rates of bucks similar to the gun season and archery season? 18. YES____ NO___