New Crossbow Law
There seems to be a fair amount of confusion around the
recently passed crossbow legislation, which allows for the use of crossbows
during the October archery season and the fall season on wild turkey. To help
answer some of these questions, here are the facts as provided by a review of
the legislation and feedback from Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.
Background Information on the Law
Governor Janet Mills expanded hunting opportunities by
signing into law Legislative Document 27 (LD 27), "An Act to Allow the Use
of a Crossbow for a Limited Duration during the October Archery Season on Deer
and the Fall Season on Wild Turkey." Sponsored by Rep. Tim Theriault
(R-79), the bills intent is to expand crossbow hunting opportunities during
archery season for three years beginning in 2020. There is currently some
uncertainty as to whether the law will allow the use of crossbows during the
expanded archery seasons.
In my discussion with IFW, it was explained that there are
still some aspects of the law that will require clarification before fall 2020.
In fact, the legislature may make modifications to the current legislation language
when they reconvene in January. Possible changes include clarifying whether crossbows
can be used in expanded archery zones during the September season and a
discussion on whether some crossbow hunters would be allowed to shoot an
antlerless deer during the October archery season without an any-deer permit.
From my conversation with IFW, it appears that hunters may want to wait before
running out to invest in a crossbow until they realize exactly what the state
is selling us.
New Laws Purpose
The purpose of LD 27 is to provide
additional opportunities for hunters to pursue deer. Currently, the archery
season on deer is four weeks long, and the average whitetail take during a
season is 500 deer taken by approximately 10,000 hunters. This is obviously an abysmal
success rate. IFW feels that the use of crossbows during the October archery
season will not markedly increase harvest rates on bucks or result in negative
consequences for the deer population. Additionally, research studies, conducted
by states who have implemented similar laws, have shown that allowing more
crossbow hunting would increase hunter recruitment numbers, adding more new
hunters to the sport. Overall, more crossbow hunting is good for our wildlife,
our hunters and our state.
Law Not Popular with Everyone
Despite the positive impact this law could potentially have,
not all of the state’s sporting groups were willing to support the bill and it
was opposed by the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, the Maine Professional Guides
Association and the Maine Bowhunters Association. Fortunately, the hunters of
this state rallied, during the legislative hearing, to assist in making the
bill a law.
The Dilemma
I feel that this new
law is a step in the right direction, with crossbows having full inclusion in the firearm seasons in
26 states and legal during archery and firearms
seasons, in some capacity, in 23 other states, the time for Maine to progressively move forward and allow the
use of crossbows during the October archery season and the fall season on wild turkey makes
sense. What does not make sense to me is that the law is only, at this point,
valid for three years and that some aspects of the law still require
clarification. Given that a crossbow is a sizeable investment and that IFW
requires a special course to use this weapon during hunting season and that
sportsmen will need to practice to operate this weapon safely and effectively
to harvest game, limiting the law to three years is badly flawed logic. It is
my belief that because of the current three year limitation, few hunters will
take up the crossbow until the law is finalized and implemented to last for
good.
Currently Allowed Crossbow Special Usage
in Maine
Only those hunters 65 years of age or older or hunters with a
permanent disability, who have been issued a special handicap permit, may use a
crossbow to hunt deer during the archery season. This is of course as long as
they have the required permit, license and have successfully completed the
required crossbow safety education courses.
I Own a Crossbow
Despite my reservation
with the new law, I am a crossbow owner. Though I have only had my crossbow for
two years, I have been thoroughly impressed with the capabilities of this
impressive weapon. The TenPoint Turbo GT ($999) fires a bolt at 360 feet per
second and comes with almost everything needed (bolts, scope and quiver) to
start hunting immediately. My model also includes the Accudraw which allows the
shooter to pull back the bow limbs with a hand crank mechanism instead of
having to pull back the draw string by hand or by using a special pulley device.
Given the power of this weapon, I find the Accudraws mechanical assistance
mandatory. In future articles, I plan to talk more about using a crossbow for
hunting in Maine to support others who are looking to explore the capabilities
of this weapon.
I would like to thank Nate Webb of
Inland Fisheries and Wildlife for his assistance in helping to make sure that
the information provided in this article was as accurate as possible.
