He's worried about "safety considerations" with xbows? Haven't seen anyone shot or killed with one yet in VA. Have with ML. Wait till ML use requires orange in archery and then see which causes problems.
It is good to see so much discussion and passion about the loss of a week of the Archery Season to the ML season west of the Blue Ridge. As the Hunting Vice President of the VBA, I represented bowhunters via individual discussions with VDGIF staff and multiple trips to VDGIF Board Meetings where I spoke about this issue. I can say that many listened with interest and agreement, but in the end it was the vote that counted and the vote was against us.
I think the trend driving encroachments on the archery season and the imposition of other weapons (Xbow) into the season are diven by the fact that VDGIF revenues are down because the number of hunters is declining. As a result, the Agency will do all in its power to raise and conserve funds. That is not a bad thing because as they lose funds they will need to cut back services and may even have to cancel some fishing/hunting seasons. However, all improvements should not come at the expense of the bowhunter.
The VBA has enjoyed much success over the years with the VDGIF and we are committed to continued engagement. The VBA has already reached out to individual Commissioners and will pursue an increased proactive strategy that will place VBA proposals on the agenda in addition to those that get on the agenda and cause us to react. Some ideas are already in the works and this will be the focus of the next VBA Hunting Commitee meeting in January. My recommendtion to all VA Bowhunters is to join a VBA Club or join the VBA as a affilliate bowhunter. Numbers do matter when it comes to representing an organization.
I am not much of a blogger (job, travel, etc.) and will likely not contribute more until we have developed VBA recommendations to the VDGIF. If you want to be part of that process, join us! If you have suggestions, visit our web site. In the meantime, enjoy the woods and be safe.
For your information, below is the text of my entry to the VDGIF web site on the issue. And, I used these thoughts as the basis of my expanded verbal remarks to the full VDGIF Board of Commissioners.
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This entry is provided in my capacity as the Hunting Vice President for the Virginia Bowhunters Association and was authorized by officials from the various VBA Clubs at a meeting in Harrisonburg on Sep 23. It is the formal position of the organization that represents hundreds of VBA members and by extension also represents the views of thousands of hunters who have purchased archery licenses.
This proposal is not supported because it results in the loss of a week of the early archery season. There have been other encroachments on the season since it was established, most notably a loss of time to the blackpowder season and the addition of crossbows – a device with safety considerations not consistent with the archery experience.
The loss of this week reduces the precious time an archer has in the woods to hunt deer that are not yet alerted by the sound of gunfire. The VBA was instrumental in working with the VDGIF years ago to establish an early archery season and one of the primary reasons cited by both parties was the opportunity for hunters to pursue game before they were “spooked” by gunfire and forced off their normal movement patterns. Approval of this proposal would obviously change that dynamic for a significant percentage of the early archery season.
Additionally, this proposal would impact one of the most important weeks in the early archery season because it involves a prime week when the weather begins to cool. The early season, especially the first two weeks, is frequently marked by high temperatures that make hunting difficult and that also make timely recovery of game critical lest meat spoil. Moving the blackpowder season into the last part of the early archery season encroaches on the most favorable weather week of the period and significantly changes the quality of the archery-only experience.
Adding a week to the early part of the season to compensate for the loss of the week to blackpowder would be better than nothing, but it is far from ideal because it would be added to September when heat is an even greater factor. For this reason, we oppose that option now as a viable alternative.
Our position is that the other archery-related proposals recommended this year should be accepted and this one should be rejected. The two years before the next revision period can be used to judge the overall impact of the changes implemented and the VBA can work with the VDGIF to examine alternatives that will help manage the heard west of the Blue Ridge and at the same time preserve the unique archery hunting experience.
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I would say that I am not in favor of the extra week of ML because I don't want to see any more deer being shot than there have been in the past. I could care less about conflicts between hunters using different methods because they are all being greedy. There are a lot of woods out there and a ton of deer. It all comes down to luck in the end no matter what your weapon is. If you are convinced that you couldn't shoot a deer with your bow because someone else went out there and shot them all or scared them all away with their M.L., then you have some major issues, much like the guy with the bow org.