Annual DNR Spring Hearing. Any Ideas?

[diesel]

What about look a Ohio they let anyone hunt with a crossbow, the deer herds is growing. What difference does it make how a Deer is taken. I'm going to shoot 1 or 2 Deer. Why does it matter if I use a crossbow, longbow, shotgun, or muzzle loader. These weapons are all safer than using a high powered rifle.
Now as far as money how much money would be added to the state if crossbows could be used ?
Safety, Would there be less hunters out during gun season because they already killed their Deer ?
What are they afraid of ? That crossbow hunters will kill all the Deer ?
Its a lot easyer to kill a Deer with a gun does that mean we shouuld not allow people to hunt with guns.
Its time they grow up and get over it.
My 2 cents

[wabi]

Bob,
Go to the hearing and speak up! Tell them exactly how you feel. Is there any justification in loosing even one hunter (you) just because of someone else's ego?
Is there any email address forum members could use to start a campaign to help? Or a phone number we could call to speak out?

[Lucky Lar]

diesel said it all! Wisconsin is such a ridiculess state with all their rules. The DNR cries there is to many deer but they make everything so complicated. A few years ago muzzleloaders was looked down on, now look how popular it is getting. The same would happen with crossbows if it was ever legalized.A couple of years ago the DNR did ask the congress if they would like crossbows and it was voted down by a big number. The rules are so complcated a hunter has to be a surveyer and lawyer to put a couple of gallons of corn on the ground. At the last bear hunters associasion meeting the secratary of the DNR said it is on his agenda to stop all baiting of deer.

[DJH]

The key is to organize, Crossbow Fans. You must actively seek out those who support the crossbow and then get them to join the Wisconsin State Crossbow organization. The organization doesn’t have to meet on a monthly basis, but it must exist in some form and have an active leadership. We have done just that in Minnesota. We currently have over 250 members signed up. Now truth be told, this organization is just like most others, 95% of the people just paid their dues and 5% of the people are doing the work. But that’s okay and we make that very plain with every mailing we send out to our members. Just by having their name on the list as a paid member, they are helping to expand the crossbow hunting opportunity in Minnesota, besides we need cash flow to complete our mailings and fund our outings into the public.

How are we doing after just one year in Minnesota? Last year we had a booth at the MN Game Fair in Anoka to recruit new members. It was a great success. More recently we found sympathetic legislators and supported their introduced of a bill in the House of Representatives by going to the hearing and testifying. By the time it ran the gauntlet it was smaller that we wanted, but it still opened up a forty-five day crossbow season (November 1 – December 15). Next year we will go for age 50 and over and then the next for the entire archery season.

The thing that really caught the attention of the legislators, I believe, is when one of the antagonists of the bill asked me just how many members does our crossbow club have. When I responded with 257, his eyes widened. When one considers that the anti-crossbow camp (Minnesota Bowhunters Inc) has less than 400 members, I believe that gave the legislators cause for serious thought about the number of crossbow supporters involved. I was told that each letter or phone call a legislator gets they figure 500 other people feel the same way, but are not saying anything. And remember those numbers represent voters and there is nothing that is more important than voters to a politician.

Bottom line boys and girls is that you have to organize. Mike Safcik of Wisconsin is trying to get a crossbow organization started and desperately needs some dedicated help. He can be reached by telephone at 262-681-3303; 262-939-4560 cell or by email at [email protected] I am working with him as a friend and in an advisor capacity, but because of distance and time constraints, I am able to do only so much. What he really needs are a few firecrackers to get the ball rolling. You want to make things happen, again I will say, organize. A state crossbow organization is the first step to success.