Crossbows are in.  Now the PGC has expressed an interest in looking at the ammendment that prohibited magnified optics and there is a notation of it on the PGC website.  The current ammendment covers all crossbowers including the current permit holders. So in essence, many permit holders and many archers in the SRA will have to re-tool to non-magnified optics to be legal for this fall.

Whether you are pro-crossbow, anti or indifferent, what is everyones opinion on this optics ammendment. Please no crossbow debate but your thoughts on the ammendment and possible changes or solutions.

Keep it as is?
Exempt current permit holders?
Exempt permit holders and SRA hunters?
Reverse the ammendment legalizing any optic statewide?

It got passed based on no magnified optics. The reality is if they don't allow former permit holders to have them the legislature will probably force the issue. Grandfather the permit holders and go with no magnified  optics for everyone else going fordward.

I agree with S-10 regarding the grandfathering. As far as going forward - if you are new xbow hunter and need improved optics due to a sight impairment/deficiency then get a permit otherwise no magnified optics for everyone else. And no I don't have the definition of (impairment/deficiency) but I don't want to lose those potential hunters.

I would have agreed with Observer on impairment except for what RSB said about the politicans changing the may to shall and how it led to a raft of folks jumping on the permit.

It doesn't matter one way or the other to me.

I think everyone is making to big of a deal on the magnification of crossbows.

If it makes a person shoot better then why not legalize scopes.

We don't need legislators involved.

dpms,

I say legalize them.

I say legalize scope magnification statewide.

Many people already have magnification scopes on their previously legal crossbows. Forcing them to put a different sighting devise on their crossbow just doesn’t seem like a logical move.

Grandfathering them still isn‘t going to be a logical step since many of those that are already set up with a magnification scope are people who hunted in the special regulations areas yet had no disabled permit. Since many of those hunters would now like to take their crossbow to camp and hunt in areas outside the special regulations area they would still have to put on a new sighting device to be legal.

I simply don’t think a magnifier in a scope is going to make any significant difference in how many deer are or are not being harvested with a crossbow. What is the real objective of the regulation as it is?

Dick Bodenhorn  

RSB,

I was hoping you would respond from a LE perspective.  With the regulations as is, hard to tell at a quick glance what is a legal optic and what is not.  If permit holders or SRA are grandfathered, then you have 1/2 of crossbows allowed to have magnification, the other half not. Seems like a headache really for you guys and girls?

As to why the ammendment from Schreffler.  The only statement I heard from him was the optics restriction is what he heard from sportsman. I guess that the objective was to level the playing field but I tend to agree with you that the choice of optics will not make much difference.  It will be the skill of the archer that determines success IMO. In my conversations with board members, it did not sound like there was support for this among the board members but those in favor of inclusion needed his vote.

Now they are in the situation they are in and it seems that most of the board wants to correct this issue.  

--Last edited by dpms on 2009-02-20 20:00:04 --

It looks like I should have known better - I didn't realize that xbows with magnified optics could already be used in SRA's by other than permit holders. That being said - use what ever makes you comfortable. Certainly helps from an LE perspective.