Modern crossbow PSE TAC 15** set at 170 lbs. (drawn with a winch requiring 12 lbs. cranking pressure)

26.25 inch projectile, 4" vanes, 485 grains (18.4 gr/in) @ 420 feet per second velocity

Popular high-performance compound bow Mathews Drenalin

*** set up at AMO (Archery Manufacturers Organization) standard:60 lbs. (hand drawn)30 inch arrow, 4" vanes, 540 grains (18.0 gr/in) @ 241 feet per second velocity

8 inch depth of kill comparison for single sight setting

*Roy S Marlow - Arrow Trajectory, Bowhunting World, Feb.1995 **Paul Penix - PSE Archery representative, PSE TAC 15 video & GunShowReview.com, SHOT show PSE & Vltor***Mathews Inc. AMO specifications, Drenalin

-260.00

-240.00

-220.00

-200.00

-180.00

-160.00

-140.00

-120.00

-100.00

-80.00

-60.00

-40.00

-20.00

0.00

20.000 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

drop

in in

ches

Trajectory Comparisonpopular modern compound bow vs. modern crossbow *

distance in yards

Mathews Drenalin PSE TAC 15 4" low 4" high

Modern crossbow PSE TAC 15** set at 170 lbs. (drawn with a winch requiring 12 lbs. cranking pressure)

26.25 inch projectile, 4" vanes, 485 grains (18.4 gr/in) @ 420 feet per second velocity

Popular high-performance compound bow Mathews Drenalin

*** set up at AMO (Archery Manufacturers Organization) standard:60 lbs. (hand drawn)30 inch arrow, 4" vanes, 540 grains (18.0 gr/in) @ 241 feet per second velocity

*W.J. Rheingans, Exterior Ballistics of Bows & Arrows, Javascript Archery Ballistics Calculator V2.08**Paul Penix - PSE Archery representative, PSE TAC 15 video & GunShowReview.com, SHOT show PSE & Vltor***Mathews Inc. AMO specifications, Drenalin

020406080

100

120

140

160

180

200

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90100

Ft. Lbs. of energy

range in yards

Kinetic Energy Comparison to 100 yds. modern crossbow vs. popular modern compound bow*

Mathews Drenalin bow PSE TAC 15 crossbow

*Engineering performance description, PSE TAC 15 crossbow, PSE’s Paul Penix video, ATA show, 2008** Average group diameter, top 10 shooters, Wisconsin State Broadhead Shoot, 2008

YARDS

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150 160 170 180 190 200

ACCURACY COMPARISONModern crossbow vs. Modern compound bow1 in. group @ 100 yds.* 4 in. group @ 25 yds.**

*

**

data provided by David Neyhart, Georgia DNR and www.gadnr.org

In the 5 years prior to 2002, other than a slight drop in 2000 - 2001, Georgia experienced a steady increase in archery license sales,archery hunter participation, and revenue.

60,000

70,000

80,000

90,000

100,000

110,000

120,000

1997-1998 1998-1999 1999-2000 2000-2001 2001-2002

State of GeorgiaArchery license sales prior to crossbows added to archery

season in 2002

archery license sales 5 year trend

data provided by gadnr.org

In 2002 the Georgia archery season was changed to an archery andcrossbow season. After an initial surge in 2003 - 2004, license saleshave declined steadily to levels below those when it was an archery-onlyseason.

Observations:

It appears the change didn't add many new hunters to the field; most crossbow hunters appear to have switched from archery equipment to crossbows.

Many archers that switched have found crossbow hunting to be less challenging, and many have found crossbows to be expensive, unwieldy and inherently more dangerous. Some are going back to archery while others are getting out of the sport altogether.

Some archers who have not switched to crossbows are also leaving the woods because they now findthemselves in direct competition with other hunters with a far superior weapon. The challenge, traditions, and camaraderie that were part of bowhunting have given way to a different weapon that does not requirethe hunting and shooting skills required of a bowhunter.

The net result is less hunter participation not more, because bowhunting by design is not about making iteasier. Quite the contrary, unlike other forms of hunting, bowhunting is about the challenge. Take that away and you take away the reason most bowhunters buy licenses and participate in the first place.

60,000

70,000

80,000

90,000

100,000

110,000

120,000

2002-2003 2003-2004 2004-2005 2005-2006 2006-2007

State of GeorgiaCombined archery / crossbow license sales after crossbows added in

2002

archery plus crossbows 5 year trend

60,000

70,000

80,000

90,000

100,000

110,000

120,000

1997-1998

1998-1999

1999-2000

2000-2001

2001-2002

2002-2003

2003-2004

2004-2005

2005-2006

2006-2007

State of Georgia bow license salesEffect on total bow license sales after crossbows were added to the bow season

data provided by David Neyhart, Georgia DNR and www.gadnr.org

archery only archery plus crossbows

In the state of Tennessee, adding crossbows to the archery seasonhas resulted in reduced license sales, recreation hours and revenue.

Crossbows were added to Tennessee's archery season in 2005.

Despite the additional "opportunity" license sales have dropped - not risen.

Crossbows now account for approximately 25% of the bowhunting harvest.

* data provided by Daryl Ratajczak, Big Game Program Coordinator, Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency

10000

12000

14000

16000

18000

20000

22000

24000

26000

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

State of Tennessee bow license sales Effect on total bow license sales after crossbows were added to the

Tennessee bow season

Archery only Archery and crossbows

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Crossbows were legalized in Ohio in 1976. Today, crossbow hunters

outnumber archers in what was once the archery season and take

approximately 60% of the total archery/crossbow harvest.

Over the last 6 years, with the switch to crossbows and quantum advances

in crossbow technology, the total deer harvest during the combined

crossbow/archery season has increased from 50,564 to 85,856 deer. A 70%

increase.

In Ohio, the length of the firearms season can fluctuate yearly anywhere

between 14 and 7 days. In 2008 it was 9 days.

Many believe the increased harvest in the combined crossbow/archery

season from crossbow users is shortening the firearms season in Ohio.

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According to a study by the Ontario Canada Department of Natural Resources entitled “Archery Deer Hunt – Cambridge District”, crossbow users had the highest wounding rate when compared to compound and longbow users. Data from 2,251 hunters who hunted an estimated 33,500 hunting days was analyzed. The percentage of hunters using a crossbow was 57%, with the wounding rate of crossbow users being 40%. According to the study “The higher average wounding rate for crossbows combined with the very high popularity of this bow type resulted in crossbows accounting for 69% of all the deer hit and not recovered”.

7

In May 2007, Outdoor Life Magazine sponsored an internet poll asking the question:

“Should Crossbows be Legal During Archery Season?”

The question received over 1.9 million replies with 75% or over 1.4 million responses emphatically stating “NO” .

This question set a response record for all OL generated surveys.

P. O . B o x 4 9 3 · C h a t f i e l d , M N 5 5 9 2 3

Aug. 5, 2005

To Whom It May Concern,

The representatives of 32 state and provincial-level bowhunting organizations met on April 17-18 in Springfield, Missouri at the first “NATIONAL BOWHUNTING SUMMIT”. The purpose of the summit was to share information and develop strategies to resolve issues of greatest concern and to establish a permanent communications network of bowhuntingorganizations that will work together on behalf of bowhunting.

A major issue addressed by the summit attendees was the use of crossbows during archery-only hunting seasons. It was immediately apparent that the attendees were unified as being strongly opposed to the use of crossbows in any bowhunt-ing season. State and provincial representatives unanimously agreed that crossbows are not bows and should not be allowed inarchery-only seasons.

A hunting bow is recognized as a compound, recurve or longbow that is hand-drawn and that has no mechanical deviceto enable the hunter to lock the bow at full or partial draw. Crossbows, on the other hand, are locked at full draw by a trigger, utilize a rifle-like stock, have rigidly controlled internal ballistics, can readily be shot from a rest and typically use atelescopic sight. A crossbow’s characteristics are so vastly different from those of conventional bows that summit attendeesagreed that crossbows would negatively impact bowhunting seasons if allowed in archery-only seasons.

While the group recognized and supported the rights of hunters who choose to use other legal weapons in separatehunting seasons, they stood unanimously opposed to any effort to establish hunting season regulations where the ultimate aimis the inclusion of crossbows in bowhunting seasons or in archery-only areas.

The below signed organizations and bowhunting-related businesses have joined the National Bowhunting Summit conferees in believing that, in order to preserve the integrity of bowhunting, it is vital that crossbows not be permitted in bowseasons or archery-only hunting areas.

Respectfully,

Alabama Society of TraditionalBowmen Alaskan Bowhunters AssociationAlberta Bowhunters Association Alberta Traditional Bowhunters Archery Big Bucks of MissouriArchery Past (OR)Association of Traditional HuntingArchers Bayou State Bowhunters (LA) Bob’s Archery Sales (CO) Bowhunting Council of OklahomaBowhunters of Alabama Bowhunters of Wyoming Carolina Traditional ArchersColorado Bowhunters Association Compton Traditional BowhuntersGeorgia Bowhunters Association Green Mountain TraditionalBowhunters Horse Creek Traditional Archery Club(FL)Idaho State BowhuntersIdaho Traditional BowhuntersIllinois Bowhunters SocietyIndiana Bowhunters AssociationIowa Bowhunters AssociationIowa Traditional Bowhunters Society

Kansas Bowhunters AssociationLone Star Bowhunters Association(TX) Maine Bowhunters AssociationMaine Traditional ArchersMaryland Bowhunters SocietyMaryland Bowhunters SocietyMassachusetts BowhuntersAssociationMichigan Bow Hunters Association Michigan Traditional Bowhunters Minnesota Bowhunters, Inc.Mississippi Bowhunters Association Missouri Bow Hunters Association Montana Bowhunters Association Nebraska Bowhunters Association Nebraska Traditional Archers New York Bowhunters, Inc. North Carolina BowhuntersAssociation North Dakota Bowhunters Association Northern Bowhunters Association (AB)Ohio Bowhunters Association Oregon Bow HuntersPennsylvania Association ofTraditional Hunting Archers Pope and Young Club Professional Bowhunters Society

South Carolina BowhuntersAssociation South Dakota Bowhunters, Inc.Suburban Whitetail Management ofNorth Georgia Suncoast Archers, Inc. (FL)Tallahassee Bowhunters Association(FL)Traditional Bowhunters of CaliforniaTraditional Bowhunter Magazine Traditional Archers of New JerseyTraditional Archers of OregonTraditional Bowhunters of FloridaTraditional Bowhunters of Georgia Traditional Bowhunters of MontanaTraditional Bowhunters of WashingtonUnited Bowhunters of ConnecticutUnited Bowhunters of IllinoisUnited Bowhunters of KentuckyUnited Bowhunters of MissouriUnited Bowhunters of New JerseyUnited Bowhunters Pennsylvania Virginia Bowhunters AssociationWakulla Archery Club (FL)Washington State Bowhunters Washington State Archery AssociationWest Virginia Bowhunters AssociationWisconsin Bowhunters Association

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• They are now mechanically pre-drawn and braced across a rigid stock. They are often fired from a rest with a telescopic sight.

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• Vast differences in trajectory, energy and accuracy potential put crossbows on a whole different level than modern archery equipment.

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• Because crossbows are not restricted by the strength of the hunter as archery equipment is, there is almost no limit to where technology will take them.

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• Archery hunting is difficult on purpose! The limitations and restrictions that provide a more challenging, satisfying experience are what draw most to the sport in the first place. If they are eliminated or reduced, interest in archery hunting fades.

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• Archery hunting, one of America’s best conservation success stories because of its unique challenges, is diminishing in states where crossbows have been added to their archery seasons.

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• Most likely because shots are taken at much longer ranges.

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• Hunters understand the unique opportunities of archery hunting and the adverse effect crossbows would have on it.