By Jay Pinsky
Editor – The Archery Wire & The Hunting Wire

“When a hunter is in a tree stand with high moral values and with the proper hunting ethics and richer for the experience, that hunter is 20 feet closer to God.” — Fred Bear

“When a hunter …” Fred Bear said.

He didn’t say when a bowhunter, a shotgun hunter, or a compound bow hunter. He didn’t say when a traditional longbow hunter, a spear hunter, a lever-action rifle, or an open-sighted rifle hunter. He spoke to all of us, united by our love for the hunt and our respect for the wild.

We’re all hunters, or at least trying to be, so I was disappointed to see and hear a handful of fellow hunters in our community isolate and then bully one of the newest segments of the hunting population—the crossbow hunter.

But Jay .. crossbow hunters aren’t real …

Save it.

I can go all day ripping compound bow archers apart for our “dependency” on technology at or exceeding that same technology in today’s most advanced crossbows. We all prefer technology for our hunting pursuits – unless we’re all willing to drop the camo, grab our loin cloths, and wrestle deer Mano-a-cervid for its life. Yeah, good luck with that Tarzan. But let’s not forget, crossbow hunting still requires skill, patience, and precision.

It’s not about the tool, it’s about the hunter.

Crossbow hunters deserve to be treated equally in our community for more than the sake of good manners.

Crossbow hunters bring significant value to the broader hunting community. In fact, they are playing a crucial role in conservation, recruitment, and sustaining the future of hunting.

How?

Crossbow hunters:

• Expand Access and Inclusivity
• Increase Hunter Recruitment and Retention
• Strengthen Conservation Efforts
• Reduce Overpopulation and Supporting Wildlife Management
• Bridge the Gap Between Archery and Firearms Hunting

As our community faces new challenges—ranging from declining participation to increasing pressures on public land—crossbow hunters play an essential role in keeping our traditions alive. They are not a departure from the purity of archery or hunting, but a continuation of our shared heritage. We should embrace them to bring more people into the fold, ensuring that hunting remains a vital, sustainable, and accessible activity for future generations.

The next time you meet a crossbow hunter, save the snark and stick out your hand to say hello. Better yet, thank them for joining our community and our cause. After all, we have bigger things to worry about than the type of legal method someone chooses for hunting.

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