(see page 75)
3. Crossbow Hunting
DEC supports the use of crossbows for deer hunting during the same timeframes, in the same manner, and with the same eligibility requirements as with vertical bows.
The crossbow hunting law enacted in 2012 does not address deer management needs and is inconsistent with hunter preferences. Specifically, overabundant deer populations in portions of the state where hunting access or firearm use is restricted, such as Suffolk and Westchester Counties and WMUs 4J and 8C in Albany and Monroe Counties respectively, may cause serious impacts on forest regeneration, biodiversity protection, and public health. However, current law expressly prohibits crossbow use in these areas. Moreover, limited time for crossbow use and the arbitrary difference in the legal setback distances for discharge of vertical bows (150 feet from certain structures) and crossbows (250 feet) unnecessarily constrain effective use of crossbows for deer management throughout the state.
Support for increased crossbow use appears to be growing among New York hunters. A 2010 survey of hunters found that a majority of deer hunters supported crossbow use for all hunters during seasons when other bowhunting equipment is allowed (51%) and more so for seniors (68%) and hunters with disabilities (78%; Enck et al. 2011). In a 2018 survey, DEC found that 61% of respondents who do not own a crossbow would acquire and use a crossbow for hunting if crossbows were allowed during the entire bow season. Further, a majority (61%) preferred that crossbow use be tied to bowhunting privileges, and a similar majority (60%) of hunters indicated that crossbows should be allowed in Suffolk and Westchester Counties and in WMUs 4J and 8C.
DEC recommends that crossbows be allowed during all hunting periods when other bowhunting equipment is allowed and that eligibility to hunt with a crossbow be the same as eligibility to hunt with a vertical bow. DEC further recommends that the restrictions on crossbow size (e.g., minimum limb width) and maximum draw weight be removed from law so that the agency can set more appropriate standards which are effective and humane for deer hunting and consistent with crossbow technology.
