Crossbows are about to become a bigger part of Pennsylvania's outdoors scene, especially locally.
At its April 20 meeting, the Pennsylvania Game Commission gave final approval to a measure allowing hunters to use crossbows statewide for bear and elk and for deer during the firearms deer seasons. That includes the early muzzleloader, concurrent buck and doe and late flintlock seasons.
What's most noteworthy for southwestern Pennsylvania is that crossbows will also be legal during all deer seasons -- including archery seasons -- in the wildlife management units that surround the state's most densely populated areas, namely 2B, 5C and 5D. Unit 2B includes all of Allegheny County and parts of Beaver, Butler, Washington and Westmoreland.
The changes take effect July 1.
As they did in giving the measure preliminary approval in January, Commissioners OK'd the crossbow change by a 6-2 vote. Roxane Palone of Greene County and Sam Dunkle of Blair County cast the negative votes.
"I just think we ought to continue to limit crossbows to the disabled, like we do now," Palone said. "I don't see the need to expand things beyond that."
The issue drew opponents, like the United Bowhunters of Pennsylvania, and some who took the middle road, like the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs, whose members supported the idea of allowing crossbows in urban areas, but not elsewhere. Crossbows had their supporters, too, though, including the members of the Philadelphia-based Pennsylvania State Fish and Game Protective Association.
Dave Laden, president of that latter group, doesn't think liberalizing crossbow rules will lead to hundreds of thousands of more deer killed each year.
"You still have to know how to hunt," Laden said. "I don't care if someone gave you a laser ray gun, if you don't know how to hunt you're not going to get a deer."
The change will, though, make it easier for older hunters, young hunters and women to get involved in or stay involved in hunting, Laden said. Most importantly, it will allow more hunters to hunt in urban areas where deer overabundance problems are worst.
"It's not a panacea, but it's a good first step," Laden said. "I'm glad to see Commissioners did this for management reasons."
Pat Ruble, formerly head of the wildlife management research division of the Ohio Division of Natural Resources and now government liaison for the Bowhunting Preservation Alliance, said that if what happened in that state is any indication, crossbows will become popular in Pennsylvania. Over the years, the number of crossbow users has climbed in Ohio, so that by 2001-2002 they outnumbered archers using traditional vertical bows 106,000 to 88,000. About one in every four or five archers owns both a vertical bow and a crossbow.
Crossbow hunters kill more deer, too. Also in 2001-2002, crossbow users took 24,098 deer in Ohio, for a 22.7 percent success rate. Users of vertical bows killed 17,428 deer for a success rate of 19.8 percent.
Some of those who testified against expanding crossbow use expressed fears that they will ultimately make their way into the statewide archery season. That's what happened in Ohio, Ruble admitted.
He said that the additional deer harvest resulting from crossbows has not caused any decrease in the length of the archery season. It has, though, made archery a force in deer management.
"Crossbows have helped to make harvests high enough to say archery is a significant management tool," Ruble said.
Staying here
Cal Dubrock, director of the Pennsylvania Game Commission's bureau of wildlife management, will not be leaving the agency.
DuBrock had been one of five finalists for the top job with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, that state's equivalent of the Game Commission, Fish and Boat Commission and Department of Conservation and Natural Resources all rolled into one. He interviewed for the director's job last Monday.
The Michigan Natural Resources Commission, however, tabbed 25-year veteran Michigan DNR employee Rebecca A. Humphries to fill the position.
Fly fishing clinic
McKeever Environmental Learning Center, in Sandy Lake, Mercer County, will be the site of a fly fishing clinic led by Joe Humphreys Friday through Sunday.
Humphreys, who has authored three books on fly fishing, will lead sessions on casting, flies, nymphs, streamers, reading the water and leader design. There will be time for fishing a local stream, too.
Cost is $130 per person and includes one night's lodging, three meals, an evening social and the clinic. For information, contact the center at 724-376-1000 or info@mckeever.org.
