Michigan Adds Crossbows

Well after what's seemed like centuries of debates, arguments and bickering, Michigan hunters now have to the option of using a crossbow during the state's archery season. Sort of.

The Natural Resources Commission, which establishes game laws in Michigan, approved the use of crossbows during the archery season in Zone 3, which covers the southern region of the state. Any hunter over age 50 can also use a crossbow during archery seasons anywhere in the state.

The crossbow issue has been a controversial topic for a long, long time. Personally, I just want the issue to be done and over with. Too many hunters are arguing back and forth on an issue that no one knows enough about.

Will adding crossbows harm our deer population? I don't know.

Will it help reduce deer numbers? I don't know.

Will it bring more hunters to the woods? I don't know.

What I do know is that the NRC approved the use of crossbows in Zone 3 because that's where Michigan has an overabundance of deer. However, the NRC didn't put any stipulations on the use of crossbows that pertain to deer management. If they're interested in using the crossbow to reduce deer numbers, it might have made sense to implement some measures that mandate antlerless harvest. My fear is that the crossbow will simply add more hunters to the woods -- and Michigan hunters haven't exactly shown that they're willing to pass on young bucks and tag does. Which, of course, is the only way we're going to reduce deer numbers.

Whatever your opinion is of crossbows, Michigan hunters can now use them in a limited capacity. The new regulations will be in place for three years, after which the impacts of crossbows will be studied and the issue revisited.

Tony Hansen, Michigan Man