The author’s son Elliott shot his first deer with a crossbow. (In-the-field photo was taken the following morning.)
Maybe it’s because I’m a middle child, and I don’t go looking for conflict or drama. In my opinion, life is too short to be upset at everything, so I’m often asking myself, “Can’t we all just get along?”
As stated above, for the first time, my home state of Minnesota is allowing crossbows for use during the general archery season — no age or physical condition limitations. I also bowhunt in Wisconsin, and that state has allowed crossbows during the general archery season without restrictions for many years. In fact, as I write this column, I can glance up at the wall of my home office and see a “Certificate of First Deer'' from the Wisconsin DNR for my son Elliott, congratulating him on his first deer, a young doe that he shot with a crossbow on Oct. 5, 2013 (photo above). He was 10 years old at the time (mentored hunting program).
Elliott was sitting with me and his mom in a pop-up ground blind on the edge of a brassica plot. The late-afternoon bowhunt had been slow — no deer spotted — but with only minutes remaining in the hunt, a young doe appeared from thick cover and began feeding in front of our blind. The range was close — only 6 yards! The doe was walking from left to right, and as she stepped in front of Elliott’s opened window (he was resting his crossbow on a tripod), I bleated to stop her. Elliott and I had practiced this “aim, bleat, shoot” sequence many times on targets in our basement.
One second after my bleat — just as we’d practiced — I heard Elliott’s crossbow fire. The doe ran straight away across the plot and into the woods, but I knew she wouldn’t go far.
I can still hear the sound of Elliott’s excited, loud whisper: “Dad, do you think I made a good shot?!”
We waited 15 minutes, and with the aid of a headlamp, Elliott was able to blood-trail his first deer (gun or bow). She ran only 60 yards.
Has Wisconsin’s bowhunting gone downhill after expanding crossbow use to everyone? I say “no,” but I’m sure that many compound shooters will disagree. That’s fine.
Is Minnesota’s bowhunting doomed because of this regulation change? Again, I say “no,” but you might feel differently. That’s fine.
Can’t we all just get along?
