A little off topic

madmike1977 · Post by **madmike1977** » May 14th, 2015, 10:12 am

I know we are here because we all love turkey hunting but i thought i would share this. only half of it concerns turkey hunting.

Crossbows cleared for fall hunting season in W.Va.

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By Chris Lawrence in Outdoors | May 12, 2015 at 10:52AM
Crossbow hunting will be allowed in W.Va. this fall statewide with the exception of the four bow hunting counties in southern W.Va.
MetroNews staff photo
Crossbow hunting will be allowed in W.Va. this fall statewide with the exception of the four bow hunting counties in southern W.Va.

WHEELING, W.Va. — Two long talked about changes to the hunting regulations in West Virginia have been approved by the Natural Resources Commission.

During their May 3rd meeting in Wheeling, commissioners approved the 2015 hunting season dates and bag limits as they were proposed, but with two major changes.

One change moved the spring gobbler season for 2016 back a week. For years, many hunters have complained the season starts too late. Biologists have always maintained the season was deliberately set to open on the fourth Monday in April to insure hens are on the nest and less likely to be mistaken and killed by hunters. The season was also set to make certain the bulk of breeding by gobblers was completed. The commission amended the proposal and moved the opening day of spring gobbler season next year to the third Monday in April.

The second major change was legalization of cross bow hunting in West Virginia. The measure was triggered by legislative action. House Bill 2515 which cleared the way for the reintroduction of elk in West Virginia also included the legalization of crossbows as a rider amendment. The two measures were folded together as part of last night of the session horsetrading in the House and Senate. The legislation called for crossbows to be legal in all big game firearms seasons and instructed the Natural Resources Commission to also establish a crossbow hunting season in West Virginia.

During the Wheeling meeting, members of the commission approved the crossbow season to start on the opening day of archery season and run until the end of the year, starting in the 2015 season.

The legislation did not require a crossbow license. Therefore hunters choosing to use a crossbow will only need the necessary license required for bow hunting to be legal for using a cross bow. Crossbows for many years were illegal in West Virginia, but were legalized for handicapped hunters a few years ago.

Crossbow hunting will be legal statewide in West Virginia with the exception of Mingo, Logan, McDowell, and Wyoming Counties. Commissioners sought to preserve the restriction of hunting in the four coalfield counties to bow and arrow only, as it has been for several decades. Crossbows will not be allowed for hunting in those counties at any time.

WV Ridge Reaper · Post by **WV Ridge Reaper** » May 14th, 2015, 10:36 am

So the question is how do you feel about this ?

I'm against both...Not into the big ol deer huntin anymore so the crossbow thing is whatever to me.

How ever the earlier start is just flat out dumb..Some people don't understand the concept if you want turkeys to hunt then you have to let turkeys have sex with other turkeys to make little turkeys so you can hunt them when they are big turkeys.

I mean what do we not understand here ?

Start season early yup..give it maybe 3 years well where is all the turkeys??? Well we just had to get season moved up so turkey huntin could be easy and we could be turkey killers 3 days out of the year that we hunt.

People bitch and moan all the turkeys are done etc...I seriously laugh when people tell me this..Hey uncle billy bob stay in the woods past 6:30 and you just might hear a turkey..further more hunt more then the first two Saturday's and you might hear more turkeys.

Being laid off last year let me hunt everyday of season...I hunted everyday of season but two of those days...Out of all the days that I hunted there was only two days that I did not hear a bird.

I've gotten to hunt all this week and I'm 2 for 2 as of now on hearing turkeys

All btw I'll be in Winchester Saturday,I think you should buy me beer and talk about getting my hen slam started!! Haha

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Bigspurs68 · Post by **Bigspurs68** » May 14th, 2015, 12:23 pm

I'm with WV ridge reaper, bringing it in a week early is only being done because so many "turkey hunters" in wv complain that the birds are done before season starts. I always hear and work birds right up til and including the last day. Ya just gotta stay after em. Sure, there are quiet spells but you'll have that anywhere. Plus, my personal peeve with it is, it takes a week of hunting from me. I'm usually always in Ohio with the girls or some other state at the time they are going to bring wv season in next spring. So now I will only have 3 weeks to play in wv instead of four.
As far as crossbows go, it may actually not be all bad. I do not hunt with a crossbow but many many people don't practice enough with a bow to make ethical shots. Use of a crossbow could cause less deer to be wounded each year due to the accuracy capabilities of a crossbow and the small effort that it takes to achieve it.
My girls shoot a crossbow in Ohio and do very well with it. They have killed some great bucks that they would not have had the chance at if a crossbow wasn't allowed. If the use of a crossbow gets more kids in the woods in WV then it's ok with me.

madmike1977 · Post by **madmike1977** » May 14th, 2015, 1:00 pm

I feel the same as you 2 when it comes to the change in the season dates. I too like to go to a surrounding state or 2 before our season comes in to get a little extra time in the woods. And I can tell you that some of the hottest action I`ve had has been late season. A few years ago i hunted the last day of the season and it was off the hook! I heard more birds that day than i did all season and called in 3 giants! but i also pulled off one of only 2 misses i`ve ever had . It just boils down to people not wanting to work for their birds, they only plan on hunting the first couple days and they want it be as easy as it can be for them to kill one.

As far as the crossbow thing i`m a supporter of it. I have been fighting shoulder problems for about 5 years. Nothing bad enough for surgery, just bad enough to make shooting a bow a pain in the ass! I have plenty of strength to draw the bow, just can`t hold it as steady as i would like. There are plenty of people in the same boat as i am and plenty who just cannot shoot a bow for some reason or another who can benefit from this. Whether it be medical or just lack of ability. I Love archery hunting and have been doing it for 25 years but i can tell you that i will be buying a crossbow now simply for the fact of less wear and tear on my shoulder.

Another rumor i heard also was that our Buck firearms season will be moved back a week in 2016. That would put it the week after Thanksgiving,, But like i said that is just a rumor.

And Reaper I would Be glad to meet up with you in Winchester but I`m the guide for the First Ever, 5th Annual , ALL YOU CAN SHOOT! Henny Hen Hen! Fall Jamboree!
so you are supposed to buy me the beer!!

davisd9 · Post by **davisd9** » May 14th, 2015, 1:03 pm

This fight has been going on in SC the past few years and now it has happened. Our limits have lowered and they are starting the season earlier, at least it is every where but the low country, and then extending 5 days on the end. I wish they would have left everything alone has they had no data to the claims they had. If they had to change the season then I wish all extra time would have been at the end of the season. The change was nothing more than political. They claim the population is down and they want to help by lowering the limit two tags, but then they extend the season during important breeding times. It makes not sense and just gives the yahoos the opportunity to mess up birds even earlier. Either way I will still be out there and I see no reason I will not being killing birds.

Good luck in stopping this.

Turkinator · Post by **Turkinator** » May 14th, 2015, 1:14 pm

Ohio opened early ths year. I missed the first 2 weeks while hunting in ky. When i got home most of those who screamed for an early start had allready hung it up. Ive had 2weeks of good hunting. Late is great!

madmike1977 · Post by **madmike1977** » May 14th, 2015, 1:32 pm

Good luck in stopping this.

Wish I could but it sounds like it set in stone.

WV Ridge Reaper · Post by **WV Ridge Reaper** » May 14th, 2015, 1:56 pm

Well what beer am I buying ? Haha

Hope the rifle season rumor isn't true the whole state shutdown for that..I hate to see it moved because that would really hurt on getting kids out since the schools close the first week of season.

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madmike1977 · Post by **madmike1977** » May 14th, 2015, 2:55 pm

What kind off beer?? The cold kind of course.

turkey_slayer · Post by **turkey_slayer** » May 15th, 2015, 12:18 pm

Opening a week earlier will not mount to a hill of beans. Most are bred before even then.

madmike1977 · Post by **madmike1977** » May 15th, 2015, 3:44 pm

turkey_slayer wrote:Opening a week earlier will not mount to a hill of beans. Most are bred before even then.

It might, a friend of mine and i were just talking the other day about how he does not think most the hens are sitting yet. I can tell you every gobbler i`ve been on in the last 3 weeks has been henned up bad. I`ve only seen one hen by her self so far.

Really i was more concerned with our season coming in with surrounding states. makes it tough to do multi state hunts within a close drive.

turkey_slayer · Post by **turkey_slayer** » May 15th, 2015, 4:51 pm

Still henned up in Virginia to. Guys need to realize that not all hens nest. Some are born just to piss us off

madmike1977 · Post by **madmike1977** » May 15th, 2015, 9:14 pm

true,, some do just that! had the scope on one today and found myself wishing it was October! But just like i always say,, they are turkeys,, even they don`t know what they are going to do! I had 2 monday that had to be gobbling on a dead run! why the were running i have no idea but i can tell you i had no chance of catching them.

Gobbler Nation