Advocacy

We strive to protect, promote, and incentivize archery and bowhunting.

While many of our leaders and membership here at Minnesota Bowhunters do not exclusively hunt or target shoot with a bow, we recognize the inherent value and opportunity that our archery seasons provide. Nearly every hunter is already fully capable of enjoying existing archery seasons through the use of recurve and compound bows.

We support the use of crossbows in archery seasons for hunters whose disabilities physically prevent them from drawing the minimum weight. However, our view on crossbows is very similar to our view on traditional muzzleloaders. They should absolutely be a legal tool for the harvest of wildlife, but we do not want to see or accept the full inclusion of crossbows into archery seasons because they are functionally a very different tool. There is an appropriate time and a place for crossbows that is not the entire archery season.

What we have and continue to advocate for is the establishment of crossbow seasons that are longer than firearm seasons but shorter than designated archery seasons. Crossbows are highly marketed as long range (100+ yard / "you next rifle") hunting tools, but they are not as effective, provide a much duller user experience, require more frequent maintenance, and blow apart more often than rifles. Let's be honest, crossbows are NOT archery. 

Minnesota Bowhunters is very actively working to restore the archery deer season that many of us choose to enjoy and are very fond of. We have/continue to advocate in Minnesota House and Senate committees for the establishment of a crossbow deer season starting on firearm opener through the end of the year. While open to compromise on specific dates, we see starting the crossbow season on or after the start of the firearm season to be essential.