So, it appears Minnesota will join the modern deer hunting world by allowing crossbow usage in its general archery season. First blush is “good for them” for realizing we are all in this together and that crossbow hunting is just another way to keep people interested in enjoying outdoors recreation while at the same time helping managing our whitetail resource.

A lot of folks who haven’t been paying attention to crossbow hunting in America are casting misplaced blame (and in some cases hurling insults) on crossbows and crossbow hunters.

Here are the Top 3 arguments I’ve heard on the topic, and the resulting facts to disprove them:

Myth 1: More Hunters in the Woods

“Legalizing crossbows will lead to a massive increase in the number of people in the woods during archery season!”

Nope. Wisconsin is the perfect example. In the 10 seasons since the state passed full inclusion of crossbows, the total number of participants has decreased during archery season. To provide a clearer picture, however, lets dial this all the way back to 2002. That season, Wisconsin attracted 258,230 people to the woods during archery season. In 2010, the number had grown to 265,498. Crossbow inclusion took place in 2014. Last season (2022), 253,924 people took part in the state’s archery season.

Myth 2: More Bucks Killed

“Crossbow hunters are going to shoot all of the bucks before gun-hunters get a chance!”

Nope. Again, let’s use Wisconsin as the example. Today, the state has an average antlered buck harvest (all seasons/all weapons) of about 160,000 bucks. Of that number, more than 70% are killed by gun-hunters. Sixteen percent (26,0000) are taken by crossbow hunters and 14% (22,000) are taken by compound and recurve hunters.

Myth 3: More Deer Killed Overall

“Crossbow usage will lead to a huge increase in the overall number of deer killed during archery season!”

Nope. Wisconsin’s 5-year average for overall archery harvest (bucks and does), is 97,200 deer. However, that average includes the 2020 Covid year when the state had an unusually high archery harvest of 113,567 deer. In the five years before the crossbow inclusion (2014), the state average archery harvest was 88,470; and the five years before that was 102,155. So, if you compare today’s numbers to the 10 years prior to all inclusion, you’ll find the overall harvest is .019% higher today. Cannot call that a huge increase, much less an increase, all things considered.

— Daniel Schmidt’s Whitetail Wisdom blog debuted in 2005. Click here for the blog’s home page.