The case for crossbows: Avid hunter says weapon could revitalize sport

It packs a 230-pound draw weight, and fires bolts at 340 feet per second. It sells for about $700, and its owner calls it "quite the nice little package."

But the best part, according to hunting enthusiast Jeff Samson, is just how simple it can be.

"With a crossbow, anyone that got an interest can pick up using that in a matter of probably half an hour, an hour," he said.

Samson says this type of weapon could be the key to bringing more people into his chosen sport. That's why he's petitioning the provincial government to drop the prohibition on hunting with a crossbow.

He's delivered a petition with more than 800 names, and has the support of multiple hunting advocacy groups in Newfoundland and Labrador.

"I kinda like to see more people getting into the archery thing, and I think, like, crossbow might be the thing to do it," he said.

Easier to shoot and learn

While it is legal to own and to shoot targets with a crossbow, it is illegal in Newfoundland and Labrador to hunt any wildlife with the weapon. Yukon is the only other jurisdiction in Canada with a complete crossbow hunting ban.

Samson says the prohibition makes no sense and argues that a crossbow is just as effective and humane as other hunting weapons, while being easier to learn and use.

Unlike other types of bows, a crossbow looks and works more like a gun, with a trigger. A user does have to physically draw back the bow — although some tools can help with that, too — but the tension is held by the trigger once it is loaded. A crossbow is also more consistent.

Samson says those differences mean the crossbow is more accessible.

"Basically, anybody that got any physical limitations or whatever, like strength-wise or whatever, they haven't got to hold back any weight or anything," he said. He said his own bow is loaded with "very little force."

"You've got a lot of younger people, shooters and that, and whatever, and it might be something that would attract them."

Samson says hunting — and archery in particular — is a dying pastime in Newfoundland and Labrador.

"The average age of hunters is going up every year," he said. "There's not many young people getting into hunting anymore.

"Basically if you weren't raised with it, if your parents didn't do it or whatever, or your brother didn't do it and didn't introduce you to it, nine chances out of 10 is that you're not going to do it."

That's why he's looking to ways to revitalize the sport.

Province promising review

The Department of Fisheries and Land Resources said it is reviewing the legislation that bans the use of crossbows for hunting big game in the province.

"This review will include a formal public consultation process being planned for the new year that will provide hunters and the public at large with an opportunity for input," a spokesperson for the department said in a written statement.

The provincial government confirmed it had received three petitions relating to the use of crossbows in Newfoundland and Labrador, and met with hunting organizations.

One of those is the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Anglers and Hunters, where Samson is now a board member.

Another is the Newfoundland Outdoor Heritage Coalition, which has also pushed for the legalization of crossbow hunting.

Barry Fordham, one of the directors of the group, says the current prohibition is "archaic," and based on an outdated understanding of the power of crossbows.

"In the 1940s, I believe, 1949, crossbows of the day did not have sufficient power, effective knockdown power to effectively harvest a big game animal," he said. "Crossbows today though certainly are more than effective."

He says his group, and other groups he has been a part of, have been lobbying the government to make a change for the past five years.

"Not to be critical, but to be truthful, it's the unwillingness of the government to want to change anything," he said.

Both Fordham and Samson say concerns about poaching aren't a valid reason to prohibit the weapon: They both said poachers would use their existing guns.

They both also acknowledged it's a small group of hunters who are passionate about crossbows, for now.

"It may not be broad-based," said Fordham. "But listen, just because there's only so many people wants it, does that mean that there's not enough to constitute the change?"

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