Help Legalize Crossbow Hunting in Newfoundland

[X-man]

Fellow CGN user Newfie Gunner has started an on-line petition to collect signatures of individuals in support of legalizing crossbow hunting in Newfoundland.

http://www.petitiononline.com/hunting1/petition.html

I don't have to tell you guys that for those hunters dealing with physical impairments, those with slight builds and many women and teens currently find that they cannot participate in any sort of traditional vertical archery hunt simply because they lack the physical capability of physically drawing a modern compound or recurve bow.

Crossbows would allow many such individuals to finally be able to participate in the many hunting opportunities that Newfoundland has to offer.

At the same time, it takes far less practice and innate ability to develop a top notch crossbowman compared to a traditional archer. Modern optics and red dot sights make it that much easier to quickly and humanely harvest game and it would get more hunters into the sport, something that every province and state is in desperate need of.

At a recent black bear hunting seminar I had a chance to chat with several reps from our Wildlife Dept. who informed me that the issue is seriously being considered. While this may be BS, if we can bring enough pressure to bear, we can make it a reality.

With that in mind, I would ask that any interested, please sign the petition above. If you can, I would also ask that your write a letter to your local newspapers, hit up the open-line shows and write to your MHA in support of legalizing crossbow hunting, as well as the minister responsible and the Executive Director of the Wildlife Division.

We did it with coyote hunting, so let's repeat that success!

You can Fax, call or send E-mails or letters to:

Honourable Charlene Johnson
Minister
Department of Environment and Conservation
P.O. Box 8700
St. John's, NL
A1B 4J6

Tel: (709) 729-2577
Fax: (709) 729-0112
Email: charlenejohnson@gov.nl.ca

John Blake
Director
Wildlife Division
Department of Environment and Conservation
P.O. Box 8700
St. John's, NL
A1B 4J6

Tel: (709) 637-2008
Fax: (709) 637-2033
Email: johnblake@gov.nl.ca

 

[mikeystew]

I thought it was newfie gunner? good luck bye'

 

[X-man]

I thought it was newfie gunner? good luck bye'

Good catch Mike! Slip of the keyboard, original post has been edited! Thanks to Newfie Gunner for taking the initiative!

 

[CV32]

At a recent black bear hunting seminar I had a chance to chat with several reps from our Wildlife Dept. who informed me that the issue is seriously being considered.

This has much more to do with trying to get more folks interested in black bear hunting than it does with crossbows.

The Newfoundland & Labrador Wildlife Federation (NLWF) has been pushing for several years now to get government to change the small game hunting regulations to accommodate the .17HMR. They keep telling us they're interested in making the change, that they're in "the process", etc, etc. Its the kind of change to the regs that I could do in less than 30 minutes.

I support the crossbow effort, but do not be surprised if it takes a long time.

 

[drache]

What is their reasoning for not allowing hunting with crossbow?

 

[CV32]

What is their reasoning for not allowing hunting with crossbow?

There is none. The Wildlife Act and its regulations are antiquated holdovers, mostly adopted from even older legislation in other Canadian provinces, and are badly in need of overhaul.

 

[Newfie Gunner]

Thanks a lot X-man for helping me out on this issue. It is about time that the Newfoundland Government wake up a realize that it is time to get with the rest of the world!!! Also, that's to all in advance for your support.

 

[Woodsman]

X-man, have you been to the Excalibur crossbow forum? There's lots of support you can get there.

 

[X-man]

X-man, have you been to the Excalibur crossbow forum? There's lots of support you can get there.

Thanks for the tip Woodsman. Just signed up and posted over there as well. I'd like to send a big thank-you out to Newfie Gunner for taking the initiative here, as this post would never have existed without him.

Unfortunately, our provincial Wildlife Division has become the unwanted, red-haired step-child of the Environment Ministry. Due to political decisions made years ago, the core of the dept. was uprooted and moved to the west coast. Many key senior personnel opted to use their seniority and bumped others in gov't service in order to remain in St. John's.

At the same time, the Forestry Division always seemed to be granted the cream of any extraneous funds laying about. As a result, we're stuck with an undermanned, underfunded wildlife division that hasn't really overhauled many of the out-of-date and antiquated regulations that are left-overs from the 1960s and 70s.

It took us almost a decade to get a real coyote season, two decades to get .22s approved for small game hunting. Hopefully, this fight won't take quite as long.