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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Barricaded suspect arrested Arsonist attempts to burn down building at Jackson Elementary Medford police, fire chiefs get raises They have a plan Driver sentenced after hitting bicyclist Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Barricaded suspect arrested Arsonist attempts to burn down building at Jackson Elementary Driver sentenced after hitting bicyclist Emergency services Medford car thefts and arsons were up in 2014 Politics and Elections Oregon Legislature convenes, session starts Feb. 12 Councilman stirs online dust-up with anti-marijuana post Education Arsonist attempts to burn down building at Jackson Elementary Not as ready as they should be Medford schools superintendent announces sweeping administration changes Ashland schools expand chickenpox exclusion rules Former Medford school board member Paulie Brading dies Environment New wandering wolf arrives in Southern Oregon OR-7 now officially the leader of his pack Ashland trails up for changes Monument expansion expected to increase tourism, protect resources Biologist resigns over LNG reporting failure State News Drought continuing in California, Southwest Eugene fining Uber up to $2,000 a day Justices hear appeal in bank bombing death sentence Activists: 'We're not bad guys' Timber county payments subsidy expires Nation - World Obama makes Maduro’s ‘insolent Yankees’ line harder to sell Obituaries Harry Theodore Hertz Paulette "Paulie" Brading Death Notices Greg Brothers Grace A. 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Arsonist attempts to burn down building at Jackson Elementary ... Medford police, fire chiefs get raises ... Barricaded suspect arrested ... Arsonist attempts to burn down building at Jackson Elementary ... Medford police, fire chiefs get raises ... OUTDOOR JOURNAL Year of the crossbow? Industry has sights set on Oregon, but bowhunters expect ban to continue Comment By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Posted Jan. 9, 2015 @ 2:00 am Updated Jan 9, 2015 at 12:13 PM By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Posted Jan. 9, 2015 @ 2:00 am Updated Jan 9, 2015 at 12:13 PM » Social News Oregon's state senators and representatives next week will start dropping new bills in their chambers for the upcoming Oregon legislative session, and a host of hunters, especially bowhunters, will be combing through the pile in search of the C word. They are expecting another legislative attempt to keep Oregon from remaining the only state to outlaw crossbows in regulated hunting seasons. Despite their general approval and even skyrocketing interest throughout the Midwest and South, crossbows remain taboo among many Oregon hunters who fear their improved success rates over conventional bows use will result in fewer deer and elk tags made available in current archery hunts. The crossbow industry has its sights set on Oregon, where hunters continue to give horizontal bows the Tom McCall treatment. You can visit the shooting ranges and take aim at unprotected species like nutria or let loose an arrow at a carp. Just don't expect to move into Oregon, where big-game herds and those who stalk them with long or recurve bows don't want their hunts compromised. "They can kill from 100 yards," says Duane Dungannon, secretary of the Medford-based Oregon Hunters Association. "We have this constantly evolving war on wildlife and you try to keep it hunting," Dungannon says. That's the opposite of the rest of the country, where shows like "The Walking Dead" depicting crossbow use are doing more for crossbows than what "The Hunger Games" did for recurves. A national survey funded by the Archery Trade Association shows crossbows more than doubled their market share in five years, from 14.9 percent in 2007 to 30.9 percent in 2012, according to the ATA. Also, 18.3 percent of archers shoot crossbows exclusively, while just 7.3 percent shoot exclusively recurves, the study found. "When I was in retail, if we sold a crossbow, it was cause for celebration," says Teresa Johnson, spokeswoman for the ATA, which is in the midst of its annual trade show in Indianapolis with new crossbows prominent in displays. "As states lighten up restrictions on crossbows, they've been flying off the shelves," Johnson says. "We're seeing this mass interest in crossbows." Oregonians, however, have steadfastly argued that it's different here than many Midwest states where whitetail deer numbers are such that hunters are encouraged to kill a half-dozen or more deer in a season. Hunters stalking migratory black-tailed or mule deer are happy to get one a season, let alone eight. Oregon has a long history of resisting technological advances in hunting. Electronic sights on bows have been banned since their creation and upgrades to muzzleloaders remain illegal in Oregon. The arguments against these changes are very similar to the argument against crossbows: they improve hunting success too much for how Oregon's big-game tags are meted out. Tag numbers for controlled deer and elk hunts are set annually by state wildlife biologists based on estimated success rates on updated herd counts and sex ratios. If a specific hunt historically nets a 20 percent success rate, then tag numbers are adjusted to reflect that expected hit on the deer or elk herds targeted in that hunt. Crossbows lethal at 100 yards instead of 35 yards lead to a higher success rate and, therefore, fewer tags. The historic fear in Oregon is similar for general seasons, where tag numbers are not manipulated to target the numbers of deer or elk killed in those seasons. The adjustment would, hunters fear, result in shorter seasons.  The remaining 49 states span the board on their crossbow laws. Some allow them during regular archery seasons while others welcome them in rifle seasons. Others allow them only during the last week of archery seasons and many allow them only for disabled hunters.  The most recent edition of the crossbow argument came in late 2013, when the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission revisited whether to give hunters incapable of holding a bow or rifle the option to use a crossbow during archery hunts. At the time, 6,329 Oregonians had an Oregon Disabilities Hunting and Fishing Permit and only 872 — or 14 percent — have disabilities that fit that classification. To become crossbow-legal, disabled hunters would have needed a doctor's explanation as to why they can't use adaptive archery equipment such as draw locks to shoot arrows using their mouths or chins. The commission let the issue die, just like it did three years earlier. When the bills start dropping Monday, there will be plenty Oregonians ready to ensure only nutria and carp need to fear the horizontal bow. "We haven't seen any drafts on crossbows to date," says Al Elkins, the OHA's legislative lobbyist. "But our radar's up." Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 541-776-4470 or [email protected] . Follow him at www.twitter.com/MTwriterFreeman . By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Posted Jan. 9, 2015 @ 2:00 am Updated Jan 9, 2015 at 12:13 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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