Crossbow capitalism

By NATE HUBBARD/Staff

Two years after the controversial passage of a law allowing crossbow hunting during archery season, it appears that the new-fangled bow has found its place among the traditionalists.
Unlike conventional bows, crossbows don’t require the archer to draw back the bowstring.
“With a crossbow, it’s ready, cocked,” said Victor Billings, owner of Sportsman Supply in Wytheville. “You just flip a safety off and you shoot.”
Crossbow sales have skyrocketed since the 2005 regulation was enacted and the number of crossbow hunting licenses being sold is also on the rise.
According to statistics provided by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, hunters in the commonwealth have embraced the crossbow.
In fiscal 2007 (July 1, 2006, to June 30, 2007), the department sold 19,958 resident crossbow hunting licenses, a 35 percent increase from fiscal 2006.
Sales of non-resident licenses for crossbows have increased by an even greater percentage as the 535 licenses sold in fiscal 2006 jumped 65 percent to 882 in fiscal 2007.
Hunters using conventional bows purchase an archery license, while those using crossbows purchase a separate license. People who use both types of bows have to purchase both licenses.
For the current bow season, which began Oct. 6, crossbow and archery licenses each cost $18 for residents and $31 for non-residents.
Traditional archery licenses still far outsell crossbow licenses, but the growth in crossbow license sales is occurring at a much more rapid rate.
Between fiscal 2006 and 2007, the DGIF actually saw a decline in the number of archery licenses issued, from 51,777 in 2006 down to 48,925 in 2007, a decline of 6 percent.
Non-resident licenses increased from 2,529 to 2,722 during that same time period, a growth of 8 percent.
R.P. Pruitt of Wytheville was one of the skeptical conventional bow users who worried that the 2005 law would create chaos during archery season.
The Game and Inland Fisheries Web site states that the regulation change was passed in June 2005, in time for the 2005-06 hunting season. Prior to that change, only disabled hunters were allowed to use crossbows.
Pruitt said he was worried the woods would be overrun by crossbow hunters. Those concerns, though, have largely been unfounded.
“It’s not that much different,” he said.
The traditionalist has even embraced the crossbow himself. He said a lot of hunters brought him crossbows for repairs, and working on the bows convinced him to give them a try.
Pruitt estimated that he now uses a conventional bow and a crossbow on an even 50-50 split, depending on the terrain. He added that he has seen about equal numbers of crossbow and conventional bow hunters during the current archery season.
Billings said crossbow sales have been great for his business. At a store location in Hillsville he said he sold 183 in 2005 and in Wytheville he sold 137 crossbows in 2006 and 90 so far this year.
Before the law was passed, he said he sold only six or seven crossbows each year.
“It’s amazing, every year, you think that nobody else can buy any,” he said.
And the technologically-advanced bows are not cheap.
Billings said lower-end models sell for between $250 and $350, while his priciest crossbows can be between $1,500 and $2,000. He said he has sold about 20 of the most expensive bows in 2007.
“When [the 2005 law] first came out, all the bow hunters were upset, but everyone seems to have accepted it,” Billings said. “A lot of the guys actually traded their bows in for crossbows.”
He also estimated that about 50 percent of archers now use crossbows.
Pruitt said the conventional bows, though, still have their benefits.
“It takes more skill to shoot a conventional bow,” he said. “It’s more of a challenge with the conventional bow.”
He said a typical person could be hitting bulls-eyes with a crossbow in 10 minutes, while it would take someone three to four days of training to learn to skillfully draw a conventional bow.
And although he has accepted crossbows, Pruitt said he still has some unease that they can be used haphazardly.
“My major concern now is just people shooting from the road, stuff like that,” he said.
Nate Hubbard can be reached at 228-6611 or .