Right now, local archery Pro Shops are still benefiting from the initial surge of crossbow sales. But there's far less need for a bow technician when it comes to crossbows. Take it out of the box and go shoot. Unlike a compound bow that still needs considerable technical support, especially for a new archer. Such as having draw length selected, cams timed, yokes tuned, draw weight set, peep installed, string loop installed, rest installed, release selected, sights installed, stabilizer selected/installed, properly spined shafts selected, getting advice on shooting form, etc, etc. Mail order and chain stores could easily take over most of the market for crossbows, due to their out-of-the-box readiness. And as more and more people choose the simpler route of a crossbow, the big-box stores could erase the small pro-shops out of the picture. They're already doing it.

yes, yes they are on many levels ruining archery and BOW seasons ........ they are not a bow ....

Like it or not, hunters are aging and crossbows are keeping them hunting during the archery seasons.

And the pro shops aren't closing down because of crossbows, they are shutting down because fewer young people are hunting and most of those who do aren't going to purchase a $1,000 bow and spend another $500 on accessories for it every few years.

Same thing with hang on stands. Look @ the lower number of hang on and climbing stands in stores today versus 10 years ago. Why? Because younger people aren't replacing the older hunters aging out and the older hunters that are still out there are spending their money on ladder stands, ground blinds and shooting houses.

They aren't ruining my bowhunting. I still do what I have always done. Are they threatening my bowhunting? In other words, will my opportunity to bowhunt be reduced or eliminated? Not in Indiana. I can't imagine we will back off the seasons in any way because of them. Will the mix of which season people kill their deer change? Maybe a little. But I doubt the overall kill will be changed much. Over the next 20-30 years, which realistically are my remaining years, fewer hunters will be in the woods. I expect we will have 30-50% fewer by the end of that time. So I have no worries that they will impact me personally.

My kids (18, 21, and 23 years old now) hunt some but I'm not sure they would without my involvement. And they have been steeped in it their whole lives. Not a single one of their friends hunt. We are Indy suburbanites so that isn't too surprising and I am sure more rural areas have different experiences. But our society is inextricably becoming more urban.

In short, our entire hunting tradition is threatened. Crossbows play no part in that.

I still bow hunt with my compound and sometimes my recurve. My youngest daughter started hunting with a crossbow when she was 8. She killed a bunch of deer and turkeys with it. When she turned 15 she made the move to a compound for deer and is now 3 deer in 3 years with it. I'd argue that the crossbow made my hunting more enjoyable because it kept my daughter in the game, since she did not enjoy gun hunting.

I have zero issues with crossbows. They have made zero negative impact to my hunting. I've never hunted with one and don't care to until the day comes that I cannot pull back a bow. But if another hunter wants to use them, then so be it. I'll shake his/her hand and tell them congrats when they kill a deer with one.

It seems the compound crossbows need some regular maintenance, cams synced, string/cables changed, etc. though certainly not as much as a compound. I have a recurve crossbow, which would not need any service from a bow shop. I can change the strings and even put a new one on if got cut in the field.

The couple shops around me are still doing OK, I think, and I try to support them with my business. Both sell crossbows now too which helps their business I am sure.

Agree. Access is the main hurdle or reason for stopping hunting for many I know. Land got leased out, property got sold, lost permission, etc. It's happened to me many times.

Lack of access is an excuse to sit at home and watch football If someone wants to hunt then the Hoosier NF is 202,000 acres spread all over Southern IN, 2 hours from Indy. I count something like 40 hunting areas in Northern IN on the interactive map. I hunt public land and it can be tough; but it is possible. You just gotta want it. Lots of folks watch YouTube and think it should be like Midwest Whitetail every time they go out. Set your expectations where they should be and learn to hunt it.