As a hunting tool, the crossbow is a little like ATVs – people either love them or hate them. There have been a few attempts to legalize crossbows in Maine, but the attempts have not been warmly received.

When I asked Mike Rovella, spokesman for the Maine Bowhunters Association, he seemed reluctant to reveal MBA’s position on crossbows without a vote of the MBA Board. He did say that the Maine group usually takes its cue from their parent national organization, the Professional Bowhunters Society. That organization is not big on crossbows. Here’s what it says: “Bowhunting was meant to be, and is, a difficult and demanding sport. It requires a high level of dedication from its participants if they want to be successful on a regular basis. The crossbow is the perfect answer for today’s opportunistic hunter who lacks the dedication and commitment required to be a bowhunter.”

Opportunistic hunter? I’ve known some opportunistic hunters that were quite dedicated and thoroughly committed for that matter. In truth, aren’t all predators – hunters included – opportunistic?

You can understand why some hunters who hunt with vertical bows – long bows, compound bows, or recurves – look down their noses at the crossbow hunter. Traditional archers contend that crossbows are just too easy to use. Pope and Young does not recognize trophy animals taken with crossbows. There is no question that vertical bows have a certain romance and a required skill level that far surpasses the crossbow. Vertical bows also require the ethical hunter to commit to long hours of target practice. There is also a physical strength component to hunting big game animals with 60 pound bows, including compounds. The crossbow, on the other hand, once it is cocked is a lot like shooting a rifle, especially if it is fitted with a telescopic sight complete with range markers.

But there are some compelling arguments that favor making the crossbow a legal hunting instrument. The crossbow in many respects is still a primitive device whose roots go back to the era of Robin Hood. Like its vertical cousins, the crossbow shoots just a single short arrow (called a bolt) with a hunting broadhead. It is a very effective and accurate hunting tool. It can be argued that due to its velocity and accuracy the crossbow is even more humane than say a 50-pound long bow. Perhaps the strongest pro crossbow argument of all is that not every hunter is physically capable of handling a vertical bow. In states that permit crossbows during archery seasons, new and exciting hunt opportunities have been opened for the handicapped, women, the physically disabled and older hunters.

Ohio pioneered the use of the crossbow as a legal hunting tool in 1976. In fact, a recent study of Ohio archers revealed that 80 percent of bowhunters over the age of 60 are in the woods with a crossbow. “The crossbow gives older hunters who have difficulty with a regular compound bow or recurve bow the chance to enjoy Ohio’s long archery season,” said Dave Robb, a crossbow maker in Ohio. Robb also notes that as America’s hunting population continues to age, the crossbow will only become increasingly popular. Needless to say, the Ohio move was highly controversial. But the furor has quieted and Ohio’s deer herd remains plentiful and healthy.

There are 40 states that permit the use of crossbows in some fashion, but only four permit them during the entire archery season – Ohio, Wyoming, Kansas and Georgia. Neighboring New Hampshire passed a crossbow law last year after some heated debate. In Maryland, where I hunted this January during the last week of their bow season, crossbows are permitted during some specified weeks of the extended archery season. During one day of my five day Maryland bow hunt I put down my 55-pound compound bow and hunted with a friend’s crossbow. Although I found it somewhat awkward to carry while still hunting through the hickory groves and honeysuckle bushes, I was impressed with its accuracy, ease of cocking and rangefinder sight. Sitting in a small ground- blind tent, I found that the crossbow is much less awkward to “bring to bear” than a vertical bow.

So what about crossbows for Maine? Sad to say this question always prompts big eyes and raised eyebrows among Augusta fish and wildlife policymakers and the Maine Warden Service. And it’s my guess that Mike Rovella, in his heart of hearts, has little use for crossbows.

Too bad. A crossbow is just another hunting tool that shoots an arrow, horizontally instead of vertically. The crossbow, if legalized, could provide additional hunt opportunity in an era when Fish and Wildlife agencies talk all the time about the need to expand the opportunity horizon for Maine sportsmen.

The crossbow. Perhaps it is time to consider a limited crossbow season for Maine.

V. Paul Reynolds is editor of the Northwoods Sporting Journal. He is also a Maine Guide, co-host of a weekly radio program “Maine Outdoors” heard Sundays at 7 p.m. on The Voice of Maine News-Talk Network (WVOM-FM 103.9, WCME-FM 96.7) and former information officer for the Maine Dept. of Fish and Wildlife. His e-mail address is paul@sportingjournal.com.

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