I say welcome the Xbow. I thought it was cheating until lyme disease ate up my shoulder sockets back in '92. Misdiagnosed until it really got a hold on me. Now William Tell gets as much respect as Robin Hood in my book.
I grew up in Ben Pearson's home town, and got to know him and his family on a more than casual basis. He saw to it that no kid that wanted a bow and arrows would be without them. He would entertain us for hours at church pot-lucks and picnics with films, stories and demonstrations. Even brought Howard Hill around a couple of times. I cut my teeth on those inch and a half, two bladed broadheads. Talk about a purist, I finally got a recurve after everyone fell in love with compounds.
Now I can pull a compound, but not enough to practice like one should to be proficient. Still, nobody would certify me as handicapped, nor most of the other folk with more than touch of authritis. What I have found is that only a little practice is required to attain hunting accuracy with a Xbow. You still have to know distance as well as with any compound. You still have to hunt the same. The Xbow even has drawbacks such as weight, noise, that horizontal profile that is so hard to conceal, and others as mentioned by previous posters.
Xbows will bring more hunters into the woods, and some of them will become dedicated hunters. A bow hunter is much more likely to get really hooked than a fellow who takes his rifle out three times a year. A working guy or gal with kids will be able to Xbow hunt proficiently Saturday morning without spending hours each week practicing technique. Lots of these young guys don't even have backyards to practice in yet, and it is illegal in most cities. Face it, without new blood, our sport of hunting will lose what political support it has.
Any hunting locale that isn't running out of deer would do well to encourage Xbow hunting.
