On Feb 4, 2026, the Archery Trade Association's Jennifer Mazur published, Participation Patterns of Crossbow Hunters and What They Mean for the Future of Bowhunting.
They studied over 10,000 bowhunters across 13 states, and the findings are clear. Crossbow hunters are more than just members of the hunting community, and they may well be the future of it, or at least why we have one.
Mazur’s piece, which I highly encourage you to read for yourself, tells us why:
Most crossbow hunters started with guns or other bows, and a lot of them pick up crossbows later on. Most continue to use different ways to hunt.
They buy licenses and gear and keep showing up. Hunting stays alive because people actually get outside, not because of likes online.
License sales pay for agencies, gear taxes help, and staying active (and relevant) matters for our voice.
If fewer people hunt, the whole system gets weaker.
The research shows that crossbow hunters keep showing up over the years. In some states, crossbows bring in new hunters; in others, they keep older hunters in the game. If those hunters keep buying bows and guns, pushing them away doesn’t protect anything. It just makes hunting fade even faster.
I keep visiting the crossbow debate because it's the latest example of many hunter-on-hunter topics we allow to divide us within our own community.
Fighting over crossbows is just one way hunters split up:
Public land or private land.
High fence or fair chase.
Rifle or archery.
Compound or traditional.
Every time there’s a new way to hunt, someone acts like it’s a threat. But the gear was never really the problem. It was, is, and always will be division. Gatekeeping doesn’t help hunting. It just makes us smaller. It leaves people out. And it creates the worst kind of anti-hunters, ones who once hunted.
Let's look at the good, if not great news, it's sharing - ATA’s numbers show crossbow hunters keep coming back and use all sorts of gear.
The hunter who started out differently might still buy tags at age 72, or mentor a grandkid, show up at wildlife commission meetings, or help fund habitat. In fact, he or she may do all of these things as a crossbow hunter. And that's A-OK with me.
Look. You don’t have to like crossbows. Hell, you don't have to like archery. But if someone hunts ethically, cares about conservation, and helps with conservation, they belong. The real problem isn’t gear, it’s us fighting with each other. When we do that, only antihunters win.
So, are we really gonna turn on fellow hunters, or stand together?
Mazur’s article makes the choice pretty simple, right?
Jay Pinsky, Editor, The Archery Wire & The Hunting Wire
jay@theoutdoorwire.com
