MBA Crossbow Policy Statement 

The Montana Bowhunters Association (MBA) recognizes only the longbow, recurve bow, or compound bow for use in any archery-only season. The MBA is opposed to the use of any other weapon, specifically the crossbow, in our archery-only seasons.

Bowhunting was meant to be, and is a difficult and demanding sport. It requires a high level of dedication from its participants. Today's modern bowhunting equipment has done much to make it easier for archers to reach and maintain levels of proficiency necessary for hunting. Unfortunately, there are still those sportsmen and women who are not willing to put forth the time and effort to learn to shoot archery equipment proficiently. Because the crossbow is shot more like a gun than a bow, the crossbow is the perceived answer for today's opportunistic hunter who lacks the dedication and commitment required to be a bowhunter. Due to the gun-like design, the crossbow is simply a superior weapon that is much easier to use than archery equipment. 

While the MBA recognizes and supports the rights of hunters who choose to use other weapons in separate hunting seasons, we will oppose any effort to create any new hunting season where the ultimate aim is inclusion of crossbows in the archery-only seasons or archery-only areas, or that will decrease the length of the archery-only hunting season or displace the archery-only season into less favorable dates