I've dealt internally with this issue myself.  On a personnal level, I prefer to hunt as primitive as possible.  I like to pretend that I'm in another time period, where you hunt or you don't eat.  So I resist the temptation to use modern technology.  However that's nearly impossible.  Sure there's the Tred Barta's in the world that know how to make their own bow, arrows, and arrow heads and be successfull using them.  Most of us "civilized" folks don't have the time or the know-how to do so.  Besides, when humans were hunting because it was do or die, they had all day every day to hunt.  It was their occupation.  Not a hobby or a pastime.  Think of the ratio of humans to animals back then. Humans lived in small settlements, while all the other animals roamed the Earth.  No hunting seasons.  No resrtictions.  Just hunt, when you need food, clothes and tools!  Now, we live in major metropolis', we've over taken much of the animal habitat and; have far outnumbered most of the large game animals. With today's population, and the fact that most people don't own their own hunting grounds, and you get a buch of "primitives" fighting over everything from where, when, and how to hunt.  So it's not man vs. deer.  It's man vs. man, land, time, technology, and who knows what else. 

   As far as cross bows are concerned, it's the change.  Most people don't like change, especially if it affects one negatively.  For public land users, the woods are less crowded during archery season. Less competition! Not anymore.  Where I live a typical weekday during bow season you may find one hunter per square mile.  On the weekends maybe five.  Come opening day of the rifle season, at least 25 hunters per square mile.(I did a car count last year and counted 25 cars, some had multiple hunters per vehicle).  Because archery hunters have a longer season than gun hunters, and many other reasons, archery hunters tend to be more skilled and patient than gun hunters.  Thats where safty in the woods can be a real concern.  There's a lot of idiots that never think about hunting untill the last minute.  They get excited, buy a tag and some shells, and go shoot the first thing that moves in the woods.  One other point to mention, I have yet to hear, personally, of a successfull crossbow hunt in Michigan last year.  I have however heard of six different hunters, some with great hunting skills, never recover the Buck that they injured, with their tiny little darts!  What a waste!  

First of all, no one is "dissing" you. We are just stating that crossbows are maybe a little too effective to be used in a "primitive weapons" season. I didn't even know that term was in vogue any more. I guess I don't see how you can even begin to argue that crossbow hunters are at a disadvantage compared to bowhunters. Why in the world was the longbow kicked out of the way as the medium distance weapon in the middle ages when the crossbow was perfected? Because the crossbow is a more efficient weapon... that's why. It doesn't have a place in a archery season.

I agree with others that think that some state's muzzleloading seasons are out of whack. You shouldn't be able to use a scoped muzzy. That is rediculous. Colorado has fairly good muzzy laws in my oppinion (loose powder, no sabots, no scopes etc).

I agree that exceptions for those with real injuries should be made. I believe that Colorado already does this.

Oh and holding a bow for 20 minutes and still getting the deer is quite the feat.