Ive hunted Kentucky and CT and PA with one. Killed lots of deer with it. Easier than bowhunting regular, almost consider it akin to short range muzzleloader hunting, one shot only pretty much unless the deer is retarded and stands there wanting to take another arrow.
I have no problems taking a 60 yard OPEN known range, shot with one. No problems at all. I can hit lungs every time at that range in my foam target.
Not that you usually get that in the New England deer woods, but still. Doubles the effective range of a Compound....at least for me. Also the power factor if you hit a shoulder...is considerably higher and more likely to penetrate than a regular compound bow. You have a scope as well, which lets you shoot more accurate at longer ranges and see what your shooting.
I prefer the Short limbed Excalibur recurve kind, mines a Micro Suppressor, because of simplicity and ease of changing the string in the field if things go fubar. They are fairly rock solid too.
Do I agree they should be used in the regular archery season.....no.....they should limit the season on them, kinda like a muzzleloader. As I think they are not in the same category as a compound, they are much more accurate to the average user who doesn't practice much. But some states allow them and some states don't, or must have a medical issue...it is what it is.
Overall I still prefer hunting with the Stickbow or Compound. If things happen fast, you can reload easier. Less awkward in the deer woods, and I've spent many years mastering regular archery. I practice every year before the season for weeks. Tune the bow, arrows, broadheads.....etc........Its a little bit of a kick in the balls to those of us who do all this, now that someone can just grab a crossbow and go to the woods in the same season we do.
Many of these people very untrained in killing things with arrows. My feeling is they will take too long shots and wound a lot of deer possibly. But whatever, it gets people out in the field.
I guess its fine. I do prefer the way MA limits it though. Surprisingly I'm OK with not incorporating Xbows into the regular archery. I would like to see a 3 or 5 day X bow season though.
And of course for the guys that REALLY can't draw a bow back its fine, but just like SSDI, there are a lot of fakers getting into the game because they are too lazy to do regular archery and use the Xbow as a crutch. And I think that's why archery kills are going up dramatically.