A significant change in archery season for Pennsylvania hunters was made at the Game Commission's quarterly meeting Jan. 27, when it decided that for the 2009-2010 season all hunters will be allowed to use crossbows.

In the past, there were strict guidelines for not only the use of crossbows but also for who could use them. Except for special disabled person permits and designated WMU's the use of a crossbow was off-limits to the majority of hunters.

The new regulations will allow the use of these specialty bows for all big game species with the proper licenses and/or permits. The disabled person permit will no longer be required and anyone anticipating completing the process should end the effort by July 1.

The PGC has fielded a response list to answer many of the questions that have arisen due to the changes. I scanned the list and pulled what I thought were some of the highlights of the new rules pertaining to the use of the crossbow.

• Hunters will be required to buy a general hunting license and an archery stamp to use the crossbow.

• Special licenses, such as the bear license or antlerless deer license, will be required if you intend to hunt these species. I know that the early archery-only bear season that generally falls in the week before Thanksgiving week should encourage greater participation by hunters. It's a beautiful time to be in the woods, bears are still very active and the license price of $16 for a resident hunter and $36 for a nonresident hunter is a reasonable investment for one of the finest game animals in the commonwealth.

• The mentored youth program will allow youth hunters to utilize crossbows during the regular archery seasons. Only one crossbow can be in the field between the mentor and the youth hunter. This is the same rule for past hunts using rifles or regular bows.

• The crossbows and bolts will have some minimum requirements that must be met. The crossbow is required to have a minimum peak drawn weight of 125 pounds and can't use a magnified scope sight. They can employ a crosshair scope or red dot scope. Many crossbows come equipped with these types of sights.

• The bolt, which is the equivalent of an arrow with regular bows, must be equipped with a broad head at least seven-eighths of an inch in diameter, be no longer than 3 inches long and have two cutting edges that are the length of the broad head.

• Even though locking devices for crossbows are fairly typical and legal, they are not allowed to be used with regular bows. The crossbow is considered unloaded even if the string is pulled back (this makes the crossbow cocked and locked) but the bolt is removed.

• Late season muzzleloader hunters will be the only group that can still take advantage of the unfilled buck tag either sex rule for deer hunting. All other hunters will be required to fill the tags of their deer as stated on the license.

Some other advantages for the crossbow hunter is that the rut will be in full swing and this will expand your hunting days, allow you access to areas that are restricted from firearm use and allow greater amounts of time to pattern that trophy of a lifetime.

The cost of a crossbow can range from $275 to $1,500, depending on the make, model and accessories that you might want on your outfit.

Regardless of your decision to use a crossbow or not, remember to practice until you master the equipment and know the effective ranges so that you can hunt ethically and efficiently harvest your game.