HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners on Thursday approved a regulation that would restrict the use of crossbows for the fall hunting seasons.

To become official the regulation would still have to approved again by the game commission after public comments are considered, according to a game commission news release.

Under the proposal that was passed 4-3, any archery license-holding hunter could use a crossbow during the first two weeks of the statewide early archery deer season, Oct. 3-16. Only disabled hunters with a permit to use a crossbow could use them for the remainder of the early archery season, as well as all of the late archery season.

Crossbows would continue to be legal for all deer seasons, including the early and late archery seasons, in WMUs 2B, 5C and 5D hunting districts. But only those with a disabled person permit to use a crossbow could use a crossbow during the two-day archery bear season, the news release states.

Lastly, crossbows could be used by any muzzleloader license-holding hunter in both the October antlerless muzzleloader season, Oct. 17-24, and the late flintlock muzzleloader season, Dec. 26-Jan. 9.