Committee moves to keep crossbow allowance permanent for archery seasons

Chair Heintzeman introduced House File 15‑31 to remove the sunset provision that temporarily allowed crossbows to be used during Minnesota's archery deer and turkey seasons and to make that allowance permanent.

"There's a lot of personal experience that I have around crossbows," Chair Heintzeman said, describing medical and accessibility reasons and noting bipartisan support for a permanent change. He said preliminary data indicate a higher proportion of archery harvests attributed to crossbow use since the temporary change.

Eric Simonson of the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association testified in support and said the association wants policies that encourage more people to hunt. He noted a reported increase in archery-season harvests and that crossbow users tend to include younger, older and female hunters.

Barbara Keller, DNR Big Game Program Leader, told the committee the department prefers to complete its legislatively directed evaluation before making further regulatory recommendations. Keller summarized early findings: crossbows accounted for 43% of archery deer harvest in the first year of the change and archery’s share of the overall statewide harvest rose from about 13% pre‑change to about 16% after. Turkey harvests taken with crossbows remained small (under 10%). Keller said a full report to the legislature is due in October 2025.

Representatives of bowhunting organizations warned about potential shifts in hunter behavior and suggested alternatives such as a split season to protect traditional bowhunting opportunity while accommodating crossbow users.

Chair Heintzeman renewed a motion to move HF 15‑31 to the General Register; the committee approved the referral by voice vote. The bill will now proceed to the general register for further floor consideration. No changes to statute were enacted at the committee hearing.