Crossbow Bucks Now Being Recognized By National Organization

Paul Burnside with the Bolt & Quarrel Club measures a crossbow-killed whitetail.

If you are a crossbow hunter, Paul Burnside understands your pain. Your chances of ever taking a Boone & Crockett Record book buck are very slim. In fact, Georgia only has one registered B&C crossbow deer ever killed, the 173-inch Hall County buck killed by Levi Sullens during the 2022 season.

Your chances of making the Pope & Young Record Book with a crossbow buck are non-existent since P&Y does not recognize crossbow-taken bucks.

“Jim Baldwin and I were sitting around the campfire at the hunting camp one night talking about why Pope & Young doesn’t recognize bucks taken with crossbows,” the Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio resident said. “Somebody made the off-hand comment that we should start a club that does.”

Paul liked the idea and decided to make a few preliminary inquiries. He was shocked at who offered a helping hand.

“I first contacted Boone & Crockett, and they were a tremendous help,” he said. “They thought it was a great idea and graciously agreed for us to use their scoring forms as a model and modify them for our use.

“Then, I contacted Pope & Young. I was hesitant about that because I’ve always heard that they don’t like crossbows and that they believe crossbows don’t belong in a club with their bows.

“I was surprised when they thought what we wanted to do was a great idea,” he said.  “They said they were not against crossbows, they just thought there was no clear division of what went where. They even offered to allow us to use their scorers.”

Paul contacted Boone & Crockett again and that organization also agreed to allow their scores to score for his club. They even offered to train the scorers.

Both organizations sent e-mails to their scorers offering them new scoring opportunities. Most accepted.

“We started the club because we felt like that crossbow hunters couldn’t compete just like Pope & Young thought bowhunters couldn’t compete with rifle hunters,” he said. “It’s our belief that you have to take more time and effort with a crossbow because you have to be closer.”

The club’s website can be found at www.bolt-quarrel.org. Like B&C and P&Y, there is a $40 processing fee to enter your buck. The net typical score for entry into the Bolt & Quarrel Club for whitetails is 130 inches, while the non-typical minimum has been set at 140 inches.

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