Wolfen, good post. I understand what AK and some others are saying about newbies not all being idiots, but it is how the newbie goes about being new to the sport which will determine if he/she will be a bowhunter or an idiot. We all had to start somewhere and some of us were fortunate enough to have mentors others were not. I had some mentors, but looking back on their style of "hunting" some of them probably fit more into the idiot category, so I am for the most part self taught. If a newbie buys the gear and works to become proficient at it, joins boards like this, reads magazine articles, seeks pro shop help, and attempts to learn as much as possible before hitting the field, chances are that person will become a welcome member to the bowhunting community. However, if a person buys their gear shortly before the season, puts little effort into learning their gear, expects their gear to perform regardless of their expertise, and walks into the woods with little to no knowledge, that person is obviously an idiot. Those are the ones that are a black eye to our sport. They are the ones the antis love to hate and make it easy to state their case. A REAL proficiency test would eliminate them or force them to get the knowledge they need for success. I am all for a test like that.