There really isn't any way to stop someone from buying a bow in the morning and going hunting with it that afternoon or the next day. Legislate all you want, it won't stop someone from going into the woods with that type of mentality. That is the reason they carry the label "slob". It is a similar argument that gun contol people have, "get the hand guns out of the hands of the common person. Make it illegal for them to have one then we will cut down on crime." The problem with that kind of logic is that the bad guys don't care what the law says...neither do "slob hunters".

I would have no trouble passing a proficiency test but I can't see it being an answer to this discussion. Why would we want anyone from outside of our ranks having a say in what is pro or con? I know what the rebuttle to that question would be, "bowhunters would be running the program!". Perhaps, but then again maybe not. We have all seen cases where good intentions met with disaster when legislation was introduced. It seems like it usually ends up on someones desk that doesn't have a clue what were are dealing with.

I have witnessed first hand what education does for bowhunting. I have sat side by side in the treestand with young teenage hunters who let deer walk if they were less than a six point (self imposed rule) or did not present a good angle (or comfortable shooting range)for a shot. We're not talking seasoned hunters here. They were as anxious to take a deer as anybody would be but they were "taught" to make things work in their favor and not take high risk opportunities. I can assure you when I was young I would have not displayed this type of discipline. I wasn't schooled in this fashion, I had to "learn" a few things over the years. I know a bow hunter that is a very good shot but is not disciplined as well as those young kids were. Good character, discipline, or ethics if you will, cannot be legislated and you really cannot separate them in this discussion because they are intimately entwined to the problem at hand.


Edited by - Antler Eater on 11/10/2002 22:23:56