oh man this is good... Guess I'll start with myself here...

First off, I am a grown man , in America, hard working paying taxes, and I'll do what I want to do. Did I put in for the Mcalester hunt only because of the big bucks?? Dang right I did. Did I start practicing when I applied?? Heck no I didn't. Don't like it? Tough. Will I apologize? NOPE!I'm 33 yrs old and I've put in for that hunt my whole life and this is the ONLY time I've ever been drawn. If I would have practiced all those years w/o knowing what would happen, I would have wore out 2 or 3 bows by now and never been on the hunt. But guess what? The day I knew I was drawn, I was shooting a recurve by the next day. I'm serious as hell about this thing. Funny thing, I can already tell that I'm gonna want to continue with trad. even after this hunt. I'm already enjoying it too much not to. BUT, If I just prepared for this for the hunt and then put the bow down, that's my perrogative also. I don't care what someone else thinks,nor should I.
If you want to know the truth, this hunt discriminates against guys who don't go traditional. There is not another option in this state for compound that even thinks about measuring up to the caliber hunt that this is. If there were I'd put in for that. But, as a hard working ,tax paying citizen, I'm just as entitled to that hunt as anybody. Or do only traditionalists pay taxes??So the only option I have is exactly what I'm doing and being thankful for it, all the while knowing there's self-righteous dudes out there who use traditional archery as a macho stepping stone who are gonna think they're better than me because I haven't shot traditional in so long. BIG HAIRY DEAL.
If you want to get technical about it , I'm Cherokee Indian. I'm the one who has the right to shoot "traditional" on the land that should still be mine..and nobody else..Honestly , that'sNOT an issue to me, but the point is, it could be if I wanted to play that card.

So dwd, millertime, keep doing what you're doing. You both seem like conscienscious, ethical men who will do the right thing. That's the bottom line. That's all that matters, having the integrity to do what's right. I'm sure there's plenty of "hard-core traditionalists" who go in there and miss and injure deer all weekend long. In fact, I know of a few of them.. All their years of "being real men" don't mean squat to the buck laying out there suffering from a gutshot..
I shot three times with my bow last year at bucks. All 8 points. None of them made it over 75 yards from my stand. That wasn't by accident or dumb luck. That's the way I am. That's my standard. And I'll have that same standard with the recurve hunt. I plan on being succesful. I'll do what it takes to be responsibly ready. And when I check in down there this fall I'll beas proud as anybody, maybe more. And I won't give a rip what anyone else thinks. My clear conscience is all I need....That and the big buck that I WILL be taking home with me.....