SignOfTheTines:

I'm aware ofwhat it is called. How much archery specific information is in the general course? Since you are an attorney or experienced in suing people you already know the other side is going to flop the book down and tell you to read aloud the bowhunting information from the book. Gun Hunters Education and Hunters Education is scemantics, the course is geard to firearms training, safety and hunting. It doesn't address bowhunting. I'm not trying to be devisive, this and the fact that in many states you could just buy a license with no training course whatsoever is precisely why the Bowhunter Education courses were started.

I'm not sure of your point about supporting training and taking it out of individuals hands? The states did not come up with the courses and the states do not teach the courses. I took the bowhunter class in SD and it was administered by volunteers from the National Bowhunter Education Foundation, not the state. The state says you have to take the test, they don't offer it or teach the class. This is what I'm talking about, I think we may be on a different page here. I see no problem with the state mandating that you take the class offered by the NBEF to get your license.I was grandfathered becasue I had held a previous bow tag in NE, to hunt in WY, MT, ID and most other western states you need the class as a non resident to hunt, period. The state doesn't teach the Hunters Safety courses but mandate that you have it to hunt. Why the disconnect when it comes to bows?I would be all for 1 courseIF they integrated the two courses and taught the HE and the NBEF all at thesame time butthey don't do that.

InNE, SD and KS you didn't need a hunters safety card to buy a bow license. All you had to do was fill out thetaginfo and send it in with your money. This was a loophole, and could very easily have been spun to show we as bowhunters werenot interested in educating out members. The NBEF working through the states addresses this and I don't see it as a bad thing. Be honest, if the class were voluntary how many people do you think would take it? My opinion would be only kids who's parents made them take it. Now you have statistics thrown in by the other side, the classes are out there and the hunters just can't be bothered to go take them with numbers to back you up. I still see nothing wrong with the two organizations working together to for a common goal. The only way this burdens the state is they have to put one more line on the application for your certification number. It isn't there, you don't get the tag.