The letoff rule was 50% until 1988, when it was raised to 65%. When you say, " Now suddenly a line in the sand is drawn over letoff..." you are incorrect. There isn' t any suddenly about it. That rule has been in effect for 15 years.

And it has been pretty much ignored for the past 10 years by those who only value the kill as the sole indicator of a successful hunt, and want every possible scrap of challenge removed from the hunt so they can kill something. Make it easy enough and anyone can kill a deer.

Easy - rubber boots and scentlock instead of being extra careful about the trails you walk and the wind direction. 300 fps instead of 200 fps. Carbon arrows and mechanical broadheads instead of aluminum arrows and fixed, resharpenable heads. Fiber optic sights (or telescopic or holographic or lazer sights) instead of brass pins - or no sights at all. Designer camo, dropaway rests, harmonic dampers, hydraulic stabilizers, mechanical releases.... Anyone that thinks none of that stuff has greatly affected the hunters success rate is pretty much saying he can have the same amount of success with a recurve as he can with all the doodads.

I' ll issue the challenge for that man to lay aside his high tech stuff and hunt with a recurve and aluminum arrows this season. Prove it.