ORIGINAL: BTBowhunter
ORIGINAL: rem700man
ORIGINAL: BTBowhunter
I'm all for mandatory bowhunter ed for all new bowhunters including an accuracy test and blood trailing instruction.
Getting it to happen for existing bowhunters would be a good idea but unrealistic. The best way is to put it in for newly licensed bowhunters going forward.
Btb:
Another self-centered,,greedy post,,,,with little thought put into what your writing. I bet half the guys your age cant pass a proficiency test 1st of all and 2nd of all how in the he!! with the current liscensing process in Pa. will you or anyone else for that mattter determine whether or not aapplicant for an archery liscense will be a 1st year applicant or a 50th year applicant? Cmon man!,,,we as hunters dont need more rules or tests,,,application deadlines,,etc,,,,According to you theres no real herd health problem so there should not really be any problem with a few deer slipping by with an arrow in their guts! I have seen a few posts prior suggesting that a good archer put 5 shots in a pie plate at 20yds and 40 yds( im n ot suggesting that you posted this and i actually dont believe that this is your thought process) but if i could'nt put 5 shots in the bullseye @ either yardage and struggle to get my fingers between em to pull em out i would surely hang it up!! Proficiency tests are all based on opinion as far as im concerned and i for one am never happy until the utmost accuracy is achieved,,,but then again theres guys on here that have shot at and killed more deer than i have with less expectations and they are just as good a hunter as i am if not better
I'm not quite sure how the idea of trying to educate and properly introduce new bowhunters into a sport with very unique and specific challenges and limitations could be interpereted as greedy and self centered.
There are probably some arcehrs out there of ALL ages with varying degrees of experience who could benefit from bowhunter ed and a proficiency test. Ideally all hunters would be responsible enough to learn their sport their equipment and their quarry well enough to minimize potential mistakes but in the real world, easing in an education program for newbies seems like a good solid step in the right direction.
If a proficiency test for all became the rule tomorrow, I'd participate with a smile. I have a hard time understanding why any bowhunter would resist a simple attempt to raise the bar among our ranks. It's already mandatory in many states and provinces for ALL bowhunters.
By the way, Rem700, I can't recall, are you a bowhunter?
Ok Btb:
Im a truck driver and id like to see each and every one of the nondrivin MF's that pull out in front of me on a daily basis spend 1 hour in a class with me teaching their stupid a$$e$ what to and what not to do,,,id love to show each and every one of em what a truck will do to their pathetic,,,in a hurry,,,non leavin 5 minutes earlier,,,talkin on the the cell phone a$$e$,,,but ya know what,,,after 20 yrs of the same thing day in day out,,I've learned that they dont care,,,their minds are set on one thing and thats exactly what their going to try to accomplish,,,and in the long run im further ahead not to worry about what their motives are,,,cause see,,,im just as hard headed,,,i've had to put a few of em into the WALL! Im proud to say that at 42 years old i have a perfect driving record,,,no tickets,,,no AT FAULT accidents,,nothing! Now im sure that there are drivers out there that could teach me a few things,,,but ya know what,,,im under enough stress on a daily basis that i dont need another lesson. Just like a guy going out into the woods dont need another lesson in archery class,,,because what he learns in class holds no water to what he's gonna experience in the woods,,,you and i both know that the stresses that come with drawing a bow on a live animal can not be compared to what you will be taught in a class room on "how to". It all comes down to a hunters own decision of "do i shoot or not". When his/her heart is pounding out of their chest,,what are they going to rely upon? Your so called training or are they going to rely upon their basic instict to succeed? Theres enough info out here right now that if a guy/gal wants to succeed in the hunting world,,they will do it by practicing,,,trial and error,,,and get a mentor,,,im not so sure that LOVE and RESPECT for the great outdoors can be taught,,,i think it comes from within. And yes,,,im an archery fanatic!,,,i try to shoot no less than 200 arrows a week, in the off season,,,and last year the very 1st deer i shot was a doe in the early season @ 5yds,,pretty much straight down,,and i have no f'n idea where i hit this deer,,,i had little blood on the arrow,,a few driblets on the ground over the next 300 yds (tracked her by the leaves she kicked up leaving the county) and i never found her,,,i can tell ya this,,,at 5 yds i should not have taken the shot when i did,,,,i drew the bow when she was behind a maple limb,,,full of leaves,,,and when i let the arrow fly i could not tell what happened,,,,im almost 100% positive it hit high and went thru the tenderloins but if my life depended upon that being 100% the truth i probably would be dead,,,,if i would have waited for her to take 1 more step that deer would have been dead! I rushed the shot! and disrespected the animal that keeps my life in tact! My point is this,,,,some things just cant be taught