I knew that Papa Bear was a closet fan of the pod, bwrong. In fact, I think I've seen that letter before. But it WAS written in 1964 after all. Hunting ethics were different with absurdly long shots being acceptable (though not the norm) and they were guessing at how many deer were lost per deer taken in lieu of hard data.

I've got the greatest respect for Fred Bear and what he did for archery and bowhunting. In fact, the man was my idol when I was a kid. But the man took some of the most ill advised shots you can imagine. So did Howard Hill and Ben Pearson. So did Will and Maurice Thompson. But, thankfully, they documented those shots in writing and on film, so we can look back on their mistakes. And we've learned from them.

We've got much better equipment nowadays. Most folks don't fling at any patch of brown they can get a shot at. Shots are within 20-30 yards for the most part. We know that many deer hit by arrows and not taken heal up and go about their normal lives. There has been solid research done that proves the wound/loss ratio, though higher than anyone wants to see, is not as dreadful as Benke claimed, or Bear feared.

When you look at all the people nowadays that refuse to practice with their bows and just show up for opening day (even knowing they have to hit an area the size of a small soccerball!), it makes you wonder how many more people would be like that if all they had to do was get a solid hit anywhere on the animal and get the SCC into the blood stream.

In a way, I wouldn't mind the pod. It would certainly make tracking easier because the trail would be shorter. It would keep a bleeding deer from running into someone's yard and dying in some of the suburban areas, and offending some folks' sensibilities as a consequence. It would take the pain and suffering argument away from the anti's, as Fred noted in that letter. But, on the whole, I think it would do us more harm than good.