badshotbob, have you served a local club as an officer for 17 years? Have you kept track of club memberships and member demographics? Have you watched compound bows become increasingly efficient and easy to use while watching club memberships and member participation dwindle? Have you watched, at the same time, the growth in traditional archery and the core strength of your club switch from compound to traditional?

SOMETHING is going on. I don't think it's lack of time, because there are still 24 hours in every day. I know a lot of people that have way too many irons in the fire. Run themselves to death at work every day, then run themselves to death trying to keep up with all their hobbies. They don't like shooting their bows or they'd make it one of their main hobbies.

If they don't want archery as a prime hobby then they darn well need to quit bowhunting as well. That's just MY OPINION.

By the way... Elitism: 1) Practice of or belief in rule by an elite. 2) consciousness of or pride in belonging to a select or favored group.

I believe #1. If someone just thinks about bowhunting from one week before the season to the end of the season, as far as I'm concerned the bozo can keep his opinions to himself.

As for #2, I used to feel that bowhunters were a select, favored group because of the demands and challenges of hunting with a bow. Only the best hunters would take up the bow. I took pride in being a part of that brotherhood. Well, not any more. According to a scary number of folks on this thread, hunting with a bow is no harder than hunting with a rifle or handgun these days.

Modern bowhunting has absolutely no soul left to it. It's sterile, mechanical. Too much like work. Too little like fun.

Traditonal bowhunters aren't perfect, by a long shot (pun intended) but they're a darn sight closer to what bowhunting means to me.