Admittedly, I'm new to bowhunting, but by no means new to hunting in general. After reading the thread where someone asked about Mathews bows and seeing how things got twisted I'll admit that I got a little pixxed off.

Not for myself mind you - I've got thick skin and have been around since the internet and bulletin boards got started. Nothing anyone says will affect me - quite simply, the comments from "that type" don't matter - "that type" of poster is so insignifigant to me they don't matter at all.

BUT !!!!

Imagine the 13, 14, 15 year old kid who just bought his first bow with his paper route money. Imagine how "stupid" he/she could feel if the brand he bought wasn't the "bow-de-jour".

Do you think he/she might be discouraged ? I believe that could happen - easily. Younger people look up to those with more experience, and the negativity of the "us vs. them" threads/posts can have quite an impact.

Let's not discourage anyone from the sport of hunting - God knows there's enough Hillary's out there already. We all need to encuourage today's youth to participate in the endeavor we all enjoy so much.

I'd rather see a kid out in the field than on a street corner peddling crack. His choice of bow should be the least of everyone's concern - let's just help him/her do it right. Let's instill the ethics and morals that preserve our sport rather than promoting the separatism that pervades our everyday life.

In short - please think of the potential impact you might have before you type - is your pride really worth possibly embarassing a youngster ?