RE: Concept archer 99% letoff!
Paul, I am not trying to make you look bad. You are expressing a point of view that is all too common. All I did was make a comment about that point of view and I was not particularly aiming it at you, personally.
I do find your reaction very interesting, though.
Consider this... The NBA is the elite of the basketball world. NHL is the elite of the hockey world. Now, say Joe from the hockey team decides he wants to play basketball. He goes over to the NBA, finds out he can't jump. Basketball is too much of a challenge for him. So, he decides the goal needs to be dropped from 10' to 8', so he can slam dunk too.
The basketball guys like their sport just fine the way it is and start raising hell about his rule change. Ol' Joe retorts that they're a bunch of freakin' elitists. He says his only goal is to slam dunk, and he doesn't feel he should have to work on his vertical leap and develop the skill when all he has to do is lower the basket. In other words, lower the challenge. Then all he has to do is get a bunch of his hockey playing guys to come over and back him up. Of course, a few of the less intelligent basketball players would think it's wonderful that their sport - even though it has been fundamentally changed and is not what it once was - is growing so well with the rules change. And then there are the basketball players who see the opportunity to make a buttload of money from the hockey players and put far more importance on their bank accounts instead of what they know is bad for the sport.
Who has the right to make up the rules for basketball? The guys who eat, sleep and breathe basketball and will do anything to preserve it? Or the hockey players who really don't love the game, but want to spend a little of their time playing it? Or the money grubbers who sell products to appeal to the part timers? To me, the answer is obvious.
So... Why is bowhunting any different?
But you, Paul, are entirely correct on one point. I AM an elitist when it comes to bowhunting. Not only do I admit it, I am quite proud of the fact. When I came into bowhunting, the bowhunters I knew EXPECTED bowhunters to be the cream of the crop - the elite - of all hunters. We EXPECTED new bowhunters to adopt and live by the highest ideals of ethics and fair chase. We EXPECTED all bowhunters to invest time and effort into developing their shooting and hunting skills. We EXPECTED all bowhunters to be good ambassadors for the sport among the non-hunting community.
And now 'elitist' is flung around like a dirty word.[&o]