So... I guess you goobers always hit the vitals on every target that's set beyond your effective range? Isn't hitting the vitals on every shot pretty much how we define our effective range in the first place? Talk about elitist BS! There's some to dine on!

Silentassassin, why do you insult the civil rights movement and women's suffrage by comparing those basic human rights struggles with the plight of the poor, downtrodden crossbow shooter? Is it simply because they're a minority trying - for their OWN selfish reasons!! - to get into bow seasons that were never intended for them?

If you're so concerned with the rights of the minority, why do you ignore the plight of the traditional bowhunters? They're the ones who use equipment like was available when the seasons were actually established. I haven't seen you chime in to defend fellow bowhunters from comments like those above! And those comments are supposedly FROM fellow bowhunters!??! Is that because you agree with them, SA? You want to raise up the crossbow shooter while spouting lies - or, at best, incomplete truths - that can be used for exterminating the tradtionalist?

Like it or not, fellers, traditionalists ARE STILL part of bowhunting. Their numbers are growing. Many, including newcomers with undeveloped skills, are spending their time at 3D tournaments trying to improve their skills with their weapons. And, for that, they are getting slandered by comments like those above? [:@] Many traditional shooters in my neck of the woods will not attend mixed shoots at all any longer because of the compound bigots. Participation in our club's all-traditional tournaments last season were easily triple the numbers of compound shooters who came to our mixed shoots.

The way I see it, we've got traditionalists who know they need to get out and shoot, and actually enjoy shooting. Then we've got the compound guys - the great majority of whom sit on their butts all year, dragging their dusty bows out, knocking off the cobwebs and shooting a few arrows to 'check their sights' before going hunting the next day. For every compound shooter who is active in tournament shooting, or at least shoots on a regular basis in the off season, there are easily a hundred who fit into the above category. You guys KNOW this is the truth!

That's what scares the bejeezus out of me about crossbows. They will simply make a sorry situation even worse.

My focus, as an archer and long time club officer, is promoting the sport of archery to those bowhunters who sit out the entire offseason. I want to get them involved. I want to get their wives and children involved in archery. The only segment of the sport where I see much of that happening is in traditonal. Might be different in your neck of the woods. All I can speak to is my own area around Dallas/Fort Worth.

Now, I've shot compounds for the past 20 years and, over the past 5 years, I've found the newer compounds to be decidedly BORING to shoot and a PITA to keep tuned up. No wonder people won't shoot the damn things. They're not any fun. Crossbows are even worse. Cock the thing, load an arrow, look through the scope and pull the trigger. You don't even see the bolt/arrow/quarrel/whatever flying downrange to the target! Might as well be shooting a gun.

Without a challenge, there is no sense of accomplishment. Without a sense of accomplishment, there is no saitisfaction. Without a sense of satisfaction, there is no enjoyment. We've gone a long way down the road to take the challenge out of archery and bowhunting. Any wonder why participation numbers at the local club level are dropping? As I said earlier, I see crossbows as exacerbating the problem. They're not any kind of answer to it.