Silentassassin, I know you don't understand. Over the past few years, it's become apparent to me that you have the technical background but don't have the slightest idea of how bow seasons were established, or the history or philosophy of bowhunting. You need to educate yourself on those points before you'll ever understand where I'm coming from.

But to answer your question, in part... The point of the matter is bow seasons were made for BOW hunters, not crossbow hunters. It's a matter of PRINCIPLE, a word that seems to have little meaning to many people these days.

A direct parallel to what we're talking about. Muzzleloader seasons were started for buckskinners, folks who shot the old original muzzleloaders or modern replicas. Along comes inlines, as a way to circumvent the original intent of the season and make it easier for guys who wanted to hunt the season and not have to deal with the limitations of that kind of weapon. Now, it's hard to find a buckskinner type guy. Most everyone is shooting their modern scoped inlines, which have better range and accuracy than your basic 30-30. They'd taken over and changed a season into something it was not intended to be.

Fact of the matter is the inline manufacturers simply took a page from bowhunting's history and followed suite. Inlines have done nothing more than what compounds did to bow seasons. Crossbows will make matters even worse. I can't do anything about compounds, but I can darn sure do my part to keep crossbows out of the picture.

What we've got with the crossbow contingent is a group of people who want to play in a particular hunting season, but don't have the principles or discipline to use the weapons approved for that season. Then they start bawling and squawling, crying that they're being victimized by people who insist they remain true to the spirit of the season. Sounds like a little kid that wants to play baseball with his friends and runs home to tell momma they won't let him play. Of course, he leaves out the part that he wants to play with a basketball instead of a baseball and the other kids don't.

You made a point in our last discussion over this issue that I don't hunt any more. That's right, but it's not that I don't want to hunt. Simple fact of the matter is I can't walk far enough to get off the beaten track on public land and don't have the money to get on a Texas lease. So, if you say I don't want to see every bush within a hundred yards of the road taken over by a crossbow hunter, and say that's a selfish motive, you're right. It wouldn't bother me in the least if those guys were shooting BOWS though. You also used your dad's situation as an example of why you want crossbows. Know what? From where I'm standing it looks to me like you've got your own selfish motive.