But, by gosh, that won't stop 'em from trying.

Let God sort that out. I hit what I aim for and don't care what others do on their ground.

i too hit what i aim for . I agree you can't legislate stupidity i just feel it is like driving a car that you need to show that you can drive before they give you a license to drive
it seems like it is a privilege more than a right to hunt

yeah, and you can't fix it either

Damn it, LOL

I know where your comming from. I agree with it. I just don't want big brother in my hunting more than he already is.

I agree I don't like the government involved in a lot of personal matters. Its just one of those things that bother me that some don't put the slightest efffert into being a good hunter

you can train all day every day and still NOT be a good hunter... some people have a natural instinct for it and require very little if any training to be a good hunter...

whose definition of good are you going to use??? how good is "good" and where do you draw the line... do you not think that some first time hunters, with no guidance, using only the common sense that was given to them, can't be ok hunters their first time out????? can you quantify hunting ability????

I'm playing devil's advocate here mostly cuz as is mentioned above, who here really wants ~more~ govt controls over something we've been fighting to keep (and so many others are fighting to ban)????? fact is that it is unrealistic to even want a proficiency test, it is expensive, and impractical... peer pressure is the best tool... use it to your advantage...

though I've got to admit, a small part of me is sitting here listening to this going "how friggin arrogant can some of these folks be?"... defining a hunter and labeling someone not worthy and etc... be careful guys, attitudes like this might actually shrink our ranks and give us less of a voice against the anti's... we should be welcoming these people into our ranks instead of blindly ragging on them as inferior people for not subscribing to your exact qualifications of what a hunter is and should be... kinda like how the harley riders used to berate the rice riders, they've found there is more strength in numbers and they all share the same desires even if they act on them in a slightly different manner....

In AK it's required that you have an IBO or equivalent bowhunter certification to hunt in any archery specific hunts. ADF&G has 3D targets that they purchase for putting on the class but anyone can become a certified volunteer instructor and teach classes (after some training and acting as assistant instructors). They then have access to the training materials when they put a class on. This helps to keep costs down for the Department. Also by accepting certifications from other states costs are reduced. I see nothing but good from requiring bowhunter education so that people go into the woods with at least basic knowledge of why a bow is not a gun. The proficiency test part of it is so ridiculously easy that if a person can't pass it they should be kept away from all sharp objects, not just broadheads!

I could see an up side to it.