RE: For or Against Mandatory Bowhunter Education
 

I am torn on the issue as generally I oppose gov't meddling & such. BUT with the amount of idiots out there it does sound like a good idea. HOWEVER, sometimes I think the very worst idiots, would not adhere to anything they learned. But I do think it would help a lot of guys learning curves to be a little shorter.

RE: For or Against Mandatory Bowhunter Education
 

Here in Florida there isn't enough oportunities to take the mandatory regular hunter education course, much less a bow hunter ed course. There aren't enough game wardensorinstructors here.

Peoplewould simply not be able to purchase a license at the local Walmart, they'd go hunt any way, and never get caught for it. It wouldn't do any good here.

RE: For or Against Mandatory Bowhunter Education
 

I agree!!!

Furthermore, I think the stipulations in many areas are a bit overblown and make little if any sense on who need to have had hunter's safety, etc. Can't remember what state it is now, but one of the states doesn't require a HS course if you were born before 1961 or something ridiculous like that. I can understand such a stipulation, but does the average 47 yo have any advantage over the average 45 yo as far as knowledge goes??? :eek: I think many of these requirements are little more than an "appeasement" for those who are AGAINST us anyhow!!!!

RE: For or Against Mandatory Bowhunter Education
 

Bowhunter education would be a waste of time.

RE: For or Against Mandatory Bowhunter Education
 

It's mandatory in Illinois to take a hunter safety course to get a hunting licenseand when my son was 10 years old we took the course together. You need it out west to hunt big game anyway. I was really impressed with the amount of information they taught. It doesn't hurt anyone to go through a course like this to refresh yourself with the do's and don'ts. I don't see the need in seperatinga strictly "bow" hunting course from a hunter safetycourse but there are a lot ofpeople out there that could use a littel hunter education!

RE: For or Against Mandatory Bowhunter Education
 

I'm for it. I don't think education about anything is ever counter productive. You can learn something from everyone,even if it was not to do. I also think it can be helpful to be presented information from more than one point of view.

As for the sports example, we went from pee wee football to men running into one another at 20mph. Also, from your example I assume we are to do away with all outside coaching, officiatingand guidance for the young athletes. Just turn them loose and let them play.

RE: For or Against Mandatory Bowhunter Education
 

I've been in the woods with a guy I took the Bowhunter Safety class with and it was still scary.:D I'm for it!

RE: For or Against Mandatory Bowhunter Education
 

I took a course about ten years ago. At the time there was a rumor that New Jersey was going to require it. I live in Pa. I hunt in Pa and Virginia now, have hunted New York and New Jersey in the past. I would say the best thing I took from the course was promoting hunter ethics. So much of the property I hunted coming up was private property that is now untouchable because of a few jerks doing something stupid.

RE: For or Against Mandatory Bowhunter Education
 

you need a 3rd category, unsure.... I know some western states require this, Utah comes to mind, but they have an online test/course, which works.....easy etc..., I just wonder how important this corse is? I mean you're shooting at less than 40yds usuallly, and almost everyone under 70yds, and if you can't tell if its aguy out there, don't shoot etc....gun courses are way more important I feel, though the course did seem to talk more about draw weight, arrow weights, angles etc.....which maybe it should, I just was surprised the 1st time i heard of bow hunter ed? like whats next how to tie your boots ed?

RE: For or Against Mandatory Bowhunter Education
 

It's not as ridiculous as you think. If you are implementing a brand new program, you have to have a cut off somewhere. How it worked was, in order to gun hunt you had to be 14, they started the program (hunter safety)in, I think 1975, where if you wereborn before '61(this is important) and have already "drawn a hunting tag" (Fall '74,) then you don't have to have hunter safety, you were supposedly already a vet. If you were born" before '61" and "didn't already draw a tag prior to the start of the course", you would have to take the course. Any body born after '61 has to take the course. So basically, all veteren hunters born before '61 didn't have to take the course.