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I know what I am typing is prob. not considered " legal" by topic on the bowhunting site but it is important.---
I have been here for awhile now and watched many new members join us. Many of these are young or inexperienced hunters who are trying to learn how to hunt and look up to us as members. They see the posts and the pictures, hear the advise we give and want to contribute. ---
They for whatever reason make a mistake, maybe they take a shot they shouldn' t have, maybe wound an animal, mess up tracking... whatever. ---
I have noticed that some of the responses continue to degrade and rip these people. Everyone makes a mistake. I have been doing this for over 20 years and still make them all the time. I would agree everyone has the right to thier opinion and this is a public forum, but we also need to remember that stated opinions can hurt. Many people come here to learn. They post mistakes and get ripped. Not by everyone but by a few. They then do not post thier mistakes again. For some this may be the only way they have to learn from them. ---
Please take into consideration that you may be typing to someone who is alot more inexperienced than you as well as alot younger. ---
__________________________________________________ __________________
I know this may get locked or deleted but I think it needed to be posted and " legal topic" or not it effects everyone on the board. ---

So if you agree or disagree let me have it..;) I am 31 and a big boy:D so get the good and bad out of our system at the start of this season with this post and lets have a great season.
Jeremy

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well i am one of the young ones i am not a very expericned hunter but i know some stuff i got on here to get advice if yall want us to leave i gues i can

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we may not be the best hunters like u sw iowa hunter[:' (] but we tryin to learn alot more about hunting so my opinion is that ya' ll need to give us advice so we may be better

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Amen...

Some of the offenders should try reading their crapola in the 3rd person and walking in the other persons shoes instead of getting all snooty and condescending.

Most of us can probably ignore their ignorance. It may be harder for eager impressionable others to do the same...

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jeremy excellent post and very timely also, thanks.

buckmaster_88 you and every young or inexperienced hunter are welcome on this board, you all are the future of hunting and the more you learn and pass on the better.

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I especially think this is true for the young hunters. I mean, when I am 90, who is going to chamber a round in my rifle for me? Anyone? Who will pull my bowstring back, give me a ride to the nursing home, etc...Haha, we definitely need to help out the young guys, the new guys, everybody. The more we help them, the less mistakes they will make. It is very encouraging that so many people are taking up the sport. We' ll show PETA who is really in control!![>:]

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buckmaster and buck_hunter I think you may have mistaken my reason for posting this.. It was not intended to put anyone down for posting mistakes or even making them. (I am certainly not saying you have made any) It was intended for those of us who rip someone for posting a mistake. I hope you continue to post and ask questions. I may very well find myself in a situation that you have been in and I have not, your advice may be just what I am looking for.

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I' m very new to the forum but I have already learned one valuable lesson. Whether it' s a veteran with years and years of experience or a young person sharing his/her misfortune, we can always learn from one another.

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My thougts Also:D

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Not everyone has the best way with words, but that doesn;t mean thier message isn' t sincere or can be learned from. I think no matter what anyone writes someone will take offense to it. My point proved by bh89 taking swIH wrong when he was showing total support for him. Life is not sugar coated, some people tell things how they see them. If one is so easily offended by a typing from an internet message board then God help them out in the real world where people' s feeling truly get hurt. Its one thing to go out of ones way to intentionally stir trouble, its another when a post comes across harsh due to someone making a mistake.

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The problem is if the bad apples are giving the first impression it could turn off alot of people. I wish this was here when i was younger. It could have saved me a lot of mistakes and bad judgements. I have been hunting with a bow for 20 yrs, and have seen a few things. I may not know as much as some here, but i' ll try to help when i can.

Todays tip.....If you are at the Cubs game tonite, and a ball comes toward you...GET OUT OF THE WAY;)

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Here' s my comment about the posts.....

Yes there have been a lot of new members joining the board lately, I don' t rip on their mistakes, I' ve made many of the same ones mentioned. But, with that said, I do skip a lot of the posts that are seeking help because of their horrible spelling and grammar. It has gotten ridiculous lately. I can' t understand half of these posts because words are running together, no periods, no commas, no anything. I' m no English expert, but for God' s sake I can type a complete sentence. I look at this way, if you can' t type a decent sentence, you' re either too young to be seriously bowhunting or you' re too stupid to understand my response anyway.

Don' t get me wrong, I' m not looking for one missed comma or one mispelled word, heck everyone does that. I just want readable english!! Some of the regulars on here know what I' m talking about.

Newbies, if you want responses try thinking out your delima before typing. Don' t ask vague, open ended questions. Try it and respones to your posts will increase.

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Amen. You young and experience guys keep posting and keep asking questions. I have to admit that some of the post from the younger hunters make me cringe, not because of what there asking or what they have done but because I know there about to catch a bunch of flak because they have made a mistake. Hopefully, with this and Matt' s post, things will improve and we can get constructive criticism.
I started deer hunting on my own 36 years ago. My father didn' t deer hunt nor did anyone else in my family or any friends. As a result, as a bowhunter I' ve made every stupid mistake you can make and some of them twice. I' ve learned from other hunters and my experiences and now I consider myself a decent hunter. I think we should give everyone that comes on this board with good intentions and a desire to bowhunt the opportunity to learn from our experience.

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Very nice post and good reason to be pinned to the top for a time.

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I don' t post much, mostly I just read for information. I' m hoping that the bashing and Monday-morning quarterbacking stops, or at least slows down. Between work and trying to find time to hunt, it gets frustrating wading through a post that consists mostly of 4 pages of arguments just to find a few informational posts.

Maybe we need an ' Ethics' board where those who feel they need to vent on these subjects can do so freely, without diluting the good information that is found on these boards and making it harder to find. Then, if your set of ethics clash with something another member posts, the fair thing to do would be to copy the entire original post to there and split the discussion... maybe a moderator' s note in the original thread that refers to the ethical discussion in the other board.

Good idea?

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EVERYONE makes mistakes if we didn' t we wouldn' t be here looking for advise etc., i have to agree good post !

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I agree with Taz and Rack-Attack here but there are a lot of bad things happening that need to be discussed.

Here' s the thing, a new member comes on here and says they hit a deer and lost it. We don' t know any backgroound on these people. For all we know they bought a bow yesterday, hit and wounded one today and are writing in for help. People need to understand that before you step foot in the woods to hunt you need to be VERY, VERY accurate with your equipment. If your not, practce some more, ask questions about how to be more accurate. Over the summer there are a lot of post on here about tuning your bow. Maybe some of you guys should go back and read them. I think that' s one of the problems.

Another is grammar. Please use punctuations and READ your post before hitting the OK button. Make sure it makes sense. Some of these recent posts are like listening to a 5 year old and trying to figure out what they' re talking about. You need to be specific. If you can' t write a paragragh use bullets:

-deer comes in on my left
-20 yd broadside shot
-arrow hit mid way up the body right behind shoulder
-only got about 6 inches of penetration

You new guys have to think that some antis might be reading this too. If every other post is about wounding deer or not finding hit deer that' s gonna look bad for us as hunters. Please think about that before you post.

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Funny that you should mention this topic SW Iowa Bowhunter, I was thinking the same thing. In fact a buddy, who has been reading and posting in this forum for a few yrs like I have, were talking about this yesterday. I have almost quit posting here because I' m tried of the bull.

It' s to the point now that I actually come here looking for these bashing threads, just so I can read them for comical relief. I' ve been visiting hunting msg boards on the net for 5 yrs and this Bowhunting forum is full of the most self righteous people I' ve ever come across. It is also full of some of the most knowledgable and kind people I' ve ever come across. Unfortunatly the bashers, elitiest, and extreme ethical do-gooders are running the place in the dirt.

Just my 2 cents, bash away.;)

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Txcowboy, I think bashing and critisism are being confused here. (before we go any further I have never bashed anyone on here and never responded to any " lost deer" posts). I think that people are getting mad because someone writes in and says " I looked for an hour, couldn' t find it, what should I do?"

There just needs to be more communication. More info on the guys that are looking for their deer. How good of a shot are you? What ranges do you practice at?

...and from the responses: " Ok, you shouldn' t have taken that shot, but since you have this is what you should do. And remember not to take that shot again"

No bashin' , just learnin' . Where' s the love man??????

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Great, not only are we puting people down about the mistakes they make in the field, now we are puting people down becouse they cant spell as good as the next guy, or his grammer is not very good. I am 36 and yes I will admit that I cant spell worth a hill of beans. Looks like I will have to find another board to go to, one that wont criticise me for every little word I write. Thanks!

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Solax, I totally agree with you. There needs to be more information with the posts. Critisism should be expected and I even look forward to getting it. The reason for posting a question is to get another view on the topic.

The problem arises with the way the critisism is given. Most people who fall into the bashing catagory do not care how they are taken. This does not mean we shouldn' t point out what people do wrong or that we can' t have some heated discussions;) --like pope and young let off question-- but if someone posts something that when reread to himself sounds like bashing then it will prob. be taken that way.

Critisism can be the best learning tool when given correctly!!!

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BigDaddy12t, spelling is really not the issue, it' s typing a post so that others can understand it. For example, in your post above, yes there are several misspelled words, but you make your point clearly and concisely, that' s what I' m talking about.

My previous post was meant to help newbies who have been complaining about not getting any responses from the regulars. I am not bashing spelling skills, sometimes I get i a hurry and misspell a few words myself.

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bigdaddy12t im not criticising spelling i dont care how youspell a word as long as i can tell what that word is its when people dont use any punctuations is when i get confused how is it reading this post do you understand what im saying thats why i was suggesting bullets because that way you wouldnt have to worry about punctuation you could just hit enter for each new thought

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Great post, can we get it merged with the one below it.

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Great post:) Some people are awfully hard on others, it has happened to me before. Now I' m a long way from being a YOUNG man and I can ignore or just take it for what it is worth (crapola). Many of the young guys here take everything they see as gospel and can be very detrimental to their hunting skills. I for one would be fully supportive of the MODS axing these type of responses when they see them. I' m not looking for more " Big Brother" but the one who are continuously bashing and putting folks down would IMHO learn after a while if their responses wound up in the trash bin. Ramble mode off;)

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Thankfully there does seem to be more retraint & understanding on this forum than many others. Hopefully this will always be a place where one can feel free to spill his or her' s guts or to just get something off their chest.

I am not an expert on archery (or anything else for that matter). I come on here to learn, and there is alot on here, IF you have an open mind. If along the way, I can pass on something I' ve learned in my years, Great. I only wish this would have been available 30 years ago, then I could be the " expert" that many claim to be.

PS: Savor the good stuff & ignore the crap.

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I agree with you 100% SW Iowahunter. We should help the younger members. Some are so quick to pass judgement, think back to when you were 14, how would you have worded a question on here? How have your views on hunting changed since you were a teenager? Think about it, I think there is a natural progression we all go through as hunters with regard to mindset and the game that we kill. I can only speak for myself but there wasn' t much respect for the game, nor the hunt, I wanted to kill something. Times and attitudes change, keep that in mind when responding to these kids.

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Excellent post mez!!!!

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I' m a new to hunting, took bow hunting safety course last spring, prctised shooting my bow all summer, did good on 3D range, went hunting, took 45 yds pot shot at nice buck and missed. Joined this forum month ago, read some posts about lost animals, won' t shoot at animal unless I' m really confident that I will recover it within 100 yds (I realize there are no guaranties, just good odds). If again I do something stupid in the woods I probably won' t tell anyone, if I do post it then I expect to get hell from other hunters. In my opinion bowhunting is not a sport for people with thin skin, you screw up, be prepared to pay the price, your sleepless night is nothing in comparison with the animals suffering. Don' t wine, take responsibility for your actions, learn from others and use the knowledge to be a better hunter for the sake of us all.

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Ive noticed this lately also, Im pretty new here about 8 months, and Ive learned a lot and hope Ive helped a couple people out. I think we need to do all we can to help young hunters or anyone that is looking for advise or help with a problem, they are the future of hunting and we need to help them grow into true sportsman with good ethics. I dont like the post about losing deer or bad shots either but most of have done something we regret and it needs to be pointed out in a respectable manner and help them understand why it was the wrong decision, and they probably will think it out better next time. Share what you know and learn what you dont and everyone will benefit as sportsmen and women.

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great post.

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I can understand the message that is trying to be said, however sometimes some people need to be ripped. There was one person who may not be here anymore, who would post 3 or 4 trimes per year about a deer he shot and wounded. The 1st year he posted, he did NOT get ripped, but eventually he started getting ripped because he made the same mistake over and over. It would be a great thing if he gave up bowhunting.

I do not read the " I can' t find my deer" posts anymore. It just got to be so many of them.

Doesn' t anybody do any type of research or study some, when the take up a new sport? It is like some people will go to the pro shop and buy a setup bow and head straight to the woods! Take a 40 yard shot, stick a deer in the back leg then come here and say I shot him but only missed by a little, now I can' t find him. What should I do? I now have a typical response for when I do read those posts...Spend some time at the range!

Someone else said that when someone types a response it wasn' t meant to be bashing but was taken that way...Yep. I agree 100%

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This is a very good post. I will make a better effort to be a source of information to the young and inexperienced hunters among us. In NO way am I any sort of expert, but on the other hand I as well as many of you have been through a lot of the growing pains the newbies are currently experiencing. Let' s all try to be more understanding. Sometimes it' s hard. The constructive criticism vs. flaming line can be a fine line to walk indeed. Jim

Hope my spelling and grammer are O.K. for you guys...............:D:D

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Jimimac, as long as you don' t type ' quite' when you mean ' quiet' or say ' spline' instead of ' spine' , you' re okay by me. ;)

I agree that there are some here that are too quick to rip, but I also agree with thundermug that there are those RARE times when a ripping is duly deserved. But even then, you can do a good ripping without being a clod.

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Even before we started this new discussion, I was thinking of creating a post to discuss our treatment of other posters. I read this board practically every day, but seldom ever post. However, The way some people treat other posters has really bothered me. So, here are my views on the subject, as well as on the posting on certain topics.

It never, never, helps to bash someone. Never. It is never beneficial. It serves no useful purpose. The end result will either be that the person will either never post again, leave the forum, and who knows, maybe give up hunting all together, and then we have lost a friend, and ally, and supporter. Or, the person will get defensive, and a war of words insues. It is entirely possible to correct, to lead, to guide, without being vicious, vindictive, or antagonistic. Aren' t we here for those reasons? To lead and guide, not to destroy? Certainly, if mistakes have been made, these can be pointed out, and suggestions offered for improvement. But, it is just as easy to offer such suggestions repectfully as it is to offer them degradingly. I suggest we help each other, rather than tear each other apart.

With regards to lost animal posts, or other posts in which someone makes a mistake, how are to learn from these mistakes if we don' t share them with others and find out how we can do things better? Is there anyone out there that has never made a mistake? Maybe, but I' m telling you, you' re in select company. All of us make mistakes, and the way to learn from them is to solicit suggestions from those more experienced than ourselves. Once in a while, lost animals are not a result of a mistake, anyway, but a result of unfortunate circumtances, such as a deer that has been standing still moves the instant you shoot. I read a post, on another forum recently of a hunter that lost his first deer after 30 years of hunting. I respect this hunter a lot, and consider him to be extremely skilled and responsible. But, sometimes, things happen. As far as the antis go, what we post on this board really isn' t going to make much of a difference. If they couldn' t find stories of lost animals, they would just make them up anyway. Aside from than, lost animals are a fact, truth. Lost animals are going to happen. I don' t believe in coverups, in hiding or ignoring facts. I don' t like being secretive about things, or ignoring reality. If an anti asks me if animals are lost by hunting, I' m not going to lie to her and say they aren' t. I do not believe in denying facts. I feel that covering up facts only makes it that much worse when the fact is revealed. At the same time, It isn' t beneficial to taunt these people, by telling them gory stories or slinging dead animals on the hood our our truck.

As far as pictures go. I like to see good pictures, too, but I' m not going criticize any other hunter' s picture. I particularly like to see the animal before it is dressed out, whether in the garage or in the field. I also like to see the whole animal, not just the head and neck. As far as a little blood, tongues, etc, I see that as, again, part of hunting. To pretend there is no blood spilled is unrealistic. I actually like to be able to tell where the entry/exit wound is. Furthermore this whole deal about politically correct pictures is a very recent phenomenon, born, I think, primarily out of the internet. Many, many, people are not yet familiar with the rules to politically correct hunting pictures, it will take time for the word to get around.

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Well i read all the replies and i think there are many good posts so right on. I have been a member on here actually longer then what my ' date joined' says. I am still fairly new to the world of bowhunting. I will not denie this, i havent gotten anything with my bow but i still keep trying and trying and trying again and again on praticing. It can be very frustrating at times especially if an arrow goes too far right, under, etc etc. I try to help out hunters younger then me and even the ones who have bowhunt almost as long as i have been alive (25 years) Despite the bashings that people tend to bring upon others in here, myself included, i think this is a great place to learn literally about anything and everything about hunting and its contents closely related. I am glad that i have made the choice to put away the gun and use a bow. In time i will get only better in shooting, stalking, so on so forth, as well everyone else who comes into this forum. I know my success in the future would be from what i learned from people on here.

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[Deleted by Admins]

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Look out, Chris is going to speak. Yep, That' s me. I know we all have cute little made up names here and maybe sometimes that is part of the problem.

I have been hunting for about 15 years. I have been bowhunting for 2. I have no doubts in my hunting abilities, but this bow hunting was all new to me. Lots of it still is. I live in northern Minnesota by a small town of only about 1200 people. There are no real large cities near here. I have to drive over 2 hours to hit a city of 10,000 people.

I don' t know many bow hunters around here. There is one bow shop. I mean for well over 100 miles there is one place you can buy bows. As far as staff to help tune you bow? Let' s just say if you can hit the bullseye at 20 yards, then you are set. I once asked about paper tuning. I got nothing but a strange stare. My point is coming...

For the last two years 99% of what I have learned about bow hunting and equipment has come from this site. At this site I have learned about tuning my bow, the science of arrow flight, fletching my own arrows, and so much more. Without this site my ability to learn these things would have been greatly reduced.

I know I am not alone. There are others like me. Maybe not new to hunting, or maybe they are just starting out. I read this site for months before I ever posted. I just sat back and sucked up the tips and info. I still do lots more reading than I do posting, but I am working on that.

Sometimes I have seen things get a little ugly. A recent thread by Bowdacious comes to my mind. I regret that I too kind of jumped on that one before Bowdacious ever had a chance to explain. I don' t know Bowdacious. I have never met him. I don' t know what kind of person he is, but here I am assuming things and judging him like he did something wrong based only on a few words on my screen. Bowdacious, if you read this I am sorry I took part in that.

Here comes my point....

*Most* of us do not know each other. Not really anyway. That gives us the freedom to say what we want here without fear. We all have that freedom. What we do with it is up to each of us. We can be helpful and friendly to others or we can shoot our mouths off and call others names.

As someone who has received great benefit from many of you here I only hope I can return the favor, but take heart in knowing that you are helping others.

Chris is done rambling now. Thanks for listening.

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Great reply Belle Island! It would be stupid to criticize another person based on their spelling and grammar when you have sentence run ons, misspellings and careless mistakes also.

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Maybe the board can add another another key at the bottom of the reply message, they have ok, preview and cancel they should add a spell check. Sure would save me time going to the dictionary. I almost wrote sure wood:D