ewolf and Arthur- sorry but your both wrong about rybo on this. Having known him and his family for several years, besides shooting with them, their is not a more ethical family I know of. It's true he doesn't shoot all year but would still pass an efficiency test, I know, I have shot several for the various parks around. Rybo is a hunter. He hunts and fishes constantly, knows the woods and the habits of all he pursues. He does it by HUNTING his quarry, not shooting long distances. Although many claim to be able to hit a tennis ball at 40yds with a bow, put living, breathing fur for a target and all goes haywire due to nerves, and "buck fever" . rybohunter keeps his shots close and practises enough to make the kill at his range. He's always in the woods, so buck fever doesn't enter into his shooting ability. He can share my campfire anytime. I shoot competition and have tried to get him to come over for fun at 3D, but he's always busy with scouting, or hunting some critter. If you needed a liscence for bowhunting pigeons, rybo would be first in line. By the way- a 30 yd. shot would be ethical for the way he shoots but I'll bet a dollar to a hole in a donut he would never take it- he'd say too far- and try to get closer. Sorry this is so long but this thread rubbed me the wrong way. By the way ewolf, don't ask rybo to get out of his chair too many times, he's built like a linebacker for the Green Bay Packers, LOL.

I agree 100%. However, just because they can do it on the range, doesnt mean they can do it on a live animal, or in a treestand.

I, through personal preference, shoot everyday because I love it. Not because I dont trust my shooting abilities, but because I love it. If your doing it because you have to instead of wanting to, its not a hobby, its a job.

Big John, thank you for your opinion, but I'll judge rybohunter by what HE says. What he's said on this thread and in a couple of PM's to me, the boy is not one of my favorite people right now.

Not an opinion Arthur, it's FACT.

Judge a man by his actions Arthur, not by what he types on a message board after being called unethical. I just told you about his actions, and i'm not a relative of his, and i'm not paid to do this.LOL.

Arthur
I don't know what's so hard to grasp. All I've told you is that I don't need to shoot all year round to be proficient with my bow. Before I set foot in the woods I am in full gear shooting broadheads and drilling the kill zone every time. Are you offended that I prefer to hunt groundhogs, scout, fish and go to the gun range during my summers rather than shoot my bow. I don't take shots I hope to make, I take shots I can't screw up. My farthest shot ever was 24 yds. Big John is right 30 is out of my live animal range.

I'm done with this, I don't know how many more ways I can type the same thing over, and if you still have problems with my ethics, then we'll agree to disagree.

ewolf, who in the hell are you ranting to or about? You are not really serious are you? More ethical if I practice more? What some of you seem to be missing (yea, you to Arthur - I'll get to you in a minute), is the fact that shooting a compound bow is NOT HARD. It's a catch-22 though for sure - it is the single most important aspect of hunting - the shot. At the same time, it is the least important part of hunting because so much goes into hunting just to get to the shot. And BTW, ewolf, I can argue that a deliberate aim at the heart is probably one of the more riskier shots you could take in hunting, especially from a tree - so can I assume that you are actually NOT an ethical hunter?

Your 'fact' could be just so much hot air too. The fact that both of you have concealed your profiles says much to me. That does not foster a warm and fuzzy feeling of trust and goodwill after the insults I've endured this day.[>:]

Now, if you don't mind, how about letting the thread get back ON TOPIC?

badshotbob, I know todays bows are easy to shoot, but they're not THAT flippin' easy. The way some of these guys talk, they don't even shoot enough arrows to check their sights before they're off galavanting thru the woods!!

I practice year around either at 3D shoots or in my backyard. I consider myself a very good shot. I feel I owe it to the animal I'm hunting to do my best to make a clean ethical kill. I feel I can never be good enough. Everyone has room for improvement.

g

Not exactly sure why this is relevant in any way to this conversation, but I agree with your point here about shooting trad vs. the easy way.

That's perhaps the stupidest off the cuff statement I've heard out here in a long time. I've read plenty of your stuff AP - you clearly seem to be a rational, good guy that can shoot trad well and is very knowledgable about hunting and bows. To hear you say something like this is just flat out wierd. Sure people make time for things when they enjoy it. Let's see: Ice-out pike fishing, steelie run, walleye run, bass on the beds, turkey hunting, golf, gardening, working out, cooking, flying RC planes, basketball, horses, golf, scuba diving, building model planes, writing and recording music, building things, working on the house, landscaping, camping, family, riding the hog, researching mind stimulating topics such as religion, the Bible, hunting, NWO, target shooting with the pistols/bows, scouting, building stands, planting crops, etc..... These are some of the things I love doing but rarely get to do them. I didn't even include the most important part in there - my kids, my wife, and my family, which I am blessed with the ability to spend a ton of time with. So to say that because I don't shoot all year I must hate it, is really absurd.

1. See explanation above.

2. Can't answer this question - I DO like to shoot a bow.

3. Last time I checked, I was still living in a fairly free Constitutional Republic with certain freedoms and rights. One of which is to come out here and chat with you fine folks about one of the many things I dearly love - HUNTING and all things associated with it.

Actually AP, that's more along the lines of socialism or communism.

I know that I am just as passionate about hunting as you or many out here with a great chance of being more passionate than most out here.

The only thing I can add to this AP, is that I do know where you are coming from, but I do not agree with your philosophy entirely. From a traditional shooting perspective based on my own skill level, I would have to love shooting a recurve way more in order to shoot it all year to be able to get good enough to hunt with it again. I don't have the time. But if I were madly in love with instinctive shooting, I would do something about it. That DOES NOT make me any less passionate about hunting deer with a bow though. Several years ago I hunted for two seasons with my recurve when I had a chance to stay current with it. Because of life pressures one year I did not have the time to shoot it, so I got my compound back out. After not shooting it for two years, the first shot was a bullseye. The next six arrows were in the bullseye as well. I can enjoy the sport I love with very little practice at the shooting portion of it all.