Pats:
Im not quite sure of what reference your speaking of but,,,,yes im involved with that sort of activity too,,,I do not promote it to the average hunter in any way,,,actually i would barely feel comfortable about discussing such a topic on this message board because theres just too many guys with too many opinions to even have a rational long range hunting discussion

Do you have any kind of facts to support that statement? Some kind of a survey or something? I highly doubt that 250,000+- bowhunters can leave more unrecovered deer laying in the woods than 900,000+- firearms hunters. Winter and springshed hunting forays tell me that.[:-]

Let me rephrase that.... I should have said there is a more likely chance that if all variables being equal other than weapon chosen it is more difficult to recover game taken with a bow than a rifle. I believe having more hunters will undoubtedly increase the number of deer recovered as well as increasing the number of thoseunrecovered but not by the same overall percentage when comparing rifles to archery or inline to flintlock. I agree with what you are saying. I am simply stating it takes a bit moretime and dedication when it comes to successfully recovering deer with a bow compared to deer with a gun. Hence my suggestion of mandating a bow hunter ed course for those who can't produce a pre-xbow hunting license, or for all archery hunters for that matter.

I would absolutely support proficiency requirement !

Sorry[:@]

That would absolutely be the best thing that ever happened to the hunter and the hunted.

Taking a 80 yard shot at deer sized animalsis the same as taking a 600 yard shot at one with a rifle IMO. The level of difficulty is very high on both. You or I would notpromote that rifleshot to the avarage hunter, and I agree with you that the PSAA champ should not promote60 to 80 yardbow shots as the norm.

Is the problem the ability of an archer to hit a target as in a proficiency test or is it poor judgement when determining what shot to take? BTW, I don't know the answer , but i thought it was an interesting question.

First off the person that said religious groups/farmers and such don't want Sunday hunting . GOOD FOR THEM don't HUNT on Sunday.
1 why should a religious group be able to say if I can hunt on sunday. Can i say they cannot go to church on sunday
2 i know about 40 farmers not one of them have a problem with sunday hunting. THose that do simple dont allow hunting on there farm on sundays. Why can a farmer tell me what i can do on my private property

That is the problem with this country these days . IF it doesn't suit them then it should be illegal and that my friends is totally and utterly bull patties. And that's not just hunting it is the mindset of this country anymore
people get offended by radio or tv simple change the stinking dial wtf has this country turned into a bunch of baby's . Sorry bout the rant

BB in some cases it is the both or either one some are not proficient some have poor judgement and some cannot find their way back to there car let alone tr ac a blood trail.

BB@: It's both and matters not, archery or firearm.