Newest & Most Dangerous Threat To Bowhunting
 

Bowhunter Alert

State and local bowhunting organizations are invited to attend a meeting on January 5 to hear a presentation of a bowhunting defense plan from the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance (USSA).

The meeting is in response to the announcement by the newly merged Humane Society of the United States and the Fund for Animals that bowhunting would be a priority target.

On November 30, USSA convened a conference call of bowhunting leaders to discuss the threat. Participating in the call were representatives from the Archery Trade Association (ATA), Bowhunter Magazine, Bowhunting.net, Bowhunting World Magazine, Bowsite.com, International Bowhunting Organization, and the Pope & Young Club.

USSA was asked by the call participants to prepare a bowhunter defense plan to be presented at a meeting held during the ATA show in Indianapolis, Indiana. The meeting will be on Wednesday, January 5 from 2:00 – 4:00 PM in room 110 of the Indianapolis Convention Center.

Bowhunting leaders interested in attending the meeting or finding out more about the threat should contact USSA at [email protected] or telephone 614-888-4868.

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RE: Newest & Most Dangerous Threat To Bowhunting
 

It might be a good idea to keep this at the top for awhile.

RE: Newest & Most Dangerous Threat To Bowhunting
 

man, I would LOVE to attend that meeting...

RE: Newest & Most Dangerous Threat To Bowhunting
 

Yep, I would too!

RE: Newest & Most Dangerous Threat To Bowhunting
 

Do any of you realistically see your state's F&G dept. giving up bow hunting revenue or any facet of their ability to manage the herd ?

HSUS may be well funded and organized , but that doesn't mean that they will be unbeatable . They lose court challenges more often than they win in cases where they try to stop hunts , and spend ridiculous amounts of money each time . Let 'em pop off , they'll just waste even more money .

RE: Newest & Most Dangerous Threat To Bowhunting
 

True, but everytime they win one we loose a little more of our hunting rights. It's like the anti-gun establishment. They realize that they can't take away all of our gun rights at once, so they work on them a little at a time. A folding stock here, a flash supressor there, then an entire class of weapons, then it's all handguns, then it's everything but shotguns, then it's everything. Same principal, first it will be a certain type of broadhead, then a type of bow, then a reduction in when and where you can bowhunt, then you are shooting at 3-d targets(if you're lucky). Don't ignore the threat because it seems small now!

RE: Newest & Most Dangerous Threat To Bowhunting
 

Realistically most F&G Depts can't look at bowhunting as a viable management tool due to the low number of participants & even lower success rates. And they know that more than the lions share of revenue from license sales comes from gun hunters. That makes us bowhunters a small (therefore weak & potentially fragile) segment of the hunting community. Sorta like bear baiters in most western states or mt. lion hunters in CA. Ask those guys if the threat is real....

RE: Newest & Most Dangerous Threat To Bowhunting
 

Any news about what went on at the meeting?

Chad

RE: Newest & Most Dangerous Threat To Bowhunting
 

I haven't heard anything yet. Anyone?

RE: Newest & Most Dangerous Threat To Bowhunting
 

We can't view bowhunting as a feasible management tool due to low successes. I tend to agree with that. What you have to look at is the back door of this. IMHO if they can take away the less used weapons first, then they can combine with the anti gun mainstream at the end and there will be nothing left for anyone.

As it has been used in city settings, the use of the bow in suburbia is a good thing and one of the few management tools available at a reasonable cost. But even in this example, do away with pistol, MZ, archery etc.... then there will be nothing left at the end.

Its a scary thought that they are that well organized.

Jeff

RE: Newest & Most Dangerous Threat To Bowhunting
 

not here

RE: Newest & Most Dangerous Threat To Bowhunting
 

Bow hunting in the Northeast will be defended by Fiah and Wildlife. Due to the high population in some areas it is the only option for deer control. Here in Maine we have many area's that bow hunting only, those areas have a 26% succes rate, compared to about 25% for gun hunters. Is the Hsus a threat, you bet. We just defeted thier anti bear hunting referendum, but it cost us $1.7 million to do it. Don't give them an inch, it's best to start getting funded now for the fight. You'll be glad you did.

RE: Newest & Most Dangerous Threat To Bowhunting
 

One thing to remember that as much as we hate to admit it, there are some firearm hunters that would like to see us out of "their" woods with our longer, and sometimes earlier, seasons. The anti's are banking on the fact they may be a little short-sighted and not fight for the bowhunters. They should realize that if we are gone, they have lost a lot of support when the anti's come afer them. They have made no secret about it that they believe we are the weakest link. I am pretty old and it may not affect me as I probably hunted my last season last year (we'll see), but I have a son that I would like to see being able to keep hunting. Eider brought up a good point - we may have won some battles, but the dollar cost was very great. I think they figure they can wear us down, or break us.

RE: Newest & Most Dangerous Threat To Bowhunting
 

I feel the same way and pray to God we are right.

RE: Newest & Most Dangerous Threat To Bowhunting
 

Don't say I never did nothing for ya Vic. :)


Summit Attendees:



Sincere thanks to everyone for their attendance and valued participation in the first-ever National Bowhunting Summit held in Springfield, Missouri on April 17 and 18. Based on the interaction of everyone at the event and your comments on the critique form, it seems to be accurate to say that the summit was immensely successful. There were 32 organizations represented from 27 states and 1 Canadian province.



Attached is the roster of attendees with contact information. With a major purpose of the summit being to establish a means for the state/provincial-level bowhunting organizations to network with each other on bowhunting issues, the summit roster will serve to enhance that initiative.



The following are the major follow-on action items resulting from the summit:



1. A press release on the National Bowhunting Summit will be released soon and will be sent to you when it is finalized and released.



2. This message and the press release will be sent to the state/provincial level bowhunting organizations that were not able to attend the summit in Springfield. It is apparent that we want to bring the remaining groups into the coalition so all of the state/provincial organizations have the opportunity to be involved and to be part of the overall communications link and networking system.



3. The proceedings of the summit will be compiled, written up and sent to you as soon as that project can be accomplished.



4. Per the groups' desire, a letter will be sent to the Archery Trade Assocation (ATA) in response to their crossbow position statement. It was felt by the summit attendees that it is vital that the ATA be advised that the state/provincial bowhunting organizations are unanimously opposed to crossbows being allowed in bowhunting only seasons. The letter will be signed in the form of listing the organizations that were represented at the summit.



5. It was apparent that due to the extremely high interest in the crossbow issue that the majority of the agenda items that were submitted by the state groups did not get addressed due to time contraints. These were all important items and they need to be given priority at the next gathering of the state/provincial organizations.



6. There was an extremely strong desire to convene another summit prior to this fall so additional coordination and an effective course of action could be identified with regard to effectively combating the incursion of crossbows into the bow seasons. The desire to address the other agenda items that were submitted by the states as noted in 5 above also need to be given priority. It was determined that the next gathering needed to be in advance of the next round of legislative and game agency meetings so the groups could be prepared as it pertains to crossbows.



7. Due to the high demand for a follow-on Bowhunting Summit in the relatively near future, that event is planned to be held on August 6&7 at the Pope and Young Club's headquarters in Chatfield, Minnesota.



8. There was concensus that additional good data is needed to be able to be more effective in preventing crossbows in the bow seasons. To assist in obtaining that data it was determined that the coalition should explore the possibility of Roy Marlow updating the crossbow data that he did several years ago, and likely also providing additional data. Roy advised that the coalition needs to decide what type of testing or data collection is desired and when that is known he will put a proposal together. It is anticipated that the proposal will be presented at the August meeting so the coalition as a whole can decide on the desired data collection approach, and also address the issue of funding for the project. It seems that an action item for everyone at this time is to submit what you believe would be valuable crossbow related data that should be obtained.



9. A sign-on letter/position statement will be prepared for the bowhunting organizations to have in helping to effectively address the crossbow issue in their own states. The high value of sign-on letters, which are commonly employed throughout the conservation/hunting community especially on the national level, is that when a particular state goes to their legislature, game agency, etc., they can have a letter/position that is not only signed by them but by a very large number of other organizations. This provides a significant amount of leverage and influence. For administrative purposes, sign on letters do not contain signatures per se but simply a listing of the organizations that support the letter/position. As it pertains to crossbows, this correspondence will need to be very carefully crafted. It will then be sent out to all of the state-level and provincial-level bowhunting organizations where they will have the opportunity to sign on, or not, as a supporting organization.



10. Due to common bowhunting concerns and issues within geographical regions, there was a desire to form a means whereby bowhunting organizations could communicate more efficiently with each other on a regional basis. Immediately following the adjourment of the summit, additional interaction was held on this subject and point persons for the regions were identified. Please feel free to advise the overall coalition of the names of the point persons, and any other information, or simply proceed as desired on a regional basis.



Thank you again for everyone's participation in the summit!



Best regards,

RE: Newest & Most Dangerous Threat To Bowhunting
 

We lost the spring bear hunt here in Ontario a couple years ago. They certainly had a part in that. We also have some high population regions in southern Ontario, and I certainly hope that our ministry of Natural resources defends bowhunting if the humane society starts putting pressure up here.
I'd like to take humane society folks for a tour of and abatoir, and then ask them which practice, bowhunting or an abattoir, shows more respect for the animal.

RE: Newest & Most Dangerous Threat To Bowhunting
 

Thanks a bunch for the update mhogan!!

RE: Newest & Most Dangerous Threat To Bowhunting
 

NORTH AMERICAN BOWHUNTING COALITION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Aug. 12, 2005
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Contact: Stan Rauch (406) 961-3635




NORTH AMERICAN BOWHUNTING COALITION FORMED

Chatfield, MN - A meeting of the state and provincial-level bowhunting organizations was held at the Pope & Young Club’s headquarters in Chatfield, Minnesota on August 6th & 7th to further address important bowhunting issues that were identified at the National Bowhunting Summit held in Springfield, Missouri last April.
Attended by 41 representatives of 33 organizations in 29 states and Canadian provinces, the Minnesota conferees completed a crossbow position statement, were taught by experienced bowhunting activists how to strengthen their political skills and how to build a more effective bowhunting organization. They addressed the increased anti-bowhunting threat, began work on a program to assist physically challenged archers to shoot modified conventional bows and developed plans to prepare a position paper on high fenced hunting. Dr. Dave Samuel served as moderator for the conference.
The attending organizational reps of the National Bowhunting Summit group established the North American Bowhunting Coalition (NABC). Denny Ballard, of Missouri, was elected chairman of the coalition’s steering committee. A significant action taken was to assign boundaries to four NABC regions that encompass the entire North American continent. All state and provincial-level bowhunting organizations are automatically part of the NABC by virtue of their status as a state or provincial-level bowhunting group.
The overall purpose of the NABC is to provide a communications link and organizational structure whereby the state and provincial organizations can effectively work together to provide strong support for the welfare of bowhunting throughout the United States and Canada.
Denny Ballard, NABC’s new chairman says, “It’s hard to believe that, up to now, three million bowhunters in the U.S. and Canada have had no national level representation in matters that have directly affected their sport. That day has passed as the North American Bowhunting Coalition will provide a forum for bowhunters, through their state and provincial-level bowhunting organizations, to protect and support bowhunting as national issues are deliberated. It’s only fair and right that the men and women that have been pulling the load for bowhunting over the years have a say in where their sport is heading.”
As the result of the National Bowhunting Summit meetings it was abundantly clear that the organized bowhunting community is strongly opposed to the growing trend by game agencies of permitting crossbows to be used in bow seasons. A position statement on the crossbow issue was developed and was signed on to by 72 bowhunting organizations and bowhunting related businesses. The position taken is that, “crossbows are not bows and therefore should not be permitted in bow seasons or in archery-only hunting areas.”
“Our coalition organizations are the bulwark of bowhunting,” Ballard said. “They have opened the entry gate for thousands of new archers to enter our sport throughout decades of service to their local communities and have been reliable partners of our state game agencies as well. We know bowhunting and have earned our place at the table. Crossbow hunting has not.”
“We see dangers, too, in promoting the commercial profiteering of crossbows at the expense of our natural resources,” Ballard said. “It’s a slippery slope. No user group exists for crossbow hunting and yet the public trustees of our natural resources are being pandered to by crossbow manufacturers and the commerce of hunting to allow crossbow hunting in bow seasons when no public interest exists.
For the protection and welfare of bowhunting’s future, the North American Bowhunting Coalition looks forward to working with the many entities that comprise the continent’s bowhunting community.
NABC chairman Denny Ballard can be contacted at [email protected].

RE: Newest & Most Dangerous Threat To Bowhunting
 

seems to me they have been trying to shread the constitution for years.

RE: Newest & Most Dangerous Threat To Bowhunting
 

I WILL BE at that meeting!

RE: Newest & Most Dangerous Threat To Bowhunting
 

Let us hear your take on it!

RE: Newest & Most Dangerous Threat To Bowhunting
 

very important info many thanks

RE: Newest & Most Dangerous Threat To Bowhunting
 

I was thinking the very same thing. The Almighty dollar usually trumps most chest beating. I just hope we (hunters) do not get complacentbecause ofthis notion.

RE: Newest & Most Dangerous Threat To Bowhunting
 

i wish i could be at that meeting its is a scary thaught

RE: Newest & Most Dangerous Threat To Bowhunting
 

There is no moneymaker like a non-profit org. They dont want us gone,they just have to make it look like an effort to do so to keep the money flowing.They have to score a hit every now and then,but it wont be bow hunting.Probobly something like domestic dog and cat fur market in europe or something.

RE: Newest & Most Dangerous Threat To Bowhunting
 

Who ever goes against hunters in general are a bunch of treehuggers who got knocked in the head, they are blinded..... not following natures rules.

RE: Newest & Most Dangerous Threat To Bowhunting
 

I feel the same way, but ive seen crazier things. Its hard to imagine in Texas, since its the bow hunters that are called upon to help thin the herds in the over populated state parks.

RE: Newest & Most Dangerous Threat To Bowhunting
 

Hi Rost495! New guy here. Just wanted to find out about the comment concerning Ruger?

RE: Newest & Most Dangerous Threat To Bowhunting
 

I think we all need to be vigilant concerning our sport. Whether its bows or guns, we never want the anti-hunting organizations toget a foot in the door. I'm not sure if any of you have seen the latestannouncementout of England or not, butNOW they are banning samauri swords! First they took their guns, and now they are after something else. See guys!it starts somewhere (GUNS) and who knows where it ends.I understand that we are not out there hunting with a sword,(I'mnot THAT good!)but my point is that it starts with something, and we TRULY need to be aware of what is going on. I think the one thing that is most important at this time, is choosing our political canidateswisely.

RE: Newest & Most Dangerous Threat To Bowhunting
 

Complacency is dangerous. There's a gal from Scotland who posts here fairly frequently. She says bowhunting is illegal there because they believe it's cruel. It could happen here.

RE: Newest & Most Dangerous Threat To Bowhunting
 

The threat is real! We are being attacked on all fronts, Bow, gun, spear and slingshot! I'm not kidding Try walking on a WLMA with a 6 or 7 foot spear and see what happens! "You can't hunt with that, we have no regulations for it, but you can't hunt with it here."

RE: Newest & Most Dangerous Threat To Bowhunting
 

IN WI the greatest threat to bowhunting is our own DNR in conjunction with ignorant hunters that shoot all the does they can... No need for antihunters when the herd will be extinct!

RE: Newest & Most Dangerous Threat To Bowhunting
 

Here in Texas, some of the state parks use bow hunters to thin their herds. Also, bow hunters are called on to thin the herds in residential areas, like the burbs. It will never fly in Texas.

RE: Newest & Most Dangerous Threat To Bowhunting
 

Even with California the way it is...I don't see bowhunting dissapearing anytime soon...California DFG is in dire straits for money, and money from tags...so I really doubt it here...I say the same, let'em pop off and waste their time and resourses.

What a joke
 

I am lucky enough to live in New Zealand, Where we can hunt all year round. We do not have the choice of game like the states etc. But I bow hunt, and in my experience when I shoot an animal with my bow it takes less time to drop and die than the guys with guns that I hunt with. How can a gun be more human in this case?

We cant take our hunting rights for granted any longer....there are folks that have a twisted veiw of man and animals relationships. It is law abiding hunters that have kept different species holding on [with Game management] , and not the Animal Rights Organizations.

You cant take your hunting rights for granted any longer......look at our rights that's been violated by the leftist politicians and activist.
I dont take none of my Constitutional rights for granted anymore.

P.E.T.A. = people eating tasty animals

Money talks, and none of the tree huggers put a dime into state coffers. IIRC archery tags are an additional expense OVER the cost of the general hunting license in many states (and bonus tags, etc.). I'd venture to guess that many of those taggers only bowhunt. no taggers, no income at all from that group. No state is that willing to throw away money in this day and age. At least I hope so.

HSUS give a crap about animals? Really? Pretty much like PETA does. Both organizations con weak, stupid minded people out of their money, of which very, very, very little of those dollars go towards "helping" any animals. Terrorist, plain and simple.