So what is a REAL bow hunter, please tell us? Do you make your own bow? Harvest birds to make your own arrows? Make your own flint arrow heads? If you answer NO to any of these questions then you are not a real bow hunter.

I shot a crossbow and could care less what the unreal bow hunters think

After 30 years this will be my first year with a crossbow.I would prefer the compound but the minds willing but the body's not.To me the crossbow will be a lot harder to move through the woods with, they are awkward to carry,never had that problem with the compound.

i have used both and killed deer with both. if some one does not have the time or desire to put in enough time to practice and become proficient with a compound then that person owes it to the animals to not use one and use a crossbow. still takes a little parctice but not like a compound. i can not stand to go into a sporting good store the day before archery season any more. lots of guys wait til then to buy a compound. very few of them actually had another bow that they practiced with for a while. most just decided they want to hunt and go buy a bow. shoot 10 arrows at the shop and go hunting the next day. IRRITATING

Compound ... but I no longer can due to a serious shoulder injury that I guess will never be as strong as needed to draw a reasonable weight. So I use a Cross-Bow. I like them both, thougn I the complud that I was using at the time of the injury (Matthews SQ2) was a lot less cumbersome than my cross bow.

I prefer Compound because I believe it requires more training and skill. To each his own, but I know too many guys with crossbows that step out of their house onto their deck to kill a deer and consider that hunting.

I don't consider slaughtering animals hunting, the prey should at least have a fighting chance.

I prefer compound and recurve, although I currently don't have a recurve, I would like to learn the traditional way because I look up to the best archer in the world; Uncle Bear.

I'll second that.

IMHO, A real bowhunter, is one that respects his prey and aims true, and one that loves and respects Mother Nature. If I'm not mistaken Fred Bear didn't say things that were in poor taste towards other archers. I think you insulted most of the people on this thread by saying what you said. To each his own.