Well let me take a shot at this, just my opinion and that along with a dollar twenty five will get you a large cup of coffee at MacDonalds. While for the most part, none of us have to hunt to eat(although I do eat what I kill and enjoy it)so what is the motivation? I would suggest that it is a combination of instinct, going back to our primal past. We are predators, and predators hunt. Being a little higher on the evolutionary scale, if you believe in evolution, we have the ability to reason far greater than any other animal in the world. We have free wills and freedom of choice. Therefore I would submit that most of us hunt for the challenge. I will go a little further and suggest that we enjoy the competition, but not with one another(although that happens)but the ultimate test. The test of one's skills, and trying to best himself. We of the stick and string are geared more to hunting by doing it with a weapon that is not easily mastered. So I guess we are more geared to the method as opposed to the result. Now before you throw the rotten veggies hear me out, of course we want success, but not to the exclusion of all else, or at any cost.
We are more intuned with the total experience, and having tried and failed our way is far better to us than being sucessful(making a kill)by using a rifle or compound.
I feel everyone has the right to make his or her own choices of hunting tools. However I cannot sit by and say that there will be no consquences for continued use, or more use of gadgets.
Just for the record, there are game departments considering allowing crossbows to be used in general archery seasons. Some of these very same game departments are noticing that our compound toting brothers and sisters are raising the success rate to the point that shorter seasons are being considered. Live and let live, we may regret this attitude one day.
I lost my mind and shot compounds for just shy of ten years, I remember telling people then that if they outlawed compounds most of them would stop shooting or hunting with bows. I followed that with, I would continue with a recurve or longbow, wood arrows, and bear heads.
My fears are real, I am not a elitist. I love my traditional tackle, I am proud of my hunting skills. I also know that what I have, others can do, I am not special. Hunting was never intended to be easy. It should be what it is, nothing more, nothing less. The Archery Industry wants numbers, heck that is how they pay the bills. I want numbers but not at all cost, I want quality members on either side of the equation.
The bow was never intended, or expected to challenge the pistol, rifle, or muzzel loader in range or ease of use. I think most of us would agree that the compound has narrowed the gap. The danger here is simple, when the game departments decide enough is enough, they won't separate stick and string from compound. WE WILL LOSE TOO!
Better to take a little nasty medicine now, than to depend on the surgeon later. NUFF SAID.
Topic: When does it end !!!!!!!!! (Read 4193 times)
