Will USA bowhunters become extinct?????

[wabi]

Animal Rights Groups to Announce Plan to Merge, Ban Bowhunting



(Columbus) - The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance (USSA) has learned that the nation’s principal anti-hunting organizations will announce a merger on Monday, November 22. In announcing the merger, the unified anti-hunting group will reveal its intention to target bowhunters for extinction.



The USSA, a national organization founded to protect the rights of sportsmen to hunt, fish and trap, has been following a rumor that the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and the Fund for Animals are preparing to combine forces.



The HSUS, located in Washington, D.C., is the nation’s largest animal rights organization raising nearly $60 million in 2002. The Fund for Animals is the most vociferous anti-hunting organization and is headquartered in New York City. It raised $6.7 million in 2003.



Scripps Howard News Service reporter Lance Gay confirmed the merger announcement to USSA late Friday afternoon. Gay stated that sources within the groups confirmed that the new organization would seek to ban bowhunting as a first priority.



In response, USSA announced an emergency meeting of bowhunting organizations, businesses and publications to prepare to counter the attack. The Alliance created the Bowhunter Defense Coalition to defeat a series of attacks on bowhunters during the late 1980s.



“The merger announcement serves as a wake up call to bowhunting groups to reunite to defeat what promises to be a powerful attack on our heritage from this monstrous anti-hunting group,” said Rick Story, U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance senior vice president. “To win, we will need to energize the vast grassroots network of sportsmen across this country.”



Over the years, the Fund for Animals and HSUS have been the two most formidable organizations working to ban hunting. While the Fund for Animals has been openly hostile to hunters, HSUS has attempted to mask its intentions by raising funds using puppy calendars for promotions. Earlier this year, HSUS appointed former Fund for Animals official Wayne Pacelle to the position of CEO. Combined with the merger announcement, Pacelle’s appointment leaves little doubt about the agenda of the newly-merged organization. According to public filings the new organization will have combined assets of as much as $97 million to implement its anti-hunting agenda.



The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance protects the rights of hunters, anglers and trappers in the courts, legislatures, at the ballot, in Congress and through public education programs. For more information about the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance and its work, call (614) 888-4868 or visit its website, http://www.ussportsmen.org.

[PRB]

Oh boy I hope this dont amount to much.

[DesertRat]

This is kind of odd timing. I was having a conversation last night about this forum and the anti's with a friend. Is it possible that every time we list the number of deer that are wounded or lost, we are giving them some ammo that could be used later on. I am sure they visit this site and I can't be the only one who has ever thought of this. We might be serving ourselves well by not posting the ones that got away everytime it happens. I know it is heartbreaking when it happens and people on this site might have advice that would result in a successful recovery, but to an outsider, it might look like bowhunnting is not very effecient and results in alot of wounded game.

Just a thought.

[JD Jones]

Desert may have a good idea there, I don't know. What is the difference between losing freedom of speach and simply being afraid to speak?
In my view, the bigger threat is the split between traditional/compound hunters and cross bow hunters. Every time we fight with each other the antis win a cheap win.
If anyone wants my bowhunting rights, right to own a firearm, freedom of speech or any other right I will fight them with my time and money, and were I to lose I'd probably ignore them.
Me, I know how to make a pretty good (certainly no Excalibur) crossbow, and I live in the boonies.
Remember, all it takes for antis to win is for us to do nothing. Anyone know a good orginasation that represents crossbow hunters?
JD

[GaryL]

I think if they were to ban abything it would lean towards fire arms more then bows, just this year a couple states approved crossbows. The main thing is too stick together and if need be get something more on all types of archery going

As stated the Goverment would lose to much in monies to stick in their pockets

[bowhunter not logged on]

Hey guys, let Ontario be a lesson. Remember the spring bear hunt. The anti's can and will win unless we unite and fight back. They won in Ontario mainly due to the complacincy of Ontario's resident hunters. Very few us participated in this hunt so we lost it. The only ones up in arms were the outfitters, until it was to late.

[Woody Williams]

The ARFs think, and maybe they can, sell the non-hunting public on bowhunting being inhumane.

They use very outdated data on wounding rates where the say that for every deer killed by bow and arrow then another is left wounded. Not true, but they preach it anyway.

Yes, bowhunting is squarely in their sights. They will get a dead deer (probably a road kill) and stick a bunch of arrows in it. Then they will give video to a bunch of newscasters. They will also show some video footage of a canned hunt where some idiot wannabee "bowhunter" or an ARF in disguise sticks a goat or hog 4 or 5 times and attempt to portray that as "bowhunting".

I have kept telling and retelling these high and mighty bowhunters that they need to expand archery season to include crossbows so there will be more of us to fight off these yahoos. It falls on deaf and selfish ears.

[JD Jones]

What will it take to get past game hogishness on the part of some hunters, and get them to realize that all of nothing is still nothing?
Realistically we have to fight every anti, whether they are after our thing or someone elses, because every bleeping one of them are against every bleeping one of us. Now or later they will be to _your_ door, and happy is the person who defeats them while they are still attacking someone else.
That is why I vigerously defend trapping. I don't trap, but by golly I will not stand around in a dream world waiting til trappers are gone, and the antis pick out a new target.
Mabe I'm not to political after all.
JD