definitely not for everyone. 



I derive most of my pleasure from being in the outdoors among the 

 animals and observing them; being able to stalk w/in 30 feet of 

 them etc., not necessarily killing them. Several of your 

 questions imply that I'm not a serious hunter and your thinking 

 about restricting my hunting priveliges. I believe that archery 

 season should be open for anyone who wishes to take advantage of 

 it. It is much more challenging than rifle hunting and I derive 

 a great deal more pleasure from it then from rifle hunting. 

 Nearly all of the archery hunters I've been associated w/are very 

 serious about their hunting. Those who aren't serious about it 

 aren't successful. (I define successful as seeing game and either 

 being able to stalk close to or call the game to you.) and soon 

 quit. 



Too much is being made of the archery season as a problem for the 

 elk and for rifle hunters. The hunting opportunity is great for 

 man/days of recreation but the harvest is low. Hunting pressure 

 is both light and quiet. It doesn't blow elk out of an area the 

 way rifle season does. Wounding mortality is highly over-rated 

 and wounding loss reports should be tempered by the fact than an 

 arrow at 50 yards is visible in an animal while a bullet is just 

 as invisible at 50 yards as it is at 500 or 1,000 yards, shots 

 that rifle hunters take and shrug off as a simple miss. The 

 notion that if you can see them, you can get them is still alive 

 in the elk woods of the rifle hunter. That isn't the case in 

 archery season, especially as bowhunter education becomes more 

 widespread, and never will be because of the limitations of the 

 weapon. In short, what the archery elk season offers is the 

 chance for a close encounter with the greatest game animal that 

 Montana has to offer without hurting anyone and without 

 necessarily filling a tag. 



I love to hunt. I would prefer everyone bow hunt. and longer 

 hunting seasons available to all - But. that will never happen - 

 So, because I love to hunt I'll utilize both seasons as much as 

 possable - Im always sad when my tag's are filled, but I need the 

 meat in the freezer also - and cannot pass up a shot when Im sure 

 of a kill- 



I thoroughly enjoyed my first year archery hunting with my 15 yr. 

 old son. We had a chance to shoot at a cow and two calves but 

 passed it up. We talked to one bull but did not get close enough 

 to see him. It is a challenge and great fun even though we 

 didn't get a shot. It's a fun time of year just to be outdoors. 

 I'm looking forward to next season. If I get an elk or deer 

 fine, if I don't I'll enjoy the outdoors anyway. 



I don't think archery hunters at this time hurt the elk 

 population at all. Please leave the seasons as they are. 



I cannot tell of the joy archery hunting has meant to me. Could 



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