President's Column
By David Tetzlaff

Although I still consider myself new to the sport, I have become fiercely protective of my rights as an outdoorsman. I know that many of the membership have hunted their entire lives. Don't ever take that privilege for granted. There are dozens of groups with thousands of members working every day to remove our right to take part in the natural process of cause and effect. These animal rights organizations have an almost endless resource of funding to proliferate propaganda and attempt to steer public opinion towards their narrow focus. Part of that focus is to remove your ability to hunt.

The animal rights crowd is clever. They have infiltrated many facets of government with their representatives. They know that people with power have more of an opportunity to influence others and promote their personal agendas. They also are keenly aware of the tactics needed to divide and disrupt outdoorsmen as a whole. Turn gun hunters against bowhunters. Make those who hunt with dogs square off with those that do not. Create controversy over baiting. Whatever it takes, they can and will do it.

Decisions on wildlife management that should be determined by experts have now become ballot box initiatives. Activists can easily alter the facts with the use of manipulative advertising and images to sway an uninformed public. Outdoorsmen across the country have lost many privileges recently due to either complacency or lack of information on pending issues.

Where should we, as traditional bowhunters, stand? Do we isolate ourselves and only focus on bowhunting issues? Or do we stand under the 'Big Tent' with all hunters regardless of weapon choice? Many TBOF members hunt with everything from self-bows to modern guns. Hunting philosophies and weapons choice are very personal, yet as members of TBOF, traditional bowhunting should be first and foremost in our mindset and actions. That is one of the main reasons I joined this club. And that was to associate with that very small percentage of hunters who uphold themselves to the strictest ethics while using the most challenging methods.

I hunted with a compound for a couple years without success. I dabbled with traditional archery but always fell back on the compound when I hit the woods. One day the latest, greatest wheel bow arrived at my doorstep. I excitedly tore open the box, looked at it and felt nothing. Something happened to me at that moment. I knew right then I wanted to be a traditional bowhunter. I boxed that bow up and returned it. Two years later when I finally took a deer with my recurve, it meant the world to me. At the end of the day, we all must make our own choices and be comfortable with those choices.

Equipment aside, ethical choices must also be considered. TBOF helped defeat the Draw-Loc device here in our state. The next battle brewing on the horizon will be whether or not the crossbow will be allowed into our archery seasons. Crossbow proponents pushed their product into Georgia's bow season. Florida is their next target. TBOF stands with the Professional Bowhunters Society on this issue. Bowhunting is an intimate sport that takes place at sixty feet, not sixty yards. It is an activity that demands dedicated practice. The crossbow is just another short cut to success.

So, where I am going with all of this? The answer is simple. Get proactive. Protect your sport. Everyday in my work place I talk about wildlife, wild lands and the conservation of both. My latest buzzword is "money or muscle." That's what it takes to make any organization work. You either provide the actual work or you provide the funds for others to do the work. One cannot function without the other. Since most of us have full time jobs and then some, we are not always in the position to track the movements of those who are desperately trying to abolish our hunting heritage. It then becomes our obligation to provide monies for those who can.

What else can be done other than a donation or membership fee? We must utilize the power of the pen or keyboard. If businesses and politicians do not hear how we feel, they will assume we do not care. The U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance has an e-mail alert to its members regarding letter-writing campaigns needed to preserve our way of life. It only takes a few minutes to draft a letter that is worth its weight in gold for the cause. When writing letters it is too easy to become emotional when fighting to protect our hunting rights. That is the wrong approach. Even if you do not agree with the addressee, it is important to remain polite, knowledgeable and succinct. Everyone is busy these days and short, concise letters stand more of a chance to be read than lengthy ones.

Recently I mentioned that one of my goals as President of TBOF was to increase our visibility. Visibility that could help the club grow in membership and financially as well. This would be the "marketing" of our club so to speak to emphasize who and why we are and the programs we endorse and support. A couple of months later, I question myself on that comment. I don't know if that is possible. Why? Let me offer this example: My family's business, Caribbean Gardens, became an accredited zoo last year. We are now sanctioned by the prestigious American Zoo and Aquarium Association. Only 10% of zoos have this distinction. AZA zoos host 136 million guests annually. That is more than all four major professional sports combined. Yet studies have shown only 1 in 1000 people know what AZA is.

If an organization that large has not gained public notice, how can we, a small group of traditional archers? Maybe we can't, but what we can do is promote ourselves and ultimately the club by our actions. Demonstrate the highest ethics and sportsmanship in the field. Wear your TBOF shirts when you're out and about. Be friendly, polite and courteous when you do. Take some copies of The Stickbow News down to your local outdoor shop and ask that they display them for people to take. (We can give you extra copies at the shoot.) These are just a few suggestions to make a difference, even at the grassroots level. It has to start somewhere.

Enjoy your hunting season this year and give a silent thanks to all those who worked hard to establish this opportunity.

David