THE ELITISTS

Regarding deer hunting, I generally strive to live by a to-each-his-own meantily. Sure, I have strong preferences on how I hunt and what I shoot while doing it. I’m a decidedly hard-core bowhunter with deep traditional roots, but as long as you’re not breaking the law or interfering in my good times, I really don’t care how you hunt or what weapon you choose.

Apparently I’m in the minority here, or at least that has become a growing suspicion, witnessing various hunting cabals battle about the minute details of equipment preferences, hunting approaches and game management. Too many seem to believe they are the arbitrators of all things pure and moral in hunting — the elitists, if you will.

Nowhere is this more pointed than weapon choice. Traditional archers (with their longbows and recurves constructed of space-age materials, strung with aerospace wonder fibers and shooting modern carbon arrows) look down their noses at compound shooters, who in turn sneer at crossbow fans.

Bowhunters resent muzzleloader hunters, and all involved label