May 2, 2005

Dear Archery Trade Association Board of Directors:

On April 17 & 18, 2005 representatives of state, national and Canadian bowhunting organizations met in Springfield MO at the National Bowhunting Summit to share information and unite to protect the future of bowhunting.

We universally consider the intrusion of crossbows into archery seasons as the most imminent and critical threat to the future of bowhunting as we know it. We are in unanimous agreement that crossbows are not bows and have no place in archery seasons, except where already allowed for the physically disabled.

We agreed that bowhunting, like most other sports, needs to have a leadership organization to set standards and limits that insure and protect it’s future. Historically, archery manufacturers and their leaders took on some of that responsibility and put the best interest of bowhunting before their own.

After reviewing your Position Statement About Crossbows and learning of other activities to undermine our bow seasons, it appears at this time that we can’t depend on the ATA to help us win this battle against crossbows as bows. In fact it is now clear that in large part, it has been the effort of our own ATA that we have been fighting against. It is bitterly disappointing to realize that we may have to spend large portions of our individual and collective resources to defeat those that we had actually expected to be leaders in protecting our sport and heritage.

We find it difficult to understand how the interest of a non-archery product can control the Archery Trade Association, especially when that product threatens to displace or destroy most of what your industry and our sport were built upon.

In our opinion, your stated position is clearly not in the best interest of bowhunting. Given that, and to avoid more potential conflicts that will hurt us all, we respectfully request that ATA instead take a leadership role in clearly disassociating crossbows from conventional archery equipment and absolutely opposing the further intrusion of crossbows into any bowhunting season.

Please consider this carefully and understand that, with or without the ATA, we will, together with our members and responsible bowhunters everywhere, take action on every front to protect the integrity of bowhunting.

Thank you.


Sincerely,

Alaskan Bowhunters Association
Alberta Bowhunters Association
Bayou State Bowhunters
Bowhunters of Alabama
Colorado Bowhunters Association
United Bowhunters of Connecticut
Traditional Bowhunters of Florida
Traditional Bowhunters of Georgia
Idaho State Bowhunters
Idaho Traditional Bowhunters
United Bowhunters of Illinois
Illinois Bowhunters Society
Indiana Bowhunters Association
Iowa Bowhunters Association
Kansas Bowhunters Association
United Bowhunters of Kentucky
Maine Bowhunters Association
Michigan Bow Hunters Association
Minnesota Bowhunters, Inc.
Mississippi Bowhunters Association
Missouri Bow Hunters Association
United Bowhunters of Missouri
United Bowhunters of New Jersey
New York Bowhunters, Inc.
North Carolina Bowhunters Association
North Dakota Bowhunters Association
Bowhunting Council of Oklahoma
Oregon Bow Hunters
Traditional Archers of Oregon
United Bowhunters of Pennsylvania
South Dakota Bowhunters, Inc.
Lone Star Bowhunters Association (TX)
Washington State Bowhunters
Washington State Archery Association
Virginia Bowhunters Association
Wisconsin Bowhunters Association
Bowhunters of Wyoming
Suburban Whitetail Management of North Georgia
Georgia Bowhunters Association
Nebraska Bowhunters Association
Archery Big Bucks of Missouri
South Carolina Bowhunters Association
Michigan Traditional Bowhunters
Massachusetts Bowhunters Association
Traditional Bowhunters of Washington
Compton Traditional Bowhunters
Professional Bowhunters Society
Pope and Young Club