NSSF members have agreed to a self-imposed 1 percent tax, half of which will be used to promote the shooting sports. Before NSSF, the media or anyone else can hope to attract one-time hunters back into the fold or recruit new ones, it's critical to understand why people hunt in the first place. Aldo Leopold saw it coming 50 years ago. Leopold viewed the use of high-tech gadgets in the relentless pursuit of a trophy as a contradiction in terms. Outdoor recreation, he wrote, is essentially primitive and atavistic, which means a throwback to a simpler time.
Nobody understands that better than a bow hunter.
Bow hunting is more about seeking and less about getting. In bow hunting, success isn't a destination, it's the journey. Nothing puts you in more direct contact with nature than bow hunting. Derek Phillips of Wisconsin-based Matthews Bow agrees. To become a successful bow hunter you have to understand the animal and its surroundings.