I meet a lot of people on airplanes, at consumer shows, heck, even at the barber shop, who perk up when they hear I write for a bowhunting magazine.

"Always wanted to try that," many say, or, "I've been thinking about getting a bow."

I don't think they're simply patronizing me.

Some are long time rifle hunters who seek to slow the pursuit down, spend a bit of extra time in the woods and see far more deer than they shoot.

There are first timers, too. Those who've just had a taste of hunting at some point in their lives and view the stick and string as a "correct" way to hunt.

We archers, certainly understand these feelings; we bowhunt because we love the challenge, the solitude, the quiet. I hope those values always stay with us, but for hunters as a group, I see those values slipping away.

In recent years it seems there is a trend in the hunting public in general to "visit" hunting more, and "practice" it less. The goal seems to be not the hunt itself, but to get the hunt "over", to return to whatever it is that's more important, more pressing. This certainly is an ill of society in general, a drive-through, channel-changer mentality that summons the brain to the next place before the body has left the present.

Unfortunately, the accoutrements of the hunter seem to be following, or leading the same trend, though it's sometimes hard to tell the cart from the horse. I've seen grouse hunters that spend more time riding around on ATV's tearing up trails than actually hunting grouse; waterfowl hunters who can't go afield without fresh batteries for their mechanical decoys and deer hunters who insist on spending their limited time outdoors in elevated houses as snug as their own living rooms.

What's happened to the days when adventure was the draw, not ease? Remember those old firearm ads where the hunter steadied himself as the enraged grizzly challenged him on the narrow mountain trail? Today's ads promote the notion that the animal "doesn't have to be in the same Zip Code". Now that's huntin'! I've often been accused of putting labels on fellow hunters. So be it. I have a problem sitting by idly while the traditions I love become watered down and debased by sloth and greed. Standing by our hallowed hunting traditions, preserving the challenge and adventure of our pursuit, isn't just about our history, it's about our future. If hunting is to survive a world that more and more sees hunters as out of step with nature and society as a whole, we must maintain our own hunting ethic.

A hunting ethic can be promoted by manufacturers, by hunting organizations, by state game agencies and by writers in magazines like this. But the place where hunting ethics really start, is in the field.

When I meet a prospective new archer, I'm careful to dispel any illusions they may have. "Archery hunting takes time, lots of time," I tell them.

For the most part, Bowhunting doesn't have a "drive-through" lane, yet. As archers, I think we can still be proud of that fact and should fight to keep it that way. I also understand that archery hunters aren't single-purpose outdoorsmen. We hunt waterfowl, upland birds and big game with firearms in some cases, and also do a lot of fishing. I would like to believe our passion and respect for bowhunting carries into other pursuits. I hope that it's contagious beyond our ranks.