NBFK, not sure what you mean with the quoted statement, can you clarify?
Are you saying ABA
doesn't suggest someone isn't a real hunter unless they follow the ABA creed?
If so, well, I'm an example of that attitude as a recipient of it!
About a year and a half after moving to Alberta due to a job transfer I wanted and pursued, I went to the Edmonton Sportsman show. There I engaged a guy at an ABA booth in conversation (maybe it was you - ha, ha!). He asked me if I was a bowhunter and I replied in the affirmative. Since I was 15 I have hunted with a 55 # Ben Pearson recurve, bare-bow, instinctive shooting, I am now pushing 60 - that's a long time. He invited / pressured me to join the ABA, and at the time I certainly wasn't opposed to doing so. So I asked questions. Then, having heard the ABA wasn't too friendly towards crossbows I mentioned that I also hunted with one in Ontario. The reaction I got was 'unpleasant' to say the least. I was advised in no uncertain terms
that I was not a hunter and has no business coming to Alberta with one of those things. He expressed a few more rather negative things using some rather unseemly, ungentlemanly terms and asked me to step away from the booth.
Since then I've had 'conversations' with a few other strong ABA proponents who basically upheld his point of view. Ever since I've had an unpleasant taste in my mouth about the ABA and they lost me as a possible supporter / member. This thread reinforces my view even more. The ABA seems obsessed with it's own special interests to the detriment of advancing the broader cause / activity of hunting where we should be supporting one another in spite of differences of gear.
Personally I don't care much for compounds - in my opinion their modern technological enhancements doesn't make them equal to using recurves and long bows as far as traditional archery hunting goes. In fact, modern compounds are more efficient than my Excalibur crossbow, and way, way ahead of my recurve
. But I certainly would never argue compounds should be restricted or banned. If someone wants to hunt with a spear or atlatl, and can be proficient at it, more power to them. Talking about banning them is attacking a minority for no gain - except for advancing a 'special interest' agenda.