PopeYoung club votes down lighted nock inclusion again.

August 6, 2013

Pope and Young Club Members,



The present popularity of lighted nocks in bowhunting use, and the Pope and Young Club's Records Program rule that states "no electronics attached to the bow and arrow," have caused much discussion and debate in recent years. The Club's Board of Directors, likewise, has been discussing the philosophical and practical impacts.

Seeking input from the Pope and Young Club's membership, the Board polled the membership as to their opinion on a potential change to the "no electronics" rule exempting lighted nocks.

At the just-completed Board of Directors meeting, the results of the opinion poll were reviewed and discussed. A total of 1,020 poll submissions were received from the 6,300 members (16% of the membership responding). Total responses in favor of the lighted nock exemption were just shy of 60% and responses against the lighted nock exemption numbered just over 40%. The voting membership subtotal was more evenly split. Comments from the full membership were studied as well. Similar to the poll results, the summation of written comments, exhibiting lots of passion from both sides, showed no overwhelming directive either way.

Subsequently, a Board motion to amend the Club's Bylaws to allow lighted nocks failed to receive the 2/3 majority necessary to advance a bylaws change. The vote was 7-5.

President Roger Atwood noted, "It is certainly understood that the at-large bowhunting community, the Pope and Young Club's membership, and the Club's Board of Directors are ALL wrestling with the impacts, and potential future impacts, of electronics on the future of bowhunting. There are no easy answers and the big picture subject is one that requires continued contemplation.

We've chewed on this lighted nock subject from various angles and all know it's a tough one. We wanted the membership's input and found that there was no mandate. Worth noting is also that the Board members' vote is quite representative of the membership poll's breakdown--a slight majority, but not enough to induce a change to the Bylaws. The low opinion poll return numbers, even though thought provoking, were quite disappointing."

No matter which side of the subject you personally align, it is important to recognize that everyone with a strong opinion considers this subject to be a very impactful one. Yet, there are bowhunters, and Club members, who do not consider it that way...or do not consider it at all. The inevitable continued discourse on this subject must take all of this into account.

Please know your Board of Directors realizes that electronic bowhunting equipment, and specifically the lighted nock at this time, is a contentious issue within the membership, as it was within the Board. However, despite the outcome of the Board action on the potential lighted nock exemption, the Board has vowed to work together. We solicit your understanding and support of that as well.

 

I guess I'll never get a Pope & Young buck because I want to know where my arrow hits and I want to be able to find it after the shot, so I will always be shooting with lighted nocks. I really don't understand the people that are against allowing lighted nocks. They do not give you one single advantage pre shot or during the shot. the only advantage is knowing where the arrow impacted the deer and helping locate your arrow after the shot. I would think everyone would be for anything that would help keep from loosing a deer. If I hit a deer farther back than I though, maybe that nock would indicate that and cause me to wait longer than an hour to start tracking, thus I might end up finding the buck I shot instead of bumping him and never finding him.

 

Bummer. That will keep a lot of deer out. I have a couple that would make it if not for this rule.

Personally, I don't really care though. I won't stop using them just for the book. I think they aid in the recovery of deer, and limit any meat waste. Say you shoot a deer with 2 hours before dark. If you know your shot was good, go get the deer right away! Many would simply back out until morning, and risk coyotes or whatever chewing on the deer to make sure the horns are recovered. No one wants to push a buck shot a little far back.

 

Haha. We must have been typing at the same time. Great minds...

 

I voted no on the PY ballot. I feel lit nocks, pins and now the new gps tracker on the arrow shaft promotes after hour and iffy shots.

 

Your response makes absolutely no sense. If someone is going to poach a deer after hours do you really think they are going to think...Damn I can't enter this is Pope & Young because I used a lighted nock???

 

Just another reason I have basically abandoned paying attention to P&Y and B&C. I get some devices, like GPS tracking, exploding arrows or whatever. But a lighted nock... sorry, it will not have any affect on killing that deer other than aiding the hunter in making the choice of whether to go after that animal quickly or wait it out.

Here's a dumb question...

What if anything, would stop someone from using lighted nocks, then swapping them out if you kill a record book animal? How in the world could anyone prove it?

 

Like illegal baiting, mineral sites, ect. It comes down to one's own moral compass and personal integrity when they sign the PY entry form. Do You think his peer group would know if He uses lit nocks or pins?
Life is full of choices.

 

I am a fan of P&Y standing their ground, they don't want ANY electronic advantages to be in their books...so be it. I could care less what organization or "trophy" book my harvests make. Whether a deer would make a book by "x" entity plays no bearing at all in whether I shoot a buck.

P.S. I am going to lighted nocks this season too :D

 

So you voted no on something that helps a hunter find downed deer or make more accurate shots? Are you afraid a bunch of new people are going to join your club?

Thats just stupid.

Then again, im not a member of Pope & Youngs elitests archery club so my view doesnt matter.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy s4

 

With the number of hunters using lighted nocks the last few years I bet there are quite a few entries that have used them.

 

I know there is

 

I guess I do not understand the advantage of a lit nock. Find your arrow? It's typically buried in the ground from a pass thru. Watching where the arrow hit? Goodluck with that in real time which promotes poor follow thru form imo.
Lit pins? Sorry the halo effect in poor lightly is just asking for a rodeo as well.
The vote was 7-5, 8-4 and they are in. Remember how long it took them to allow 80% let off? I wonder how long before 100% let off is allowed?

 

I agree, however that's on the hunter who lied not on P&Y for standing their ground. I know of a few personally and doesn't surprise at all given the character of the individuals and how much weight they put on exterior factors in what they harvest and the need to be able to brag on their harvests by being able to say P&Y or B&C...

 

I think the majority(not all, but most) of "book bucks" taken over the last decade would not have been allowed without a falsity on the app. Bows have been 80% let off for a looong time. In fact, everyone I know that has entered a pope and young buck did it with an 80% let off bow, but couldn't put that on the app.

Not saying it's right... But it's the reality.
I have not entered any.

 

I shot mine in 2007 with a Jennings CMX and it was and still is a %65 let off bow. I did not have to falsify anything on my app, but I may be in the minority... I hope not...

 

80% let off bows have been used for years by Pope and Young hunters.

"Buried int he ground"? "Halo effect'? Sounds like your talking from your experience only. My arrows aren't buried in the ground after i shoot...and if they were, a lighted nock would certainly help.

 

Shoot the deer with your lighted nocks, tell them you used a normal arrow. Pretty simple.

 

You my friend are wrong. The integrity of the hunting world is only as good and as clean as we make it. I am not saying I'm perfect but I attempt to respect this sport to a degree above reproach because that's how I've been raised to treat things, and is how I will teach my children if God blesses me with some. If you lie about something as trivial as having a "trophy" whitetail, at what point do you tell your kids or young hunters lying is not okay any longer?

 

Eh, doesn't bother me. It's their club and they can do what they want. I'll use my lighted nocks and go about my business as usual. When I kill a trophy animal I don't need my name in their little book or the certificate on my wall to feel special.