I have spoken to 3 bow hunters this season that have stuck an elk and did not recover the wounded animal. Shouldn't bowhunters prove their abilities to perform in a lethal mannor or be trained to a higher degree? What a waste of our wildlife.

We encourage hunters in both Hunter Education and Bowhunter Education to take ethical shots within their effective range, regardless of type of weapon they use.  Hopefully, hunters also encourage ethical behavior among themselves and discourage their friends and family members from taking risky shots.  Given the wide variety of weapon types, personal behaviors, individual ethics, and variability in hunting conditions; it would be extremely challenging to develop a standardized proficiency test that met the needs of all hunters. Wounding loss occurs from all weapon types; fortunately not all wounds are lethal and animals can recover.