I have read this article before and decided not to reply to it until i read what chessie wrote. I don't necessarily agree with the article or disagree but i have some knowledge if it and what it entails. As you read this please do not take this as being of my opinion, this is just a few facts that most posters will still disagree with but are facts none the less. The bow hunting has taken off big style in Europe mainly because of the interest from America and S Africa. So we really have a situation in France where the hunters can chase down - and shoot with a bow and arrow - an animal as large as a deer. The actual technique is sitting motionless in a tree or hide and wait or call the animal to you, then usually within a range of 30/40 metres the shot is taken and most animals run off, albeit for a distance of 50 metres or less. The shooter must prove his /her ability using the bow as he /she would with a rifle at the distance chosen and prove to be accurate. They are not chased down, if the animal is spooked then there is little or no chance of you even reacting to fact it has seen you far less chase it to have a shot. They are not all called Bambi, they are quite simply game and occasionally classed as Vermin. Think of the pain and distress of a large animal being shot in this way - i do think that there will be a certain amount of pain and distress, certainly more than if it were to be shot. Love it or hate it, hunting, in all its forms, is a part of life here and in other countries.