[twogun]

Can anyone give me any information on this group? Do they actively work to further the use of crossbows? Are there any other organizations out there that take a promotional approach?

http://www.horizontalbowhunter.com/

http://www.horizontalbowhunter.com/documents/ACF.pdf

Looks like I've at least found a partial answer:

The ACF's prime objective is to educate game managers, legislators and the general public about the crossbow and its positive attributes as applied to modern hunting and game management.

 

[Jim C]

my wife bought me a life membership sort of out of the blue. Its a good organization. I also like crossbow Connections which I once wrote an article for on target shooting. I am a member of The National Crossbowmen-an affiliate of the NATIONAL ARCHERY ASSOCIATION ( so much for the morons who claim crossbows aren't archery) and TNC is a target oriented group but they support xbow hunting.

 

[DJH]

A Letter Of Invitation

A Letter of Invitation from Ottie Snyder, Executive Director of the American Crossbow Federation

To Whom it may concern:

Your inquiry indicates you are interested in one of the fastest growth sections of today’s hunting community. I proudly invite you to join the American Crossbow Federation and the thousands of others that share your interest in the challenges of hunting with the horizontal bow.

The American Crossbow Federation was formed in 1996 as an umbrella group from within the shooting sports industry wishing to educate and promote additional crossbow hunting opportunities. Since its inception, many exciting new opportunities have fallen into place across the United States and Canada. Now is the time for those pursuing crossbow hunting opportunities to join together and exchange knowledge on their shared interest.

As a Charter Member, you will receive a handsome Membership Card, a window decal that proudly proclaiming you as a Horizontal Bowhunter and Charter Member of the American Crossbow Federation. You will also receive four quarterly issues of our official publication – the Horizontal Bowhunter Magazine with each year of membership. The Horizontal Bowhunter, as the official publication of the ACF, will lend all its resources toward making you a more successful crossbow hunter, along with many other benefits

Please fill out the attached application form, add your check or money order and mail it today. Help us as we join together with the thousands of others who share the challenges, excitement and rewards of this rapidly growing sport – Horizontal Bowhunting

Good and Safe Hunting, Always,
Ottie M. Snyder, Jr. Executive Director

 

[DJH]

Another Letter Of Invitation

Letter of Invitation from Daniel James Hendricks, Publisher and Editor in Chief of the Horizontal Bowhunter Magazine
Greetings Crossbow Enthusiasts,

My name is Daniel James Hendricks. I am the publisher/editor of the Horizontal Bowhunter Magazine (HBM). I would like to take this opportunity to invite each and every one of you to join the American Crossbow Federation (ACF), thereby placing your name on the ACF membership list.

Starting in September of 2001, HBM began arriving in mailboxes all across North America. Already, members have joined from Australia, Spain, Ireland and England, as well as Canada and the USA. Our main objective is to organize crossbow hunters into a strong and unified lobby. It is time that crossbow hunters around the world are given the consideration and respect that they deserve.

Our objectives will be to educate the misinformed, while promoting the countless benefits of our sport as we strive for absolute hunter unity. If we are to insure the future of harvesting natural resources by any means, we must come together and put aside the petty indifferences that have fragmented our ranks in recent years.

It is time for all hunters to rise above their personal prejudices and grasp the “big picture”. The enemy that threatens our very existence is not another hunter who uses a different weapon or method to hunt; it is the anti-hunter that strives for the eradication of all hunting - forever.

The Horizontal Bowhunter Magazine will endeavor to unite all hunters, while sharing the positive benefits of modern crossbow hunting. Already our Charter Members are asking us to take the lead in filling needs, which they feel are of genuine concern.

An official International Crossbow Record Book has been suggested as well as an International Crossbow Target Tournament Circuit. As our membership grows and proactive leaders emerge from its ranks, we will begin to work on these suggestions as well as the others that are bound to arise.

There is much to be done, but first we must organize and gather new members. Members that will create a strong foundation on which to build an organization that is destined to be one of the leaders in the way towards complete hunter unification.

As a member of the ACF, your ideas, opinions and successes will be made available to other members in the pages of the Horizontal Bowhunter Magazine. This will be your forum to share what’s working and what’s not with other crossbow hunters.

It will provide you with an opportunity to share your stories and photographs with the young and the old, alike. It will also be our political bond, keeping its readers informed about the latest challenges and successes in the current struggle for complete acceptance of the crossbow and crossbow hunting.

The first step in our mission is to become a proactive member of the ACF as it strives to create a Unified International Family of crossbow enthusiasts. Then, as our numbers and solidarity grow, we will be able to accomplish our designated tasks, one at a time.

Start today by completing the ACF membership application attached to this email as well as passing it along to family members and friends that share the ACF philosophy. We must come together if we are going to champion our cause. Apathy will achieve nothing!

To share your ideas and thoughts about our mission, please contact me, Daniel Hendricks, at [email protected] or give me a call at 320-634-3660. I am looking forward to working with each of you as we work towards the promotion and preservation of crossbows and crossbow hunting.

 

[DJH]

Press Release

AMERICAN CROSSBOW FEDERATION, INC. LAUNCHES NEW PUBLICATION CREATED ESPECIALLY FOR THE CROSSBOW HUNTER

In the fall of 2001, the American Crossbow Federation launched a new quarterly publication entitled the Horizontal Bowhunter. The premiere issue arrived in the mailboxes of its first subscribers in September of that year and continues to provide the rapidly growing number of crossbow hunters from across North America with a much-needed forum for sharing their passion, ideas and thoughts about their sport.

The content of Horizontal Bowhunter is primarily of a hunting nature with a wide variety of writers from the membership sharing their adventures and knowledge with the other readers. Leaders from the crossbow industry contribute regular columns that cover an array of crossbow topics such as technical tips, crossbow politics, crossbow-hunting adventures and clarification of many popular crossbow myths.

The Horizontal Bowhunter Magazine is the official publication of the American Crossbow Federation, Inc.. This unique membership organization is focused on providing a proactive fraternity dedicated to uniting individuals from all across the continent that believe the modern crossbow should be just one more legitimate option for hunters in their pursuit of big game animals. The ACF’s prime objective is to educate game managers, legislators and the general public about the crossbow and its positive attributes as applied to modern hunting and effective game management.

For more information about the American Crossbow Federation and the Horizontal Bowhunter magazine or to receive an ACF membership application, contact the ACF Main Desk at 320-634-3660 or email us at [email protected] Or you may mail your inquiries to American Crossbow Federation, Inc.; Attn: Daniel James Hendricks; POB 251; Glenwood, MN 56334


The AMERICAN CROSSBOW FEDERATION

If you or someone you know needs help in getting complete up to date information on any matter concerning today's modern day hunting crossbows, please contact the ACF at once. We have a wealth of information regarding hunter education and have recently finished production on a 30-minute hunter education video, which was a joint project between the ACF and the Ohio Department of Natural Reassures. This video is not only available to the retail customer, but is also to be used by state hunter education instructors and anyone else teaching a group about crossbows and how to hunt safely while using a crossbow.

The ACF has information obtained from states in which crossbow hunting statistics have been compiled over the past 30 years. This information documents success rates, percentage of hunters, urban harvest figures etc. and is very useful in demonstrating the benefits that are offered by the crossbow.

Key issues covered are the importance of getting youth, women and elderly hunters involved in hunting with the crossbow. If you are interested in purchasing a crossbow, the ACF can help you to learn more about the fastest growing shooting sport today.

 

[dollarbill]

I can vouch for the Horizontal Bowhunter mag. and the ACF. :thumbs_up Great magazine and a great organization. They do a lot to promot the crossbow for hunting.

Bill

 

[robk]

i belong tot he group and they are great people and have a quarterly mag that comes out and they help a guy out and well worth the membership. also i am a member of the other sister uffda and you can findthem ont he horizontal site as well
rob k

 

[wabi]

I'm a charter member of the ACF, having joined during their first year. I've never had any regrets about joining, and have no doubts that the ACF is not only a great organization for crossbow hunters, but for ALL hunters and sportsmen. While crossbows are the primary focus, they also support all forms of legal hunting and while supporting crossbows they avoid putting down other forms of hunting. I've had the pleasure of meeting Daniel Hendricks personally, and I assure he's a heck of a nice guy! He gives a lot of his time and effort to promote crossbow hunting, and he is type of person that the divide and conquer thinking anti-hunters have to fear most. He is quick to point out that the crossbow is his proffered hunting method, but when restrictions or regulations prevent the use of the crossbow he will pick up whatever is legal and ethical and be out there hunting! And he won't look down at you if you choose something besides a crossbow, but he'll be quick to help you in any way he can to have a safe, successful hunt, and he'll encourage you to do all you can to keep our sport of hunting alive and well.
I heartily support the ACF, am proud to be a member, and hope you will join us in the fight to keep hunting available for all. And if you prefer to hunt with a crossbow that's just icing on the cake

 

[Revival]

I am also a member.

We need to gather together to support our sport and our choice of equipment. There are many organized groups that make every effort to discourage the use of crossbows, and our voice must also be heard to counteract that noise.

I encorage everyone shooting a crossbow to join. Look for a story by "yours truley" in an upcoming issue.