In regards to your article about the organization Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife, I would just like to let people know that most “hunter conservation” groups out there, unlike SFW, do not support unlimited predator killing and the elimination of large carnivores like wolves and grizzlies. For instance, the group Backcountry Hunters and Anglers (www.backcountryhunters.org) is made up of dedicated hunters who actually support large carnivore conservation, while also working on issues critical to the future of traditional American democratic hunting and fishing on public lands, including roadless protection, wilderness designation, and off-road vehicle abuse. There are many other such hunter conservation groups out there, too, that work hard on land protection — what hunters really need — without feeling the need to eliminate supposed “competition” from our fellow predators. In fact, most stories I read and hear from other hunters talk about the magical nature of hiking or hunting in a place where we are not the only ones at the top of the food chain, and where the howl of a wolf confirms you are indeed in a wild place. Your article might leave the non-hunting public with the wrong idea about most of us!

Matt Kenna
Durango, Colorado