Dear
HCN,
Although I long ago gave up hunting, it was
refreshing to read such a sensitive, respectful view of nature,
wilderness and wildlife as was depicted in Tom Reed’s essay, “In
the house of the grizzly” (HCN, 9/24/01: In the house of the
grizzly). I wish many more hunters and people out for recreation in
this country were half as sensitive to the need for human beings to
share Earth with other species and be respectful of nature rather
than to be an adversary of nature.
Reed’s essay
stood in sharp contrast to the behavior of hunters I’ve seen this
season hunting from their trucks along Utah Route 12 on Boulder
Mountain. The spectacle of three hunters in full camouflage gear,
including hoods and smudged faces and hands, hunting deer at dusk
from the windows and back of a shiny red 4×4 pickup while driving
on Route 12, was so ludicrous it was funny in a very sad sort of
way. I wish I could say this was an isolated incident, but during
our few drives between Torrey and Boulder this hunting season, my
wife and I have seen dozens of trucks bristling with hunters
cruising the road. We hear from people who have lived here longer
than we, that this practice is standard procedure each hunting
season. I suspect these guys imagine themselves to be the “mighty
hunters,” but I ask myself, have they no self-respect or
pride?
Robert
Garrigues
Boulder,
Utah
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline A stark contrast to truck hunters.
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