Letter: Get facts straight about hunters

Friday, Nov. 12, 1999 | 8:45 a.m.

I cannot agree with anything that Carole LaRocca wrote in her Oct. 31 letter about youth hunting programs. Some of my best memories of my dad were when we spent extended periods of time together hunting and fishing. He was teaching me respect for the land. We spent quality time together. This was not murder and cruelty and I never "picked up a gun to solve any problems" (like millions and millions of other hunters).

My friends on the Leech Lake Indian Reservation showed how to give thanks to the sun after harvesting an animal. Later at the supper table we would give thanks again. We all live off of death and only a hypocrite believes themselves morally superior because they did not hunt for their hamburgers.

Ms. LaRocca, your ideas of what is right and good and what constitutes a good parent is far from my ideas. Your "facts" sound like PETA propaganda. Try learning new phrases like winter range, carrying capacity and habitat destruction. Bad manners, murder, road rage and drive-by shootings are more complex problems of social and family decay and are not related to youth hunting programs.

DENIS D. NELSON

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