LETTERS Head-hitting essay Your essay “We Lucky Few” (September-October) is a mustread. The article articulates the grumblings we often hear about why Montana’s hunting and fishing aren’t the same as in the “old days.” For those of us old enough to have lived here in the old days, I can tell you that the essay hit it on the head. Despite a far larger human population in our state, and all the consequent impacts and stresses placed on wildlife and the places they live, indeed we should count ourselves among the lucky few. As a retired U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service wildlife biologist who has worked in several western states, including Montana, I know we are blessed not only to enjoy a rich wildlife heritage, vast public lands, and private landowners who care about wildlife, but also to have a highly professional state agency managing and conserving our fish and wildlife resources. Bruce Smith Sheridan
Why Grandpa chooses to hunt in Montana Regarding your essay “We Lucky Few”: Yes, we can feel sorry for ourselves about the perceived lack of game and access, but the truth is that we residents and our fellow nonresident hunters who join us every year really do have a hunting cornucopia in Montana. I moved here from the East over 20 years ago just for the opportunity to hunt and recreate, and I haven’t been disappointed. All my successful hunts for deer and antelope, and even a few elk, have confirmed that decision. I am paying a high price for being here in not being able to see my children and grandchildren as much as I would like. But
there is not a day of hunting when at some point I am not awestruck by the opportunity and thankful for the experience. During those times when I am not seeing any game and start feeling disappointed, I remind myself, “Are you kidding? You are hunting in Montana!” Chuck Tarinelli Belgrade
Listen to Bruce In his essay “Bowhunting’s ‘infinity of contraptions’” (The Back Porch, September-October), Bruce Auchly writes that modern bowhunting technology leads many hunters to think they can take 75-yard shots, even though these shots typically re-
This would eliminate most incompetent bowhunters, improve hunting experiences for proficient bowhunters, and take some pressure off elk when they need it most.” sult in a mortally wounded animal that won’t be found. And he urges hunters to consider how
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their reliance on technology affects their ethics. This is sound advice, but I doubt if the hunters who really ought to reflect on it ever will. They’re not concerned with ethics, or the welfare of the elk herd. They just want to kill elk. And who can blame them, when this is exactly what FWP’s elk management policies promote? The department’s liberal elk hunting regulations allow growing numbers of bowhunters to increasingly disrupt the rut and target the largest bulls when they’re most vulnerable. FWP seems to be more concerned with selling licenses than conserving the priceless genetic quality of our elk herds. FWP should follow Auchly’s advice. Do some soul-searching. Create regulations that protect rutting elk from inept bowhunters. Hunters will never voluntarily limit their use of technology, and most of them won’t voluntarily refrain from hunting elk in both seasons, so FWP should force them to choose their weapon, either a rifle or a bow, but not both. This would eliminate most incompetent bowhunters, improve hunting experiences for proficient bowhunters, and take some pressure off elk when they need it most. Bob Love Columbia Falls
What to do about cats? Bruce Auchly’s essay “The last thing birds need” (The Back Porch, July-August) addressed feral and pet cats preying on birds, reptiles, amphibians and small rodents. This issue is a much-debated and polarizing subject in the veterinary profession. Some vets promote and participate in Trap, Neuter, and Return (TNR) programs, in which colonies of feral cats are captured, sterilized, and released back into the environment. Unfortunately, sterilization programs over the decades have failed to curb everincreasing feral cat numbers, now estimated at 60 million in the United States. Quality of life for members of a feral cat colony is poor at best. Wounds inflicted by territorial conflicts, inclement weather, inadequate nutrition, and viral diseases such as feline leukemia and distemper go unchecked and untreated. ANd then there’s the tens of millions of birds that feral cats kill each year. Feral cat colonies present a tough problem across the country. Destruction of these colonies is anathema to much of the public. However, it is clear that the current use of TNR programs has been ineffective in controlling feral cat numbers. Ed Wolff D.V.M. Ann Bailey Stevensville, MT
Correction Many subscribers and FWP staff members wrote to alert us that the photo on page 34 of the article “Mastering Block Management” (September-October) showed a mule deer hunter not wearing the legally required amount of blaze orange. A big game firearms hunter must wear at least 400 square inches of blaze orange above the waist that is visible at all times. n
