Bad Hunter Image? Perfect Fisherman Image?

Are you kidding me? We have hunters and hunting groups expending so much time, energy and money attempting to promote their own special interests, most dealing with attempts to legislate ethics, and there are people like this guy in Denver. A guy by the name of Mark Jensen writes a rebuttal to a letter to the editor in the Denver Post concerning the decision of the Rocky Mountain National Park to essentially thumb their noses at volunteer hunters to cull out the overgrown elk herd.

Here’s what he wrote:

Letter-writer Mark Molberg is upset that that the National Park Service is using sharpshooters to cull the elk overpopulation problem. I believe that Mr. Molberg is a conscientious outdoorsman. But too many people are not. I have fished in pristine areas in most of the Western states, including Rocky Mountain National Park. Unfortunately, in most of these areas I have found beer cans and even used disposable diapers.

The Park Service’s charter is the protection of the wildlife and the environment. Using sharpshooters will help them avoid bull elk, deer, moose and other wildlife being shot. It will help them avoid off-road damage. There won’t be bullet holes in any signs. Nor will there be litter everywhere.

I agree with Mr. Molberg, but too many people can’t or won’t handle the opportunity to act responsibly.

Other than the fact this guy makes little sense, it is obvious he believes all hunters are a bunch of irresponsible slobs and of course, being a fisherman, who fishes in “pristine” places, he is not.

Stop and think for a minute. This guy is probably a stuck up fly fisherman! Isn’t that what I’m supposed to say? Aren’t I supposed to now lump all fisherman into the same kind of category this guy did about hunters and claim that fly fisherman are a bunch of elitists who look down their noses at hunters?

He also claims to have fished in Rocky Mountain National Park. I sure hope he didn’t kill any fish as according to his reasoning, the park officials are supposed to protect the environment and the wildlife. Fishing should be banned from the national parks just like hunting is. I mean killing is killing isn’t it? Then if the fish population gets too big, the tax payers can fork over some more money and hire someone to come in a slaughter the fish.

I mean really, get real! What’s this guy thinking? He says that the park officials have to protect the wildlife so hunters won’t kill them yet condones the actions of the same officials to use its own employees to kill the elk. He also points out that hunters will go into the park armed for elk and come away having killed, “deer, moose and other wildlife”. Please explain!

But back to my original statement at the top. I have said many times before that if hunters want to take up a lot of their time, money and energy doing things to protect hunting, then it is this sort of person that needs educating. I would bet that if a list could be generated showing the negative portrayal of hunters, the tops on that list would be as this guy describes - litter, bullet holes and included would be trespassing. This is where the real focus should be not worrying about other trivial issues that deal with philosophical reasoning.

Tom Remington