Hunting critic lacking facts

My first thought as I read Ian Rutherford's letter, about the first paragraph. was the famous line around here which is "You aren't from around here, are you?" Then as I read the rest of his letter, I didn't know if I should be upset with him or pity him for his lack of knowledge.

Idaho and Montana have had hunters for hundreds of years. Even before they became states. They both still have hunting as a mainstay in their midst. There is a whole industry supported by hunters. Food supplies, gas and others. Even the governor hunts. This young lady didn't just pick up a gun and walk out into the woods with her father. She went through safety classes. She was also taught how to shoot a gun responsibly and well. She should be proud of the fact that she brought meat to the table of her home.

The initial part of hunting was survival of families. It provided the meat supply for 90 percent of the population. That is still true of much of the hunters today. There will always be hunting in our states. Even the town he lives in has provided meat for their tables, and still do, by hunting. Evidently, far more than Mr. Rutherford is aware of.

Lastly, Mr. Rutherford, you should have been around here a few years ago when these very same animals died a horrible death because the weather was so bad and they were so overpopulated that they were starving. The farmers and Idaho Fish and Game tried to help them. I suggest you talk to Fish and Game and find out what would happen if there wasn't hunting … from the animals point of view. And yes, as all hunters will tell you, they are beautiful animals … just as are cows and etc. that God has given us to eat.

CIS GORS

Kootenai