Bullock Texas State History Museum
Hateful Ignorance on Hunting
RECEIVED Mon., Aug. 22, 2005
Dear Editor,
I am outraged by the remarks of Amy Quartermain's “Postmark” (Aug. 19). Her many points are presumptuous, stereotypical, and most offensively lacking in reason. I've hunted every year of my adult life and have never met the hunter motivated solely by the love of killing. I hunt because I refuse to consume the antibiotic- and hormone-laden poison available in the grocery, because I refuse to support the corrupt and despicable U.S. meatpacking industry. Another of Ms. Quartermain's delusions is that development in the Hill Country has decreased both population and habitat. Yes, development decreases habitat. However, according to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, white-tail deer population has increased in the Hill Country over the period from 1976-2003 while the total numbers of deer harvested by hunters and game wardens has also increased during the same period. If every year we encroach more upon habitat and harvest more deer, why do population trends continue to rise? The answer is natural predators. We no longer have wolves and coyotes to help cull herds; the only predators left in abundance are humans. The words used by Ms. Quartermain in her summation on population control (of hunters, not prey) are hurtful, malicious, and, most importantly, entirely devoid of factual basis. Any editors or readers who wish to use their human gift of reason to elevate themselves above Ms. Quartermain's hateful ignorance may choose to educate themselves on the matter, I found TPWD's Web site most informative and helpful: www.tpwd.state.tx.us.
I am outraged by the remarks of Amy Quartermain's “Postmark” (Aug. 19). Her many points are presumptuous, stereotypical, and most offensively lacking in reason. I've hunted every year of my adult life and have never met the hunter motivated solely by the love of killing. I hunt because I refuse to consume the antibiotic- and hormone-laden poison available in the grocery, because I refuse to support the corrupt and despicable U.S. meatpacking industry. Another of Ms. Quartermain's delusions is that development in the Hill Country has decreased both population and habitat. Yes, development decreases habitat. However, according to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, white-tail deer population has increased in the Hill Country over the period from 1976-2003 while the total numbers of deer harvested by hunters and game wardens has also increased during the same period. If every year we encroach more upon habitat and harvest more deer, why do population trends continue to rise? The answer is natural predators. We no longer have wolves and coyotes to help cull herds; the only predators left in abundance are humans. The words used by Ms. Quartermain in her summation on population control (of hunters, not prey) are hurtful, malicious, and, most importantly, entirely devoid of factual basis. Any editors or readers who wish to use their human gift of reason to elevate themselves above Ms. Quartermain's hateful ignorance may choose to educate themselves on the matter, I found TPWD's Web site most informative and helpful: www.tpwd.state.tx.us.
Reese A. Heffington
