Writer overstates ‘cruel’ bowhunting
Bowhunting has been under attack lately, and most recently in a letter to the editor (“Bow hunters inflict cruel injuries,” Opinion, Aug. 5). However, hunting with bow and arrow is a storied tradition and is one of the safest and most effective hunting methods.
The letter writer cites “studies” that attempt to show that bow hunting has high cripple rates. Everyone knows that any conclusion can be obtained by slanting numbers and selectively choosing which data to highlight. Any animal hit in the right location — the chest/lungs region — with a broadhead-tipped arrow will expire within seconds, and this is demonstrated thousands of times each autumn. There are occasional losses due mainly to inexperience, but sportsmen continually attempt to minimize these occurrences, and today’s modern archery tackle has come a long way toward more efficient harvests.
Bowhunting is not only a challenging and effective method of controlling wild game populations, it is the most practical tool for managing deer populations in suburban areas and other habitats close to humans. Demonizing an effective wildlife management tool and wholesome recreation is misguided, as is so many of the “animal rights” causes.
ERIC BRUCE, COVINGTON
There are reasons to respect authority
I watched the video of the campus policeman and the driver in Cincinnati with the eyes of an accident investigator. In most incidents where bad things happen (as in accidents), there are decisions made that lead to the negative outcome. In this case, the driver was asked several times for his driver’s licence. Neither time did he comply with the request. The ultimate result was the driver was killed, and the campus policeman was indicted for murder.
I don’t know why there is such a total disregard and even animus for those in authority. When I was growing up, I was taught that you complied with those in authority and sorted out matters later. In fact, I learned in the Army that if you were told to “sit,” you didn’t spend much time looking for a chair. Respect is a two-edged sword; if you want to be respected, you must learn to play by the rules. Challenging those in authority has its time and place. It should occur in front of a judge, not on a city street or along a highway.
WILLIAM FLETCHER, PEACHTREE CITY
No kissing cousins or chickens, either
A headline on the front of AJC’s Metro section proclaimed, “CDC: Kissing, cuddling backyard chickens can be a health hazard” (Metro, Aug. 4).
What I want to know is, who wants to kiss a chicken?
JONI PELTA, ATLANTA
