hunting stops road kill

[Coloradobuck]

"While driving to work on eastbound I-70 on July 31, I noticed a dead bull elk in the median. The first thought that came to mind was; what a waste. Being a bit of a wildlife nut, I asked myself; would an anti-hunter even notice that dead elk? My conclusion was, no. I came to this conclusion because they have no interest in trying to ban cars or interstates. They ignore the daily piles of fur on the medians. Instead, they choose to pursue a tradition that they have no real understanding of beyond the kill, and base their assertions on faulty unreliable data developed by an individual who is not affiliated with the state of New Jersey. This data has since been widely debunked, and the New Jersey Fish and Game’s own estimates put the loss figure at a much smaller number.

How strange that the letter to the editor from Joe Miele (“Bowhunting is cruel”) would be in the paper the same day. As instructed by Mr. Miele, I went to the listed Web site, http://www.cashwildwatch.org and read the propaganda listed on it pages. I noticed that the Committee to Abolish Sport Hunting (C.A.S.H) has been around since 1976.

While it is nice to see the longevity of such a fine organization, one has to ask the question. What has C.A.S.H actually accomplished during all this time? I have not heard of any “sport hunting” being banned during this time frame. Thirty-one years is a long time for an organization to be in existence. How much money has been spent funding the incomes of people such as Mr. Miele? How much money has C.A.S.H. raised and spent with no real benefit to wildlife and their habitat? Seems like not much bang for the buck, so to speak. But this always seems to be the case with these types of self-serving anti-hunting organizations.

I would like to ask Mr. Miele to acknowledge how many conservation groups have been started since 1976. I would like Mr. Miele to acknowledge how much money has been raised and spent towards the conservation of the very wildlife he claims to support in those 31 years. I will even help him out with the following; http://www.rmef.org, http://www.fnaws.org, http://www.nwtf.org, http://www.muledeer.org, http://www.ducks.org. There are many, many more groups such as these out there; these are just the ones I am familiar with. The habitat saved and the wildlife that thrives from the work of these groups benefits people from all walks of life. Hunters, non-hunters, wildlife watchers and yes even anti-hunters.

It is ironic that all of the above groups support wildlife which in turn gives Mr. Miele a job and purpose in life. What does he do again?

The fact of the matter is people such as me and Mr. Miele will never see eye-to-eye on the subject of hunting. However, I will not allow myself to be as short-sighted as Mr. Miele and claim him or small children with bows to be the enemy. I will instead continue to support the types of organizations as listed above that are providing for the future of our great North American wildlife. I would like to ask all who read this to do the same, no matter your views on hunting. All of the organizations above have non-hunting members. It is pointless to fight each other when so much is at stake; so much wildlife and habitat is lost daily. So many elk dead on the interstate.

I noticed Mr. Miele’s fine organization has a New Jersey address. I will assume his ties to this valley are recreational. So, when Mr. Miele is out here on his next skiing vacation I imagine he will stay in the hotel, condo or second home that has been built on once-prime wildlife habitat. I would like to invite him over to my home for some elk fajitas and conversation regarding the real threats and the real future of the wildlife we both so dearly love. I swear the elk will not be road kill." -vaildaily

[proutdoors]

Good post, well said!

PRO

[Coloradobuck]

that was in my news paper yesturday

[MuleyMadness]

You need to give proper links and copyright to the newspaper if you post that.

[southwind]

What burns me is these guys get all the press they want and thier story goes unchecked for truth or accuracy. Now when was the last time you read a newspaper story on the successes of biggame management and the sportsmen and women who actually provide the funds, the programs , and labor that have made it a reality.

Anyway coloradobuck, to heck with mr. miele what time should I be over for the elk fajitas?

[Coloradobuck]

haha! eny time

[TheGreatwhitehunter]

good article