Editor, The News:
Re: Dike hunters show poor ethics (Letters, Sept. 30).
We have quietly been building and placing mallard nesting tunnels, wood duck box nests and doing clean ups around our Pitt Meadows home.
Perhaps it is time we hunters step from the shadows to cast the real light on what goes on in these hunting areas.
I think readers would be very intrigued to learn how we have been using recycled materials from local major projects and involving the local high school for fabrication.
I’m sure we are not the ‘slobs,’ and I agree what the writer saw was slobbish, but does not reflect hunting.
Does the teenager who jumps into his dad’s truck and does doughnuts on a local field make all 4x4 enthusiasts bad?
No, but negative sensationalism sells.
It’s time for the not-so sensational story to be told.
I would like to help explain that there is a way to report these people and that, as hunters, we are not just cold-blooded killers. We are fathers, husbands, children, mentors and conservationists.
I wonder how many people are unaware that hunters are the federal governments major resource for controlling an exploding waterfowl population?
Geese are the reason beaches get closed due to their fecal deposits.
I would also like to share some of the waterfowl sausage we made from last year. But be quick. My kids will be into it as soon as it hits the table.
Chris Bradford
Pitt Meadows
It’s the law
Editor, The News:
Re: Dike hunters show poor ethics (Letters, Sept. 30).
As a hunter, I read with interest the letter written by Barb Stevens.
I have been hunting here for more than 40 years and have always conducted myself in a safe, ethical manner with respect to my quarry, other hunters, and other users of the area.
Hunting is legal in Pitt Meadows. It always has been.
I agree with Ms. Stevens on one point: hunters have to make an effort to retrieve the birds they have shot.
It’s not only an ethical responsibility, it’s the law.
If I was at the dike recently and saw a walker discard some litter and another walker with a dog not clean up after their pet, should I paint all users of the area as litterbugs and poor pet owners because of the ones I saw?
No. Most pet owners and walkers are responsible and conduct themselves in a courteous and respectful way and I wouldn’t characterize all of them like that because of the few that act like slobs.
Hunters like me make every attempt to recover anything they bring down, add it to their bag limit, and take it home to be consumed.
Those who don’t make that effort aren’t part of the majority; they are breaking the law and should be reported.
Anyone who uses the Pitt Meadows area for recreational activities should get the latest edition of the Fraser Valley Special Area map as it will have all the new updated shooting zone boundaries on it (there were changes made this year). It’s available online and it should also be available at the government agent office.
The map outlines shooting and non-shooting areas in each municipality.
Those who don’t wish to be near shooting areas can use this map to avoid them.
Dan Otway
Pitt Meadows