Dear HCN,
The “Hunting: Get Used to
it” essay by Jim Fergus (HCN, 1/22/96) was exquisite – but Fergus
shouldn’t be so hasty to stereotype HCN’s readership. Today I am a
card-carrying environmentalist, but I am farm/ranch raised and
hunting/fishing educated. I cut both my baby teeth and wisdom teeth
on Outdoor Life. I believe there is a place for grazing, hunting,
fishing, hiking and bird-watching all in the same “wilderness.”
Like most great conservationists and nature writers, I learned to
love the land by living and tramping in it. When I was 12, my
family moved from an Iowa farm to the Arizona desert. We sold the
home, the land, the furniture and the family crystal – but we
packed and moved my dad’s lifetime collection of Outdoor Life. I
thought this was was a little excessive at the time, but the deeper
I get involved in the environmental issues (which are really
outdoor life issues), the more I realize my dad (Dwain W. DeGear)
knew what he was
doing.
Barbara “Barney”
Nelson
Reno,
Nevada
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Don’t stereotype us.
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