THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, January 17, 1997 TAG: 9701180020
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: 29 lines
Regarding the Dec. 23 article about preserving hunting amidst residential-development pressure, I was dumbfounded by the unabashed pride of high-tech hunters chasing and killing deer.
As a former hunter and fisherman, I have recently joined the ranks of those opposing the barbaric acts of inhumanity against animals that I once committed as recreational sport. No longer will I pursue, kill and consume beautiful creatures that are deserving of human protection.
It's astounding to me that anyone can take pride in hunting deer by driving them into ambushes using packs of dogs, fleets of four-wheel-drive vehicles, two-way radios and high-powered shotguns and rifles.
The use of all the high-tech gadgetry is peripheral to the sportsman's experiencing what's called ``buck fever.'' I know firsthand the awesome testosterone rush from the sudden split-second elevation of a hunter's still heart rate to one equated with sprinting the 100-yard dash. It's a feeling that I'll never forget.
Hunting and fishing appealed to my base instincts. May fathers think long and hard about the morality of passing along to their progeny this bloodthirsty tradition.
DAVID L. KABLER
Cape Charles, Jan. 8, 1997