Letters: In for the Kill

Many readers were probably horrified by Daniel Coyle's profile of Ted Nugent ("Better Environmentalism Through Killing," March), but Nugent is far more in tune with nature than most bumper-sticker environmentalists. To enjoy wild places, you must take the good with the bad and the beautiful with the ugly. Hunting, like nature itself, is both wonderful and tragic, an instinct that even the encroachment of man and our civilization cannot destroy. You can't edit out the parts of the wilds that you find inconvenient or you'll lose the true wonder of the outdoors.

When it comes to sensitivity, hunters run the gamut from Nugent types to traditionalists who make their own weapons and pray over every kill. There is no question, however, that hunters as a whole cherish the animals they pursue and the habitat that supports them.

However logical Nugent's arguments appear, they crumble in the face of his disrespect for life. The environmental movement doesn't need him.

Nugent kills feral cats because "millions of songbirds are killed by feral cats each year." Yet he shoots "a robin at 100 yards with a slingshot." What does he have to say about this contradiction? Perhaps the act speaks for itself.

Open-Ended Views

"Long gone" (March), about missing runner Amy Wroe Bechtel, left me drained. I can't imagine having to deal with a loved one's disappearance. Now I look at my wife in a different light every time one of us leaves. Please give us a follow-up so I can get this out of my mind.

My heart goes out to Bechtel's family. I constantly have to remind myself that, unfortunately, the outdoor world holds all manner of threats, and we must take precautions to protect ourselves. I still pray that she'll be found alive.

Won't You Be My Neighbor?

I can't believe Wade Graham wrote an entire article on invasive species ("Darwin, Darwin, He's Our Man!" March) without including the most pesky invasive species of all: humans.

Graham called Guam "a credible version of hell." As a native and former resident, I'm happy to report that Guam remains safe and pleasant. Snakes never bit my infants or dripped from trees on any of my many jungle treks. In fact, Guam is close to heaven.

Homing Instinct

You were right on in listing Minnesota's Paul Bunyan Trail as one of the best rides in the country ("Rides of a Nation," March). Though it took a hit in Fargo, the Brainerd area is a summertime paradise, especially along this trail. As for winters, well ...

Free Time

Poor Larry Davis ("Up. Down. Up. Down. Up. Down. And Then, By Golly, Up Again," March). With his metronomic, six-years-and-counting daily climbs of Mount Monadnock, he's managed to do the nigh impossible: Turn a simple joy into a daily grind. Please, someone, stage an intervention.

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