Kevin Bixby, executive director of the Southwest Environmental Center, counts the carcasses of several dozen coyotes spread over two spots on the outskirts of Las Cruces in late December. (Lauren Villagran, Albuquerque Journal)
Re: “Wildlife killing contests should be outlawed in the West,” Feb. 1 Writers on the Range column.
Kevin Bixby’s chilling article on the abuses of hunting in wildlife killing contests brought to mind the ever-vivid memory of seeing photos of hunters standing smiling over their bleeding kill as though they had done something brilliant. There is no brilliance involved, I can assure you. You buy a gun and point it at a defenseless animal and you have your kill. Period. Would that the animal could shoot back. These killing contests are disgraceful to our notion that our wilderness and wildlife deserve to be protected for the enjoyment of all. I like my wildlife alive, and I hope that state officials read Bixby’s article with as much anger and resolve as I did and put a stop to such senseless slaughter.
Susan Altenhofen,Fort Collins
This letter was published in the Feb. 8 edition.Kevin Bixby should have done his homework before exposing his ignorance to the rest of the world. Colorado has seasons on many rodents and predators. When any animal population gets too large, it damages its environment and often becomes diseased. As man invades these animals’ environment and destroys the natural balance of predator/prey and food supply, man has the obligation to restore some semblance of balance to the ecosystem. These “killing contests” not only save tax dollars but generate revenue in the form of licenses and fees. Otherwise we would spend public tax dollars to control those predator and rodent populations.
Mark Rawlins,Westminster
This letter was published in the Feb. 8 edition.
