David Kveragas

Newton Township

I am responding to the comments by Karen Neidrich over predator hunt contests.

As someone who has lived in “the country” my entire life, and as a former hunter, I have to question things Neidrich wrote.

I have never seen anyone else claim hunting instills fear in predators or wildlife in general. Wildlife respond, depending on the species, based on a number of factors, many of these animals never encounter a human hunter, so where do they receive the notion of fear of them? If this claim were true then negative wildlife encounters would be rising, especially in recent decades as the number of hunters has plummeted.

Predators are not a threat to wildlife populations as they are a factor and tool of Mother Nature. Coyotes spread to this region of the country by natural means. Why is a matter of debate but surely human based, anti nature “game management” which is based on sport/trophy (including predator contests) rather than true wildlife management which follows natures actions, is a prime candidate.

Rabies is a concern, but few realize it was actually hunters and the state agencies they control that brought rabies to Pa. from southern states generations ago. My source for this is an article in the Pennsylvania Game News magazine, published by the state Game Commission.

Raccoons in this state were over hunted/trapped and new animals were imported from the south to replenish the numbers (game management in action). Among those animals were those with rabies, which brought the vector, where it didn’t significantly exist, here. Something to remember every time you have to have your pet get the vaccine.

On balance we should be saying anything but “thank you hunters,” and the above is just a small example of the truth about hunting.