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Another read:
Activist is really a fan of hunting
By Tom Wharton
The Salt Lake Tribune
Hunters and biologists who have been on the receiving end of Utah activist ##### Carter's criticism about how the state's wild critters are managed might be surprised to learn that the Hyrum resident actually likes hunting.
"I don't want to see the end of hunting as a traditional land practice," said Carter, who has headed a number of Utah environmental organizations and has been a frequent critic of state Wildlife Board policies.
"As for the hunter who still has respect for wild places where critters live and goes out into nature on nature's terms to hunt, I never want to see that kind of hunting end."
What the activist does object to is a group he refers to as "yahoo hunters" who rely on motorized vehicles such as ATVs and who are more interested in killing and conquering nature than they are in preserving wild lands and conserving all wildlife species.
Carter is afraid that the latter type dominates Utah's hunting ranks.
"If hunting becomes a mechanized attack on wild critters and wild places, my prediction is that hunting is not going to last much longer and what does last of it is not going to be accepted by most people," he said. "I love to see the guy who gets on his horse and chases an elk or deer through the woods and views hunting as an ethical choice. That hunter brings a great deal of ethics to the table."
One of Carter's chief criticisms of Utah wildlife policy is the promotion of killing large predators such as cougars as a way to increase deer and elk available to hunters.
He dislikes the use of hounds, artificial bait and motorized vehicles such as snowmobiles to hunt cougar and bear.
"Elk are elk because of wolves and cougars, not because of ATVs and not because of hunting tags," said the activist. "The evolutionary dance the two species have had defines the beauty of the prey species. . . . Remove predators [such as wolves in Yellowstone] and elk are like domestic cows. Bring wolves back and elk become the prey they are."
So what will the longtime activist be doing Saturday when Utah's annual deer hunt opens?
"I will go out and bow to Mother Nature, bow to those critters and pray that the deer have a chance," he said. "When they meet the hunter, I want them to meet on a term that is fair."
Activist is really a fan of hunting
By Tom Wharton
The Salt Lake Tribune
Hunters and biologists who have been on the receiving end of Utah activist ##### Carter's criticism about how the state's wild critters are managed might be surprised to learn that the Hyrum resident actually likes hunting.
"I don't want to see the end of hunting as a traditional land practice," said Carter, who has headed a number of Utah environmental organizations and has been a frequent critic of state Wildlife Board policies.
"As for the hunter who still has respect for wild places where critters live and goes out into nature on nature's terms to hunt, I never want to see that kind of hunting end."
What the activist does object to is a group he refers to as "yahoo hunters" who rely on motorized vehicles such as ATVs and who are more interested in killing and conquering nature than they are in preserving wild lands and conserving all wildlife species.
Carter is afraid that the latter type dominates Utah's hunting ranks.
"If hunting becomes a mechanized attack on wild critters and wild places, my prediction is that hunting is not going to last much longer and what does last of it is not going to be accepted by most people," he said. "I love to see the guy who gets on his horse and chases an elk or deer through the woods and views hunting as an ethical choice. That hunter brings a great deal of ethics to the table."
One of Carter's chief criticisms of Utah wildlife policy is the promotion of killing large predators such as cougars as a way to increase deer and elk available to hunters.
He dislikes the use of hounds, artificial bait and motorized vehicles such as snowmobiles to hunt cougar and bear.
"Elk are elk because of wolves and cougars, not because of ATVs and not because of hunting tags," said the activist. "The evolutionary dance the two species have had defines the beauty of the prey species. . . . Remove predators [such as wolves in Yellowstone] and elk are like domestic cows. Bring wolves back and elk become the prey they are."
So what will the longtime activist be doing Saturday when Utah's annual deer hunt opens?
"I will go out and bow to Mother Nature, bow to those critters and pray that the deer have a chance," he said. "When they meet the hunter, I want them to meet on a term that is fair."
