Kent Bain's column truthfully exposed sport hunters for what they are (" Hunting, Dirty Harry Style," Mar. 18). It is a shrinking segment of the U.S. population that still finds fun in entering the woods to boldly match wits and test their virility with, say, a mourning dove.
The high-tech search-and-destroy mission described by Bain is still practiced in many states. Trophy hunters unleash packs of radio-collared dogs to track and chase bears, cougars, raccoons, foxes, bobcats, lynx, and other woodland creatures. Once a frightened animal flees to a tree to escape the baying hounds, the "hunter" follows the radio signal to the base of the tree and shoots the animal off a branch. There may be more sport in shooting a caged animal in a zoo.
Fortunately, voters in Colorado banned the use of dogs to hunt bears in 1992, and Oregon voters banned the practice for bears and cougars in 1994. People in Idaho, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Washington are pursuing similar campaigns for the 1996 elections. Through the democratic process, we can take back the woods and protect our wildlife from the 6 percent of Americans who still kill wildlife in the name of fun.
MICHAEL MARKARIAN, THE FUND FOR ANIMALS, SILVER SPRING, MD