That was a tough title to write. I wanted to make it snappy, but it also had to tell you what this bit was about, right? Maybe I failed on both counts, but who cares? Onward and upward.
A week or two ago I posted my response to an article that appeared in Newsweek. If you don’t feel like clicking that link to go back and see what it was all about, here it is in a nutshell:
The Newsweek article made a strong implication that hunting, and specifically trophy hunting, was causing a decline in the average size of the hunted species. The article proceeded to offer several examples which, on the surface, appeared to support the thesis. In my response, I deconstructed the argument, pointing out that the data is skewed and based on totally unconnected situations. The populations in question were largely isolated, and the “hunting” in question was generally uncontrolled poaching.
Anyway, my argument stated that the article was misleading and erroneous, and that it appeared that it was pushing an anti-hunting agenda. I added the caveat that this is mostly my own, educated opinion.
So imagine my joy when I saw that none other than Dr Valerius Geist responded in kind to the article (actually a couple of articles in different publications, including this one). While he made a few more erudite points, he validated my own opinion that it appears that there is an agenda at work here. Tom Remington, at the Black Bear Blog was able to get permission to reprint the total of Dr. Geist’s rejoinder. It’s definitely worth a read.
See the things that happen while I’m on the road? I was so busy with the SHOT Show that this one almost slipped right by!
I saw this over on Tom’s blog a few days ago. I was definitely relieved to see this response. For those of you who haven’t read it yet, it is definitely worth the time.