State's park lands belong to hunters, too

A letter to the editor from Charlotte Barone of Marlboro ("Marlboro Resident Wants Park System to End Deer Hunt," June 13) was, to say the least, uninformed and obviously purposely inflammatory. Ms. Barone claims that her "experience has been that hunters trespass and don't respect the law."

Hunters and outdoorsmen are the truest form of conservationists and they are also the largest groups of contributors that fund the great majority of parkland purchases and programs nationwide.

Ms. Barone and most of those like her would have you believe outdoor enthusiasts are all blood-thirsty carnivores out to kill every living thing and endanger every human being in their path. Those, to say the least, are outright lies as well as the alarmist's favorite tool.

Ms. Barone, if properly informed, would understand that park systems everywhere have a very serious problem with the overpopulation and voracious appetite of feeding deer. The average deer ratio in the state of New Jersey is a maximum of 45 deer per square mile. In our park system, the average is 145 to 165 deer per square mile.

However, Ms. Barone and most other anti-hunting types would rather speak out against what they truly do not understand or simply do not want to have happen anywhere close to their perfectly manicured lawns.

I would prefer to be outraged by Ms. Barone and those like her whose lawns and homes are mostly maintained by exploited people or to have sympathy for the animals killed to facilitate the supple leather seats in Ms. Barone's car or SUV.

Too often people like Ms. Barone who speak out publicly do so from a NIMBY (not in my backyard) mentality, instead of an educated and truly informed viewpoint.

Ms. Barone and her alarmist opinions that "her family and friends are in harm's way" is also laughable.

In the state of New Jersey last year - with the hundreds of thousands of hunters and millions of hours spent enjoying that sport - a grand total of 45 various and mostly non-life-threatening injuries occurred. Almost exclusively the injuries were to the participating hunters themselves (injuries from falls or elevated positions).

Hunting is truly a sport with far fewer injuries than that of the injuries occurring to participants or bystan-ders than in boating, jet skiing, hockey, golf, tennis, football or baseball among others. Ms. Barone, should we also ban those sports as well?

Ms. Barone, as you sit down to dinner this evening, take a little time and think of the manner in which the chicken, veal, pork or beef came to be processed for you to eat.

I truly respect and enjoy hunting, and I find that my enjoyment of the hunting experience enabling me to put venison, fish or fowl on my plate is truly far less barbaric than the much-hidden and far more painful processes which fed you this evening.

Ms. Barone, it is not your park alone - as it belongs to all of us - and we can all use it safely. I for one will gladly be an instrument for the parks' revitalization and safekeeping, as a hunter.

Joseph McAleer

Aberdeen Township