OPINION:
Kudos to Ted Nugent for his opinion article lamenting the poor coverage of National Hunting and Fishing Day, which he blames on bad public relations by hunting and fishing groups (“Happy National Hunting and Fishing Day,” Commentary, Monday).
However, Mr. Nugent misses something. Every year, I am struck by how stupid it is to have National Hunting and Fishing day in late September.
I’m not an expert in hunting seasons of different states, but here in Virginia, there have been two fall options: the youth deer hunt (OK, not a bad idea) and early teal season, a terrifyingly fast and frustrating way to shoot waterfowl. The fishing at this time of year is hit-or-miss, since the brook trout are spawning in the mountain streams of the Shenandoah and the Blue Ridge ranges. Heavy rains usually muddy up everything farther downstream.
My point is if you want to raise awareness of hunting and fishing, there may be a better time of year to do it. For example, split it up into a National Hunting Day on the first Monday after Thanksgiving, the traditional Midwest start to deer season, and National Fishing Day sometime around Memorial Day weekend, when the trout are still good in the mountains and panfish are ready to hit anything with a hook. Holding it in September is a recipe for poor awareness, and these fine traditions will continue to suffer as a result.
NEIL SHADER
Arlington
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