Now that another hunting season has come and gone and the obligatory letters condemning the hunting community have been written by the anti-gun zealots, I feel it only fair that a few words supporting my fellow outdoorsmen are in order.

Why is it that the hunting-haters believe that poachers, and those who disregard the rights and property of others, are hunters? These aren’t hunters — they’re criminals! These are the same people who cheat our government out of taxes, abuse their spouses, beat their kids, do their Christmas shoplifting year-round, and show up occasionally in the police beat of this paper. Because of the highly publicized misdeeds of these so-called hunters, we all get tarred with the same brush.

Give me a break! My friends and family love to hunt and fish and, get this — we do it by the book. We don’t exceed legal catch limits, we don’t shoot at any movement we notice in the woods, we don’t hunt on posted land without written permission, and we don’t shoot donkeys and pickup trucks. We also know that there are thousands and thousands who behave the same way.

Hunting is here to stay. If you push us too far, we will push back. If you object to that, don’t forget to pay your toll in Kittery on the way out. Tom Buckley Bangor