The Infamous "Letter"
Equipment
While searching through the archives... thanks to Pat and his "Search Feature". I came across this letter... The "letter" was a response to a young student that had seen some turkey pics and felt compelled to e-mail this gentleman her dislikes about hunting. The gentleman (Darrell) in short order and very nicely... put her in her place. Ouch! ;-)
here we go... (first part is from the young lady)
Hello,
I just wanted to ask how I can get started in the animal killing business. I saw the pictures of you and your friends sitting with your victims and thought that you must be such talented and manly men to be able to kill these unarmed, defenseless creatures with only a shotgun? I was just thinking that something like that would probably take my 4 year old nephew about a week to learn so you must have learned in about 8 days or so. Wow! Anyway, I hope that your power-hungry egos are satisfied and fulfilled with these acts of murder, and that you've found some cheap excuse to justify yourself. I guess you're conscience was just as easy to kill as they were. Bye.
Sonia Bermudez
The Response:
Sonia,
For your information, we are all "animal killers." This may be difficult for you to accept, but you also are the reason that animals die. Please let me explain: Do you eat any meat? Do you go to McDonalds or have a little pepperoni on your pizza. Sorry to disappoint you, but that meat came from a dead animal. Yes, I kill deer and elk and other game animals, but at least my animals are treated with respect and allowed to live a free and wild life. Your meat is killed in "slaughter houses" after being penned and trapped for months being forced to eat what will make them tender rather than what they choose.
Oh, are you a vegetarian? Guess what, you still are responsible for the deaths of countless animals. Do you realize that the farmers that grow your veggies regularly kill jack rabbits and other "pests" who interfere with the growing process of your veggies. Do you realize that they eliminated animals that once grazed on the land they now farm so that you can eat tofu?
Do you own anything leather? A purse, a belt, a pair of shoes? What about your automobile? Does it have a leather steering wheel or leather seats? Do you think that the animals that provided that leather did so and lived to tell about it? No, they died so that you could have what you want.
Do you live on land that used to be habitat for some wild animal? Do you drive on roads that were paved over the top of rodents and that displaced the animals that once migrated across them? Since you are writing me from an "edu" address, do you live in a dorm or an apartment? If you do, they must certainly spray to kill roaches and other pests as well as poison any mice and rats that find their way into your dwelling area.
As far as where I get my justification, I get it from the ultimate authority, God himself. Genesis 9:2-3 After the flood, God told Noah: "The fear and dread of you will fall on all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every creature that moves along the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hands. Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything."
In Acts 10, he tells Peter "Rise kill and eat."
As far as skill goes, hunting is a skill that requires much work, experience and insight. Also, for your information, I hunt with a bow and not a shotgun, though I have no problems with my hunting brothers who use a shotgun.
If, in a few years, your 4 year old nephew is interested in learning how to hunt, I will be more than happy to take him with me and show him some of the ways of the wild. I will show him how to read tracks in the sand and in the snow. I will show him the incredible power of the majestic elk. I will teach him how to try and outsmart a bull elk by imitating the calls of the elk. I will show him how to make a clean, humane kill. One that causes the least amount of suffering possible. Then, I will show him how to take care of the meat so that it can be enjoyed by himself and others. It will do him well to learn that he was created at the top of the food chain and doesn't have to live a life destined to tofu and veggie burgers. I will show him how to hunt with honor and how to appreciate the incredible creation that God has for us. I will show him why we need to protect our National Forests and other places where wild animals are allowed to roam free. I will teach him many things, but most important, I will teach him about his creator who loved him so much that he came and died for him.
I apologize if my hunting offends you. I ask, however, that you give some real consideration to the big picture. Yes, I kill animals, but so do you. The difference is only that I do for myself AND YOU HIRE SOMEONE ELSE TO DO IT FOR YOU!
Have a great day,
Darrell Brazell
AMEN, Couldnt have said it better myself. Thats What it is all about.
Shoot Straight.Keep em' sharp
..whoa...!!! well written....!!!
WOW!!! Pretty strong statement if I must say so myself. Very impressive. People should copy that and use it when faced with these liberal, tree hugging animal rights idiots.
Well stated! Thank you for bringing up the post. Wish I could get my broadheads as sharp as his pen. They would be flat out lethal, misses might even be fatal.
Thats good stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Absolutely great response!!!!!!!
I commend Darrell for taking the time to write a well thought letter to this woman, but the sad fact of the matter is she probably didn't hear or agree with one word in it! Trying to validate hunting to these people is like arguing with your mother-inlaw....you will NEVER win! Can anyone provide any example of an anti being convinced or being swayed to the "good" side??? I certainly have never heard of such an occurrance. Our well-intentioned explainations are falling on deaf ears, I'm afraid. The only way we can ever justify hunting in a way the antis will understand is when it hits em in the pocket-book! They have to feel the affects of a what can happen in a non-huning world. They have to witness firsthand the chaos, turmoil, and ill-effects of an out of kilter eco-system before they will ever begin to understand or agree that hunting certainly has a place in the world! All talk of God, heritage, woodsmanship, fellowship, stewardship of the land, game overpopulation, we eat what we kill, disease, or legal or God-given rights won't gain us one thing. In their minds they are right, we are evil, and any well-educated argument, or otherwise, is like pissing in the wind, or if you prefer, shoving a wet noodle up a dog's ass. Our salvation will be in the form of $$$$......nothing else!
O.K., I'll step down from my soapbox. Hope I made atleast a little sense?
a fabulous infamous letter, thanks for sharing ,an if Dan you are out there somewhere thanks for writing it.
Very well written. Great job..Bob
Great lettered response and actually I have seen well articulated responses and actions change a few minds, but it does take time and some will never budge.
A fine example of "the pen is mightier than the sword". Well done sir. I would call that a very clean shot. To the young lady "a person convinced against their will is of the same opinion still".
Great.Thanks to Dan. The moral person opens their eyes and isn't afraid to partake in the real life 'process'-the amoral person knows the truth,hides from it or lets others do 'it'(the killing)for them. Peta simply loses on a morality basis.And,there is no 'true'vegetarian,only delusional attempts to minimize the real world.I can buy and understand the 'health'claims of the vegetarians,the rest is pure fluff.
Excellent letter!
It's true you probably won't convince the antis (they don't want to be confused with facts) but it WILL help with the non-hunter. Since they represent a huge majority, I'll go with enlightening them every time!
I wonder if Ms. Sonia Bermudez had a response to that??? Well done... )))------> Pat
...although it is very difficult to 'change' a persons feelings on a subject like this, a well written response is a positive statement that is always worth doing. We should all take note and remember that when confronted with a similar situation. Being loud and confrontational rarely is as effective.
Amazing letter. Who is Darrell Brazell?
i think the letter is great, many of the same things i have to said to other people. also i have met many people who consider themselves vegetarians or vegans and have not been ardently against hunting or even have no problem with hunting - at least not as a whole, they may still have misconceptions and problems with some areas but in general have no issue with most of my activities or at least were accepting and tolerant and remained non-hunters rather than anti-hunters because of our friendship and my respect for them ( or as i say to myself, my understanding of there ignorance). These are people who know the only things i have a true passion for is hunting and fishing and were very close friends. As an example i married the one girl, who in her teenage years was vegan and very against killing animals. Since then she has been beyond supportive and has bought me two different hunting trips and went as a guest on a bear hunt with me and had a blast sitting in a ground blind with the guide one night and saw her first bear at 10 yds on the ground. if someone was to challenge me on hunting, she would speak up before me. So, my point i guess, some are not beyond hope. not even her twin sister and husband who don't eat any animal product, they are still pretty cool.
of course, i am exceptionally charming;) this might not work for the rest of you. j/k!
Eric
Old Hoot Owl,
That would be me. I just happened to stumble on this today and it brought back a good laugh. I wrote that back in 96 I believe. Hard to believe that thanks to the Internet it still lives.
No, I didn't hear back from her and no I didn't expect to change her mind. Her email just struck a cord with me and I felt obliged to fire off a reply.
Have a great day,
Darrell
Excellent post and letter.
"you will NEVER win! " True you will never win if you sit on the sidline and speculate how bad things are but we all have the opportunitny to take the approach that we can win by being responisble, respectul and ethical hunters who when presented an opportunity, as Darrell was, portray the positive side of our hunting passion.....how does that old saying go it takes small steps to travel long distances....Hat's off to Darrel for such a great response
I saved that letter and read it often.
Re-read my last post and realized I was probably being a little misleading. I didn't just happen to find it. I was looking for it because I wanted to reference it for a post I have on the elk forum looking for some help in Colorado as the letter is probably my biggest bowsite claim to fame. :)
Anyway, I just wanted to clarify a bit and apologize for the misdirection.
Well done Darrell. I'm with JTV. I'd love to put that in an editor letter to a greenie that writes into our paper.
I have quoted the Genesis verse to others that don't understand why we hunt. God gave us domain over the animals and birds and everything living. So, we do have a responsibility to care for them, not to over kill or waste meat, not to abuse this. But we as hunters don't do that for several reasons. One being we appreciate and love our relationship with animals. We don't want to wipe them off the face of the earth. But we do love to eat and be nourished by a tender mammal or bird or fish. It is the circle of life and is a gift from God. But then she may not have a relationship with her Creator either.
Darrell,
You're our hero (even though you're from Kansas)! Great letter and well said.
From your southern neigbor..an okie.
Great letter Darrell. Would you allow Pat to place it somewhere on the main page of this website, for all hunters to reference in the future war against the anti-hunters.
We may never change the mind of an anti-hunter but we can make darn sure the non-hunter is on our side.
I sent it to over a dozen hunting friends and family members this morning. Whether it changes some cinderella's mind or not it sure made me feel great. Thanks
Darrell - That is a classic. Well-done and thanks. I'll be borrowing it.
Great letter Darrell. Sounds like my arguments in my college days minus the bible/apology lines. I can't apoligize for offending people (I would never stop talking :).
Well said Darrell, nice response. Saved that to my favorites.
Well Done partner
5 stars to you
Tink
Amen Darrell!! That is a awesome letter my friend!
As I've said everytime this thing has resurfaced, anyone is welcome to use it. I would appreciate if they used it in its entirety, but really, I'm not easily offended.
Also, I'm not from Kansas, I've just been living here for the past ten years. I'm from NM and miss my elk terribly, especially right now as I got skunked on the draw.
Anyone have any Colorado OTC areas they would be willing to help me out with? I don't need much, I just need some good info on general areas, preferably ones without a ton of people during the last week.
We in San Miquel County ( Telluride and Norwood , By Units 61 and 711 and 71, alwasy hear it from the Telluride types , Meg Whtiman and darrel Hannah et al. (and Trust Fund babies),even in the newspaper. as to...
" why can`t the ranchers and hunters go to the stores so Nothing has to Die"
Meanwhile,, the elk above telluride sometines die in the winters and overgraze the Aspen. they Just do Not get it. Next, Mtn Lion hunting In Co ( Season drastically reduced the last two decades) will get like CA and ther dogs or kids will get attacked.
They even have a course to take before hunting in Co and one must call the night before to check on Unit availability. Most outfitterrs in western Co now prefer Utah.
ONLY 1 thing missing:
"P.S.--STFU"
Just keeping your fame going Darrell... ;-)
Rick
btw... Good stuff!
Awesome! I wish I could state a point like that! Great job!
Great job. We have to stand up to these mindless antis, with fact. Bravo!
Awesome letter! You hit a home run with that one!
I recall this letter and post. It is very well put and those words have helped me many times in defending hunting heritage. This guy deserves a hats off for the truth and flow of his response...a true gem.
About 1/2 way down he said:
"No, I didn't hear back from her and no I didn't expect to change her mind. Her email just struck a cord with me and I felt obliged to fire off a reply. "
The fact that she did not answer means he struck a cord and made her think.
very good response, one we should all learn from.
Great response! Hopefully it will help some people to understand the true reasons for hunting if not Sonia.
I think you can win, but it's done by the example of your lifestyle. If you have your life together, people will in fact be jealous. People are desperate for an authentic life.
Great job ! In this world of relativism ( there is no right or wrong ) the key to life is knowing who is in charge(God) and who is not (us). We need to find out what he wants us to do and do it! No need to apologize for the hunting lifestyle because the creator told us to eat animals. Again , great job Darrell. MRmich
Cool, Very cool. I liked it. thanks
coe--does great letter. God would be proud the way you articulated your thoughts and your humbling grace.
Wow!
Stumbled on this doing a search for something else.
Lots of responses from guys we have not heard of in a long time.
Wow is right. Straight and to the point !
An oldie but goodie.
Thanks for the refresh to the top.
And thanks Darrell for writing.
Miss not seeing many of these folks posting like they used to.
Carl
How would I go about getting permission to use that in one of my weekly newspaper columns? This is the first time I have seen it and although I could easily write something similar and be perfectly within the law, I would much rather use the original.
Does Darrel exist? If so, how could I contact him for permission?
John L. Sloan Outdoor Editor- Wilson Post Lebanon, TN
Darrel is alive and kicking. He emailed me a picture of his buddy and his elk this morning. I will contact him and tell him to check this thread.
Deserthunter-Thank you. He can PM, me email me at
[email protected]. I would appreciate it very much.
Thanks for bringing to the top again. Darrell was/is a great guy and used to post on here quite often. Would sharpen Snuffers dirt cheap.
Good to hear Darrell is still around.
Haven't seen him post in a while, but he's a solid guy.
Carl
That letter struck a cord with me. I have two kids who are grown up. Neither hunts. My daughter choose to stop eating Some meat as a teenager. She ate chicken and fish but beef and pork were off limits for her. One day she and her friends came by at dinner time. I had just cooked some venison. Her friends questioned her when she gladly accepted it. She told them that she was fine with venison. She was not fine with the beef and pork that was processed and had never really lived. She went on to say that the deer had lived a good free life then had been taken as quickly and cleanly as possible by her dad. We need to honor the animal by making sure that the meat did not go to waste. I was a prouder still as the kids had their second helpings. As I recall I had to thaw another package so I had some meat to eat. My son comes running to help out when my friends or I take a deer. We butcher together and share the bounty.
Great letter. Unfortunately you would have better luck getting blood from a turnip than convincing an anti hunter that hunting is ethical. But there is nothing wrong with trying.
First time I've seen this letter and I love it. Couldn't have said it better.
Well stated my sentiments for sure Lewis
Well stated my sentiments for sure Lewis
I sent Darrel am email and asked him to chime in.
if you think beore you reply you maybe able to do some good rather than more damasge to our cause an excellent reply and a great read!
Great letter back Darrell!
The only thing I would disagree with you about was "I apologize if my hunting offends you"...I wouldn't apologize...you stated facts!
well said, however I agree with bass2xs, no apology necessary
Thanks Darrel. It will run Oct. 1
Thanks for the kind words guys. As I have said every time it comes up, feel free to use the letter. Its funny that it still lives on this many years later. Anyway, I'm not on Bowsite much these days not because I have have any issues with it, just family and ministry leaves little time.
I'm sure not having an elk tag this year also has played a huge part. I did get to go out and call bulls for a buddy for a few days which was a blast. However, without my own tag, the months prior to the hunt weren't their usual for preparation, etc.
Heck, I opened it up and totally forgot I started the thread. :)
Good stuff, Darrell! Glad you are doing well.
I just read that Genis chapter to my kids the other night. We are a hunting family and proud of it. We do our own killing and we do it with respect for the animals that GOD provided for the norishment of our bodies.
It was the first time I had heard of this letter. Well put. I will share it with the next anti i come in contact with.
Its thru Bowsite that Darrel and I have became friends. He helped put me on the biggest elk I have ever seen. I never got a shot off but none the less he help a person he had never met before. I was lucky enough to meet him in person and spent a few days in his elk camp a few years back.
Desert Hunter,
That bull was a brute! O for another tag in that unit. Maybe someday I will hit the tag lottery. Enjoyed having you in Elk Camp. Sure wish one of us would have gotten a shot off on him or even one of his buddies who were almost as big as him.
