Of his attempt to “shoot me down with words” - such mockery is the lowest form of wit.

Fortunately, I am not one of those unfortunate animals or birds in his gun sight, or one of hundreds of mortally wounded creatures suffering and left to die slowly from a bullet or arrow, which only half hit the mark.

Professional shooters should kill feral animals humanely, and one hopes that vigorous testing is done for classification as such.

For others, the qualifying procedure is a farce and it is downright cruel to grant a hunter who can’t shoot expertly, a licence to inflict untold pain and suffering on helpless animals.

It is imperative, for the sake of the intended targets, that proper testing by properly qualified, independent testers be carried out for those seeking to kill.

Can John Butcher give any numbers for feral cats, foxes and wild dogs his band of jolly, gun-toting members have rid the country of?

Along with horses and trees, guns have, and do play, a major role (good and bad) in human civilisation. I am not naive enough to say otherwise.

John Butcher and his ilk should understand that individuals who enjoy killing, showing no remorse or compassion for a life taken, are not respected by the majority.

Would anyone shoot a pet dog for the fun of it? Is there so much difference between a domesticated animal and a wild animal, or is it that one can know and love one animal while ignorant of another’s attributes?

One thing is for sure. I will not be walking in the bush anywhere in the vicinity of Nelligen, having been warned that unless I wear an orange vest, I may be mistakenly shot as a feral!

Even though in jest, such words by the president of a hunting club don’t instil in one a feeling of safety from shooters when bush-walking.

Diana Gillies, Moruya