In our modern culture, hunters must continually battle against an ugly reputation that has been unfairly placed upon them.

The non-hunting public is taught that a hunter is thoughtless, ignorant, uneducated, lawless, often intoxicated and incorrigibly selfish. His only desires are to murder innocent creatures and lay waste to the countryside.

Those of us raised in hunting families know this could not be further from the truth. But the public is constantly bombarded with these negative images through television, the movies, and a variety of other sources.

Characters like the hapless Elmer Fudd and those nameless evil hunters in the animated movie, Bambi, do nothing to help the hunter’s reputation.

And whenever Hollywood portrays a hunter’s character, for the most part it is not in a flattering light.

Even certain real life “characters” give the hunter a bad name.

The infamous quail hunting incident of our then-vice president, Dick Cheney, during which he accidentally shot his hunting partner, certainly did not help the hunter’s cause.

With all this “evidence” streaming through to the public from a young age all the way through adulthood, it’s no wonder why the anti-hunting sentiment is becoming so strong in this country.

The fact is, modern-day hunters are some of the most responsible citizens in the nation. Most are extremely law-abiding, responsible, intelligent, and care a great deal about the environment.

Hunters really are nature’s greatest ally.

A good hunter will pick up spent shell casings and pack them out whenever possible, instead of being left to litter the landscape. Successful kills are taken home to feed families, not just shot for the heck of it and left dead in the woods. Hunters take personal responsibility for the lands they enjoy and the wildlife with which they share them.

Even beyond that, hunters are an integral part of maintaining and creating habitat for wildlife.

Organizations like Ducks Unlimited, California Waterfowl, National Wild Turkey Federation and many similar groups are dedicated to habitat restoration.

These organizations derive the vast majority of their financial and volunteer support from hunters.

In addition, the fees from waterfowl stamps, purchased primarily by hunters, go towards government wildlife management programs which benefit all wetland birds, not just those open for hunting.

According to a report on the Web site www.stateofthebirds.org, a large percentage of North America’s bird populations are in decline.

Factors such as urban sprawl, agriculture, climate change and invasive animal and plant species are to blame.

But wetland bird populations have seen a steady increase over the last 40 years, thanks to the habitat programs funded by hunters.

Hunters understand that nature is not an endless resource that can be exploited indefinitely.

They accept the responsibility of maintaining it for the current generation, and sustaining it for the future.

So let the wild-eyed, reckless hunter and the cold-blooded killer live on in the fantasy world of the silver screen.

Thank God we live in the real world!

Guy Carl is a CPA and partner with BDCo Accountants and Advisors in St. Helena (www.bdcocpa.com). Contact Guy at GC.outdoors@sbcglobal.net.