WELL . . . I have made bad shots before and they are not pleasing to me.[:@] and at least one time though we tracked the deer for more than 10 hours without recovering it . . . it was quite unsettling.

That said, I' ll defend the shows a bit because I believe they have a good reason for doing what they do. I get a thrill watching every shot, the hit, the animal' s reaction and the recovery; I try to learn from each of them. There are too many anti' s around and most wouldn' t bother the watch the shot, the hit or anything else about the hunt. I am convinced that it serves no purpose to give them any clues or fodder for their rhetoric.

I truely believe they are doing the best they can to put the hunting sport in a favorable light. So I don' t accept creative editing, a lack of ethics, embarrasment, or the argument that these guys and their hunts are distasteful or sickening. They . . . like each and every one of us . . . are capable of making bad shots. I would be less than thrilled if they made a big deal out of a bad shot on TV.

I too watched the episode on ' Closing the Distance' and followed the arrow into the intestinal section of the deer. I think they presented it in good taste without overdoing it. As for guys pumping their fists at a good shot when it was obviously bad . . . I accept it for what it they' re doing to prevent harm to the hunting sports.