Dean of Writers
My compliments to Jim Dean for his gift of writing. After reading "Grandpa's Gifts" (August), I opened my granny's old tackle box and went fishing with a couple of her favorite lures. It brought back memories of my fishing trips with Granny, and that brought a warmth to my heart that is beyond mere words.
Bobby Joe Spears
Taos, N.M.

Grandpa's Gifts" was one of the most enjoyable articles I have read in quite some time. It rekindled some great memories. My hat's off to Jim Dean, who has a new fan. I agree with Slaton White's editorial-Field & Stream does have a great roster of writers.
Rob Rabe
via Internet

On the Nail
In August's Woods Wise, I was glad to see Tom Fegely mention the problems caused by leaving nails and spikes in trees, and as a former sawmill operator, I'd like to add my two cents. Damage to sawmill equipment is not the only thing that happens when saw blades strike metal in logs. Over the years, sawmill workers have been killed from the shrapnel that results. I would hate to be responsible for someone's death by simply being too lazy to completely dismantle my tree stand when it's no longer usable.
Steve Dye
Parkersburg, W.Va.

Cheers & Jeers for Cheers & Jeers
I'd like to cheer Cheers & Jeers. It's an excellent show of democracy in that many views are printed, regardless of whether those views are the ones we want to read.
Nickolas Andrew
via Internet

Just wanted to let you know that I'm canceling my subscription. You hit home runs with features like the Young Writers Contest, yet you continue to publish and defend crap by George Reiger, for example. And your Cheers & Jeers section itself is becoming a mechanism for showing your sarcasm toward your readers.
Kim Beach
via Internet

Please seriously consider a raise and a promotion for whoever writes the responses in Cheers & Jeers. Contrary to what many of your correspondents think, he's a genius. Second, I must respectfully disagree with Mr. Petzal's comment in the August C&J; I personally can't think of even a single Democrat who shouldn't be hanged on general principles. Same for lawyers. They're all a bunch of dopey bastards. I prefer the Iranian approach: Throw them over a cliff in a sack, and if they're unfortunate enough to survive the fall, hang 'em.
Dick Filippini
Pewee Valley, Ky.

I've read many complaints about Cheers & Jeers, and I have to admit¿¿¿I think it's hilarious. It's the first section I turn to. Keep up the good work; sportsmen are supposed to have a sense of humor.
Jerrod Lingle
via Internet

Their Goat Is Got
David E. Petzal's August article "Antelope Rifles" reads more like something written by an antihunter than anything I have ever read in a hunting-related magazine. The idea of wounded animals running off to die a slow death is one of the things that fuels the fire of the antihunters, and has no place in a prohunting magazine.
James D. White
via Internet

Petzal condemns antelope hunters for taking long shots, and then goes on to condone that behavior by admitting to his own 460-yard shot. Is taking a bad shot acceptable on the last day of the hunt? He is who is he writing about, and we call them slobs.
Doug Hallerberg
via Internet

The Common Touch
When I shot my deer last year from my tree stand, made from an old ladder and scrap plywood that didn't cost me a cent, I'll bet the deer didn't know that I was using a $300 Remington .308 semiautomatic with Army-surplus ammunition. You probably can't relate to this type of hunting any more than I can relate to $2,000 guns, $600 scopes, and $5,000 hunting trips. Sometimes I think you've forgotten where most of the hunting in this country is done-in rural America by common folk.
Jim Pfile
Algoma, Wis.

If you read Field & Stream carefully, you'll see that we report on all kinds of equipment and trips-cheap, expensive, and in between. And we've found that even folks who can't afford the fancy stuff like to read about it anyway.
-The Editors

Seeing Red
I can't help but notice that the woman in the photo on page 43 of the August issue ("Longer Is Better") has the safety off while handling her shotgun. You can clearly see the red of the safety. I'm sure that Field & Stream doesn't promote this, but you might want to scan your pictures better.
Charles Gadbois
via Internet

A number of sharp-eyed readers picked up on that error. Our faces are the same color as the safety.
-The Editors