Dear Editor, Recent letters and commentaries in VTDigger show disdain and contempt for hunters, trappers and anglers, as well as the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department. They use what I believe is innuendo and misinformation to make a case that the department doesn’t serve their wish es and that those of us who hunt, fish and trap are responsible for the divisions in our communities.  In a survey conducted by Responsive Management for the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department in 2015, only 3% of Vermonters were dissatisfied with the department. Eleven years ago, there was little division among Vermonters over how the department conducted its mission to manage and regulate fish and wildlife. A more recent study, in 2022, shows dissatisfaction ticking up to just 5%.  Despite claims by animal rights groups, most Vermonters are happy with the department. So why suggest otherwise? These animal rights groups are backed by members with lots of time to lobby our legislators and oodles of dollars. They harass the department and write letters attacking Vermont values. They cite one-off situations and repeat them as if they represent all of us who participate in the activities regulated by the department.   Hunters, trappers and anglers, as a group, do not condone the willful mistreatment of their prey.  We do not condone breaking the fish and wildlife laws set by the department. I have yet to hear these animal rights groups condemn the lawbreakers in their group.  Animal rights groups are activists, not conservationists. It seems to me they care more about their agenda than wildlife, and it shows up in how they criticize the department for focusing on population-based models rather than individual animals. READ MORE What have they done to protect the environment? What funds and time have they dedicated to conservation? All we hear from them is opinion and derision directed at their fellow community members who fish, hunt and trap.  Vermont sportsmen and women work to protect wildlife habitat, to promote responsible sportsmanship and to be good citizens.    Jerry D’Amico   Roxbury, Vt. Read the story on VTDigger here: Why do animal rights groups hate Vermont?. ...read more read less