We read with interest (Sun Journal, Oct. 1) about an 11-year-old boy shooting a 502-pound black bear. We must say, the story made up our minds on the bear hunting issue.

Let’s see … the dogs picked up the bear’s scent and chased a majestic animal (that had survived in the wild for how long?) up a tree. The 11-year-old, standing on the ground 20 feet below, shoots the bear in the chest with a high-powered rifle, killing the animal. And then the unsettling picture …

Nope, no way, nada, zilch, zip. We will vote against this.

Take a photo of the bear in the tree and go home. It’s the same thing; maybe a whole lot better.

If bears become a nuisance, then they can be dealt with. Sometimes things have to be done for safety reasons. But this chasing a majestic animal, that they didn’t even know had passed that way except for the dogs, forcing it up a tree by the dogs and then shooting it when the bear had no chance of escape … that is just not right.

We intend to vote “yes” on Question 1. And, in answer to the question posed in the story by the boy’s grandfather, we fully understand the consequences of our vote.

Richard and Derri Johnson, Bryant Pond