I feel I must bring an unfortunate matter to your attention. I came across it while relaxing with a cup of coffee and flipping through my new hunting magazine.

My mom had just purchased a new hunting magazine for me through Dial America, raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I was so excited at receiving my first issue and was enjoying reading about the hunting adventures! Then I happened to turn the magazine over, exposing the back cover ad. There was a woman holding the product for sale, and she had a "seductive" look on her face. I was surprised and upset that they would use alluring models to attract customers, but did not consider it very serious until my next two issues came. They displayed a picture of a girl, who appeared to be around 17 years of age, and she wore a "barely there" shirt along with very short pants! I was extremely shocked and appalled that they would continue to use such inappropriate pictures.

I had checked the web site for the providers of the product and saw that they were selling posters of these "women" as well! I decided to take immediate action. I wrote a letter to the magazine and a more serious letter to the product manufacturers. I informed them that I would cancel my subscription to the magazine, boycott the product providers, and expose both of them if they did not remove the ads. I waited three months for the next issue of the hunting magazine, to see if they had improved. I had received no letter in response, and when the issue came it was only worse. They had a picture of a woman, holding the product, and she was in her underwear! She had the same seductive look on her face as did the other "women". They did, however, put a couple squares of information, about the product, over a few parts.

Even if they did cover up some areas with information, it’s still not good enough! I had my mom call the magazine and cancel the subscription. When she told them the reason for canceling, they said carelessly, "O.K. We’ll cancel it for you." Mom then called Dial America and they appeared to be very concerned and offered to switch us to a new hunting magazine with seven extra issues. They also encouraged us to continue with our fight against these inappropriate advertisements.

Now youth hunters are being exposed to these advertisements! They are having these "women" pushed into there faces by the very thing we hoped would influence them correctly and bring them into the beautiful world of hunting. Also, we should not overlook the fact that these people are putting women, even respectable and decent hunting women, such as ourselves, in a bad light. They are displaying women as "tools" and "toys", using them to attract people to their product. It is shameful and immoral!

I do not wish to bring trouble upon WomenHunters by mentioning names, so all I can do now is ask you to open your eyes! I want you to take the time to look around, and when you find something, as I have, I hope you will act against it. Help me cut a cleaner path for the young hunters. They are our future! We cannot stand by and let them be poisoned by these immoral displays. As a teen, I have enjoyed hunting and its freedom from the immoral images that now plague us. Will others be able to escape the same images? That is for each and every one of us to decide. If we do not fight today, it will become more of a struggle later, as the "right" to publicize inappropriate displays, like these, grows stronger.

If you notice these sorts of ads I encourage you to do all you can, legally, and try to change them. Send letters and/or make phone calls. If that will not stir them, boycott. Please, join me in trying to clear away things such as these. The more there are to discourage the use of improper pictures, the more they’ll feel the need to stop using them!

God bless and keep America! God bless and keep our hunting heritage!

Thank you! Lisa Derrickson