A reader writes:
I work in the entertainment side of the hunting/fishing industry, and I can tell you that one of the biggest fears by hunters, second only to accidentally shooting another human being, is wounding an animal and having it run away before they can finish it off. It is a nightmare scenario because the hunter knows they'll be in bed that night, wide-awake, knowing that suffering animal is still out there somewhere because they weren't skilled enough to make a clean shot, or they used poor judgment and took a shot that was beyond their abilities.
To that end, responsible hunters who are bringing new hunters into the sport for the first time - especially parents with eager kids - make the first-timers practice for hours and hours on a target range, and they won't let them go into the field to pursue live game until they've proven themselves as accurate shots. For the same reason, professional guides will usually test their new clients on a range before taking them into the field. I know you've praised Palin's dad, but he shares the responsibility here. He took someone out into the field who couldn't even LOAD THE GUN (!) and allowed her to take a shot at a live animal. That's an insult to the sport, and real hunters are going to be upset.