I was not raised a hunter. As a five-year-old traveling with my family in Scotland, I remember staying at a hotel which prominently displayed the mounted hides and heads of numerous wild animals. I covered my face with my shirt and refused to eat meat. However, I did not remain a vegetarian for long, although my gratitude toward where my food originates has been a mainstay in my life ever since.

Fast forward 34 years to a cool, but sunny late afternoon this past November, when I was crouched with my recurve bow beside a hemlock tree. Shortly after sunset, I heard leaves crunching behind me, and as I craned my neck, I saw the gray shape of a deer materialize from the tapestry of young hardwoods and sapling pines. The buck — a six-pointer — came within 10 yards of where I knelt. I did not have a clear shot, so I simply gazed in awe at this beautiful animal. It didn’t take the deer long to sense me, and soon his eyes locked onto my silhouette, and then he bolted off into the shadows of evening. To say this was a magical experience is an understatement, and at the end of the day, this encounter lodged deeply in a bank of many cherished memories I’ve made as a hunter.

As someone who has straddled both sides of the hunting vs. anti-hunting sector, I felt compelled to respond to recent commentary by Jackie Compton and John Kuzeja (”Sunday hunting ban must stay intact,” Recorder, Dec. 14], in which they urge Massachusetts residents to encourage our state representatives to maintain the current Sunday hunting ban. This is a valid topic, one worthy of discussion, but this potential reform was not what I found so disquieting about the arguments posed. It seems to me that in today’s social climate of potent divisiveness, political jousting, and “us vs. them” mentality, generalizations and overt reductionism become the accepted norm. Could we all strive for more nuanced, informed, and thoughtful dialogue?

When I took Hunter Education in 2009 — a requirement for anyone who wishes to hunt in the commonwealth — one of the lead instructors emphasized the importance of referring to the “tackle” one uses while afield as either “firearms,” or “hunting implements,” but not “weapons.” This is a very astute point. Whether bow, shotgun, or rifle, these are tools for procuring meat for family and freezer. Most hunters would adamantly agree that we are neither at war with the animals we are pursuing, nor defending ourselves against menacing, bloodthirsty beasts.

Though I share Compton’s and Kuzeja’s sentiments about pervasive gun violence, as well as the shameful wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, I disagree with their notion that an end to the Sunday hunting ban would result in “an increased tolerance for lethal violence.” Additionally, they cite that crossbows are not an “acceptable option, with their very high (54%) wound rate for animals that are shot but not killed.” What they failed to acknowledge is that in Massachusetts, crossbows are exclusively authorized to “be used by certain permanently disabled persons by permit only.”

Perhaps what concerns me most about the words in the aforementioned contribution centers on the perceived notion of the enlightened nature of the state of Massachusetts and its citizens in contrast to hunting culture: “We were the first state to legalize gay marriage and to mandate universal health coverage.” I too am delighted to reside here, and agree that of all the states in the Union, ours embodies many admirable achievements resulting from wise thinking. However, the passage continues, “A tiny minority should not be allowed to take away such a precious freedom [no Sunday hunting] from the rest of us.” It is here, in verbiage such as this, that stigma, prejudice, and ignorance are perpetuated.

Simply because hunters who enjoy the woods and fields of the Bay State comprise a small fraction of the entire Massachusetts population, does not mean that they should be universally minimized, discounted, and in the eyes of some — vilified. The ideals of democratic attitudes include elements such as equality, inclusion, compromise, and civility. Whether Sunday hunting is legalized is to some degree irrelevant; allowing for the cultivation of diverse pursuits and practices is what is most paramount, as is aiming to be the best version of ourselves, whether we choose to hunt or not.

Stefan Calabria lives in Northfield.