Going by memory, the practice of shooting wolves and other animals from an airplane, particularly in Alaska, created controversy in the press in the 1960s when VN may have read about it. .   The practice was condemned, and rightfully so,  because it violated "Fair Chase", the central concept of the Boone and Crockett Club founded in the 1890s by Theodore Roosevelt, Gifford Pinchot and others who had "witnssed the near decimation of one of our nation's most valuable resources --- its wildlife."

 

   Here is the Boone and Crockett Club's statement on Fair Chase:.

"Fair Chase is the ethical, sportsmanlike, and lawful pursuit and taking of free-ranging wild game animals in a manner that does not give the hunter an improper or unfair advantage over the animal. Fair Chase extends beyond the hunt. It is the very core of outdoor ethics, extending to all who enjoy wildlife and wildlands, or who make use of their resources. Fair Chase has been the Boone and Crockett philosophy since the Club's beginning.

"The Club is the oldest organization to champion Fair Chase in North America. The hunting and game laws recognized today are a direct result of the statement, philosophies, and efforts of the Club."