How would you help wildlife?

[MuleyFever]

Ok, its the season after the season. A time for internet arguments and hypotheticals.

If you were a Bill, Jeff or Elon with billions to donate, how would you use your money to benefit wildlife?

I would look at habitat and migration. Wildlife overpasses or underpasses would be one priority. Just asking Google "One billion dollars could build approximately 100 to over 1,500 wildlife highway crossings, depending on the type, size, and complexity of the structures. "

 

[Ross]

1. Predator control. Not enough to hunt, people lose interest.
2. Technology limits, as other posts have discussed.
3. Young hunter recruitment, without the future hunting dies.

 

[MuleyFever]

1. Predator control. Not enough to hunt, people lose interest.
2. Technology limits, as other posts have discussed.
3. Young hunter recruitment, without the future hunting dies.

Predator programs is a good one. How would you use money to restrict tech? Bribe officials?

 

[Ross]

That is the dollar question. Unsure of the answer, but the sky is the limit on tech and making it easier is not always the right decision for us, nor for wildlife.

 

[Taudisio]

If we are putting 1 billion on it….
You could offer a bounty on predators, something like $200 for every coyote (maybe fresh lower jaw destroyed in front of some kind of judge), $400 for bear, $1k for a lion/wolf taken between December-May.

Another “reward” or reimbursement of license and tag for proof of a deer/elk taken with any weapon that doesn’t have a magnified optic on it.

Just simple ideas/encouragement that I don’t think violate any laws, but may still get the desired effect.

 

[DB29]

Human population control resulting in habitat protection. Need enough $$ to make human population control possible.

 

[HairyScandinavian]

What the heck? I still got 3 big hunts left!

 

[ZAK13]

The OP's idea is valid, also add human containment, stop the sprawl of human habitat from infringing on wildlife habitat, because we all know wildlife loses.

 

[PredatoronthePrairie]

Don't have to be rich to help. Although it would be dam nice if one of them stepped up to the plate. Predator/invasive control. Fence removal.
Time is really what it takes. And if everyone in the hunting community devoted a small fraction of their allotted hunting time it could make a big difference.

Just cut a large check (for me that is, small for others I would assume) for flower/forb interseeding on a piece of Tallgrass prairie. And have 2 acres of shrubs/thermal cover going in the spring. Also have small projects on the homesite, wood duck boxes, bat boxes, a tenth acre pollinator, and shrub strips. Which reminds me I have to get out an shoot some backyard rabbits so they don't kill them this winter. Ha

 

[aks]

If I had the money. I would buy land, lots and lots of land. And it would be public land. No development. Just wild public land.

 

[Poser]

A. The overpasses in migration areas + some fences to funnel animals to these bridges would be huge, practical and very achievable.

B. If you wanted to get real aggressive, buy up HOA developments in winter range, demolish the developments and construct prime wintering grounds.

C. Superfund a Utah election to give the boot the boot to Mike Lee.... or, just hire a professional to take care of him.

 

[Pacific_Fork]

habitat habitat habitat

Then I’d close down every big SM platform to hunting influencers. You could still promote conservation and legislation issues. But sorry, no more selling products over dead animals, no more spot burning, no more how to videos. A man can only dream at this point…

 

[svivian]

Buy a shit ton of winter ranges near areas soon to be developed seems like the first step

 

[KenLee]

Eat more game. Free up plenty of food for the living

 

[mt terry d]

What results could we expect for $126 Million per year?

Would hiring a private entity for $126M/year to manage our wildlife
produce worse results than we have seen for a few decades?

Would you continue to hire that private entity for $126M/year based on results?

That's just the Montana FWP budget.

More $$$$ isn't the answer.

 

[HunterGatherer]

Ask the Wilkes Bros…

Unfortunately billionaires in the hunting world use their $ to create personal hunting ranches, often accompanied by cutting off access to public ground, rather than improving conditions for everyone. They provide semi-sanctuaries for the game, drawing them off public ground and onto private. This is a large part of why people subjectively experience fewer elk on the landscape even though elk numbers are objectively increasing.

Additionally, the large tract landowners tend to pressure the management agencies for depredation money and tags, which in some states, they sell for massive fees to other affluent sportsmen, eliminating opportunities for the common man.

To answer the hypothetical question posed , I would buy a large tracts of critical habitat and work with orgs like RMEF to provide maximum benefit to the animals while still offering some level of hunter access.

 

[NMJM]

Imagine what we could do if every hunter donated $100 a year and 1 day of volunteer service to a conservation organization. We could get a lot done!

 

[mt terry d]

Imagine what we could do if every hunter donated $100 a year and 1 day of volunteer service to a conservation organization. We could get a lot done!

See post #15

 

[mt terry d]

Ask the Wilkes Bros…

Unfortunately billionaires in the hunting world use their $ to create personal hunting ranches, often accompanied by cutting off access to public ground, rather than improving conditions for everyone. They provide semi-sanctuaries for the game, drawing them off public ground and onto private. This is a large part of why people subjectively experience fewer elk on the landscape even though elk numbers are objectively increasing.

Additionally, the large tract landowners tend to pressure the management agencies for depredation money and tags, which in some states, they sell for massive fees to other affluent sportsmen, eliminating opportunities for the common man.

To answer the hypothetical question posed , I would buy a large tracts of critical habitat and work with orgs like RMEF to provide maximum benefit to the animals while still offering some level of hunter access.

Part of this could be remedied by not allowing owners of land landlocking public land any access John Q Public cannot access.

 

[roadrunner]

Human population control resulting in habitat protection. Need enough $$ to make human population control possible.

They're already doing that with rampart access to abortion.

This is going to sound harsh, and by design, but how uninformed does someone need to be to think it's okay to spend money to purposely fund human population control?

China did this all too wrll and their economy will tank because there aren't enough replace the aging population dying and retiring...