The#1 issue affecting hunting?

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

We don’t need more hunters anymore.

Awesome. So in one generation hunting will cease to exist.

 

[slatebuilder]

Those that support the party of the public land hunter (also the party of DEI, social justice, anti second amendment, anti predator hunting/trapping) are the #1 threat to hunting (and our uniquely American ways of life).

 

[GSPHUNTER]

Hunters in Ca. have been under attack for many years, because of liberal anti hunting and anti gun policies and in part because of lack of access to decent hunting areas. In the past 50 years hunting license permits has dropped by 70%. Hunters make up 0.7% of Ca. population

 

[akcabin]

Habitat loss, predators are big issue. But the cost of hunting is getting outrageous. If using a guide, a moose starts at 20 thousand bucks. Brown bear 35 thousand. The average person can not afford this. Bears kill a lot of moose n caribou in these parts. Not saying guides are the problem but there influence in government is very strong with paid lobbiest in every hallway of every capital. Not saying every guide is rich or the problem. It's the system that is now set up inside our government.
Personally I believe guide concessions are the issue. A regular Joe from the lower 48 could never afford a guided hunt without saving up for a lifetime. And the government is paying for folks to shoot them from helicopters. When a lot of good hunters would love the chance and pay for the opportunity. But could never afford it

 

[mt terry d]

What do you think the #1 issue affecting hunting is?

Anti-hunters and activists within state and federal game and public land agencies.

 

[ODB]

edit… been in very REMOTE places,

No woke and liberals aint got nothing to do with it. Stop passively believing what some talking head in NYC is telling you and start thinking for your self.

billionaires are inventing these wedge issues to keep people distracted while they consume everything.

Christ, how many gender changing people you ever encountered?? What have they ever done to you and why NOW is this suddenly an issue?
Answer: it’s an effective BS wedge issue. it’s mentioned every day on media because someone is distracting us from REAL issues.

Meantime…
You see it in transfer of BLM lands to states. States do not have the budget to maintain large tracts of land. The super wealthy know this and intend to use this as a way to buy them, lease them and otherwise lock these lands away from the common man..
You see access to existing PUBLIC BLM lands (and trout streams) being taken away, effectively conserving all the wild game for those wealthy enough to own the surrounding land.

off-point, but still important: BLM land goes across state borders, animals need these large contiguous areas to even survive. I also hear the Wyoming governor is putting different development in the way of an ancient Pronghorn migration path, that’s been used for a millennia.

You keep being distracted, maybe you’ll “beat the libs” (or whatever drivel they are currently feeding you as a fake “accomplishment”) but eventually you’ll find your ability to hunt will have a new $10,000 “land access fee” payable to some private hedge fund one day.
…or be completely locked out of your most prized trout stream.

TL;DR
I’d suggest you go find some of those liberal tree huggers who love to bike, camp hike and find common ground so we can ALL STAND OUR GROUND against those who will sell our common heritage away.

Liberals have nothing to do with getting anti-hunting petitions on the ballots? or pushing to put 'diverse'(non-consumptive) perspectives in game departments?

As far as the gender issue - a lot more than you think. You really have been out there if you do not think there is a groundswell movement on these topics. 25% of high school students now identify as gay according to the CDC (from 11% in 2001) What is that driven by? The same politics that drives anti-gun/anti-hunting policies = leftism/socialism/communism/woke - it's all the same ideology repackaged.

You'll be made to care about this stuff.

 

[realunlucky]

Those that support the party of the public land hunter (also the party of DEI, social justice, anti second amendment) are the #1 threat to hunting (and our uniquely American ways of life).

While I tend to believe this statement has some basis, simply checking the opposite box isn't solving the problem either. Neither are friends to the American citizen and blindly believing ones civic duty is done based solely by checking the party box will eventually destroy this republic.

I believe hunters will destroy hunting. As populations grow and habitat shrinks putting less animals on the landscape, the selfishness of acquiring remaining tags will be the winning wedge of divide and conquer.

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

 

[vaquero]

Same BS was promoted by when they reintroduced wolves into AZ. The elk, mule deer, whitetail, turkey, etc are doing fine. Crazy that livestock as well are doing well enough (outside lack of water in some parts). This is 100% opposite of what the self-professed experts claims would happen.

I guess it does depend on one's viewpoint. With some folks's head shoved up their butts, they only see poop which makes sense considering the garbage they spew. Others whose heads are not up their butts, tend to see things more clearly.

All game needs to be managed but the constant doom and gloom being pimped by the anti-predator crowd needs to go away.

I don’t know much about Arizona and its predators, but you are definitely wrong if talking about more northern states. Big game herds can not sustain population numbers with uncontrolled predators

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

I don’t know much about Arizona and its predators, but you are definitely wrong if talking about more northern states. Big game herds can not sustain population numbers with uncontrolled predators

So how did the Northern herds do it for millennia before benevolent white people arrived? If you and your ilk were correct, there'd be no prey and predators left as the prey would have been killed off and the predators starved to death long ago.

Or was there a rapid evolution in the killing power of predators only up North? Depending on your choice of Kool-Aid, it can make sense as lots of WKRs tout how elk are now un-killable with traditional cartridges but die with ease with the wimpy 223.

All species need to be managed but the constant Chicken Little BS gets old.

 

[PNW bow hunter]

Same BS was promoted by when they reintroduced wolves into AZ. The elk, mule deer, whitetail, turkey, etc are doing fine. Crazy that livestock as well are doing well enough (outside lack of water in some parts). This is 100% opposite of what the self-professed experts claims would happen.

I guess it does depend on one's viewpoint. With some folks's head shoved up their butts, they only see poop which makes sense considering the garbage they spew. Others whose heads are not up their butts, tend to see things more clearly.

All game needs to be managed but the constant doom and gloom being pimped by the anti-predator crowd needs to go away.

Notice in my original post I stated it is regional.

I’m not familiar with Arizona

I commented on the Pacific Northwest

Since you disagree with my opinion of the #1 thing affecting hunting in the Pacific Northwest, at least give me an honest answer to the the following two questions

1. How much time have you spent hunting/recreating in the Pacific Northwest?

2. How familiar are you with the various studies/reports put out by the scientists in the Pacific Northwest about ungulates and predators?

I am from Oregon, so my experiences, and information I read are mostly in that specific part of the Pacific Northwest.

I’ve hunted all over this country, and A couple other countries. My comment was specifically about the Pacific Northwest, as I stated in my answer.

I also don’t have my head shoved up my butt, and am not part of some “anti predator crowd”

I am anti anti-predator management

They need to be managed as well

 

[KurtR]

Time. I don’t have enough of it and to much stuff to hunt.

 

[Arthas]

edit… been in very REMOTE places,

No woke and liberals aint got nothing to do with it. Stop passively believing what some talking head in NYC is telling you and start thinking for your self.

billionaires are inventing these wedge issues to keep people distracted while they consume everything.

Christ, how many gender changing people you ever encountered?? What have they ever done to you and why NOW is this suddenly an issue?
Answer: it’s an effective BS wedge issue. it’s mentioned every day on media because someone is distracting us from REAL issues.

Meantime…
You see it in transfer of BLM lands to states. States do not have the budget to maintain large tracts of land. The super wealthy know this and intend to use this as a way to buy them, lease them and otherwise lock these lands away from the common man..
You see access to existing PUBLIC BLM lands (and trout streams) being taken away, effectively conserving all the wild game for those wealthy enough to own the surrounding land.

off-point, but still important: BLM land goes across state borders, animals need these large contiguous areas to even survive. I also hear the Wyoming governor is putting different development in the way of an ancient Pronghorn migration path, that’s been used for a millennia.

You keep being distracted, maybe you’ll “beat the libs” (or whatever drivel they are currently feeding you as a fake “accomplishment”) but eventually you’ll find your ability to hunt will have a new $10,000 “land access fee” payable to some private hedge fund one day.
…or be completely locked out of your most prized trout stream.

TL;DR
I’d suggest you go find some of those liberal tree huggers who love to bike, camp hike and find common ground so we can ALL STAND OUR GROUND against those who will sell our common heritage away.

First, let me start off by recognizing that plt is a potential threat and I like most other hunters oppose it. Unfortunately it has been way overblown. We were told the end had come when Donald J Trump was elected president. Every acre of public land gone, every public employee working those lands fired. The reality? Net Gain of public land and net gain of federal employees. Federal employees that now work from home mind you.

I was told Joe Biden was here to save public land. The reality? 20 million acres committed to solar development with more of wind development. 26 million acres in Alaska taken off the table for non sustenance hunters in units 23 and 26.. that's 46 millions acres of public land. An area half the size of Wyoming of public land that the Biden Admin has removed or catastrophically impacted for public land hunters. In comparison, I would say the woke liberal agenda has taken more public land access way from Hunters that the land transfer crowd. Am I missing something? Please show me.

Now to DEI.

On his first day in office, President Joe Biden signed numerous executive orders including several that had enormous implications for wildlife conservation, hunting/outdoor recreation, and public land management.

First, the Biden Adminstration signed an executive order that required every federal agency to draft and implement an Equity action plan. These Equity Action Plans are intended to form a broad framework that capture and ensure every activity, dollar spent, and decision considers equity above all else. These plans require new staff to undergo indoctrination in woke ideology as well as current staff. The idea of the plan is permanently change all federal agencies and within that remake take the form of an Equity first social justice minded organization. Social science above actual science.

As I have quoted in other thread before, here is the opening passage from US Forest Service's Equity Action Plan.

"The 2022 Forest Service Equity Action Plan represents a broad set of high-leverage actions with potential for creating high impact and enduring systemic change that benefit employees, Tribes, partners, and the public. Delivering the Forest Service’s mission in a purposefully equitable manner requires changing traditional perspectives, processes, actions, and performance measures to ensure the full suite of benefits, outcomes, and opportunities to participate are made available to all, especially in rural and urban places that have been marginalized or overlooked."

Also attached is the flow chart detailing how the US Forest Service is to become equity centered via the Biden Administration plan.

Again, every federal agency has their own plan just like this. Furthermore, you can bet you ass their are internal work group which are not open to the public that discuss implementation of dei within these agencies.

At state level, every blue state in the country has a similar equity plan in place. Most have entire equity departments. The goal? Equity as the center piece o a framework around which every decision is based.

During Washington's Aug? Or Sept? (Can't remember offhand), the commission called washington fish and games new social scientists to present. One of rhe commissioners even noted that they would be relying on the social scientists as important part of the commissions decision making going forward. Want social science in wildlife management? Equity is how you get wildlife management via social science.


The second Joe Biden executive order that had major implications for hunters, wildlife conservation, and outdoor recreations was the order that required 40% of key spending packages to be spent in environmental justice areas. As I have outline here (https://rokslide.com/forums/threads...r-conservation-related-public-funding.328521/), indisputable proof exists within the documents, executive order, and federal guidance themselves that race is a decision making criteria with specific exclusion to white Americans. That's right systemic racism is the Biden Administrations answer to solve racism. Given that the 40% requirement outlined in the executive order applies to the Bipartisan InfrastructureLaw, inflation reduction act, LCWF, others, that is potential hundreds of millions or billions of dollars in funding including some key programs for sportsmen and women.

So I patently reject your claims above. This has nothing to do with any individual. This is a policy and fundamental philosophy issue.

 

[roadrunner]

Money and fame. Followed closely by lack of opportunity.

 

[wapitibob]

I believe hunters will destroy hunting. As populations grow and habitat shrinks putting less animals on the landscape, the selfishness of acquiring remaining tags will be the winning wedge of divide and conquer.

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

Nothing more self centered than a hunter. I got mine, the rest of you are ruining hunting. Well, unless it's a friend or relative then it's OK if they fill the camp sites and flood the draws with apps.

 

[CorbLand]

Habitat. Doesn’t matter how many more animals we put on the mountain. If they don’t have food, water and shelter, they won’t survive. Habitat is the foundation it’s all built on.

 

[ClearCreek]

What do you think the #1 issue affecting hunting is?


Actually there are two; apathy and ignorance


Both can be cured, but hardly anyone wants to put in the effort.


ClearCreek

 

[GreyBeck]

The failure to realize that hunting is a part of wildlife management. We are not balanced because there are too many people and too much habitat used for humans. Thus, in order to have healthy wildlife populations you manage them with hunting. You cannot adequately manage a confined game population with natural predation without actively managing the predators too.

 

[skeptic]

In no particular order:

Social Media
OnX
Flat Brim Hats
LibTards

In all seriousness, I see it as a conglomeration of things. I can only relate my own experiences growing up and hunting in MT since I was 10. So, call that a solid 37 years. Some things I have noticed:

1. Knocking on doors and asking permission is almost a lost art. That is all I used to do growing up in Central MT.
2. Public Land is wildly overcrowded. Rifle season has always been far more crowded, but archery is just as bad now.
3. Animal quality and opportunity are down. Still doable, but down.
4. Drawing a tag is awesome still. Been on a few mtn goat hunts (including my own) and the animals were plentiful, the crowds were small, and the general experience was amazing.

So,to echo a few other posts, people seem to be the issue. More people just seem to exacerbate all the issues we see that affect the quality of a hunt. I guess it also depends on what your definition of a good hunting experience is. Mine involves few other participants and the chance to see lots of critters. Other may have a different opinion.

I just don't buy the whole "we are running out of hunters" theory. That seems to be the least of our problems. What drives me crazy is all the social media and hunting celebrities who use that as an excuse for their platform. Just be honest, You are doing it for clicks, notoriety, and money. I would be far less annoyed with that then some of the other holier than thou stances they take.

 

[amassi]

Monetizing hunting and rewarding the system of influencers- some of whom took bribes from game departments to promote their states with no plan on the backend how they were going to adjust to the increased traffic and demand. In return they (influencers) have had a front seat view of reduced opportunity and increased competition.
The monetization issue will eventually lead to a system where hunting is only for the rich and property will start to get gobbled up. Profits will be more important than management. Ranches will become sanctuaries but will apply for depredation permits and then sell them off to the highest bidders.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[TaperPin]

edit… been in very REMOTE places,

No woke and liberals aint got nothing to do with it. Stop passively believing what some talking head in NYC is telling you and start thinking for your self.

billionaires are inventing these wedge issues to keep people distracted while they consume everything.

Christ, how many gender changing people you ever encountered?? What have they ever done to you and why NOW is this suddenly an issue?
Answer: it’s an effective BS wedge issue. it’s mentioned every day on media because someone is distracting us from REAL issues.

Meantime…
You see it in transfer of BLM lands to states. States do not have the budget to maintain large tracts of land. The super wealthy know this and intend to use this as a way to buy them, lease them and otherwise lock these lands away from the common man..
You see access to existing PUBLIC BLM lands (and trout streams) being taken away, effectively conserving all the wild game for those wealthy enough to own the surrounding land.

off-point, but still important: BLM land goes across state borders, animals need these large contiguous areas to even survive. I also hear the Wyoming governor is putting different development in the way of an ancient Pronghorn migration path, that’s been used for a millennia.

You keep being distracted, maybe you’ll “beat the libs” (or whatever drivel they are currently feeding you as a fake “accomplishment”) but eventually you’ll find your ability to hunt will have a new $10,000 “land access fee” payable to some private hedge fund one day.
…or be completely locked out of your most prized trout stream.

TL;DR
I’d suggest you go find some of those liberal tree huggers who love to bike, camp hike and find common ground so we can ALL STAND OUR GROUND against those who will sell our common heritage away.

Well said - every point is spot on.