In reality wildlife can be managed without hunting as we see by declining populations and additional predation.
Who knows what the future holds but the long-term outlook as we see more and more groups disenfranchised doesn’t look great. So yes as more and more people stop hunting fewer and fewer will support the right as they won’t care, that doesn’t mean they don’t care about wildlife just means with no interest why step up for it.
Pretty much - if folks aren't allowed to play, they go elsewhere and that removes the money. It is a ripple effect.
If I can only go hunt say once or twice in a lifetime - why would I even think about or try to fund hunt access on a regular basis? Why would I send money if I'm not thinking about them because I've been excluded from the party? The whole idea of pushing folks to send money when they can't play is silly.
So to hell with deer and elk if you can’t hunt them in another state. Got it.
How much money do you spend to support say,
- elk in Minnesota or Pennsylvania?
- Or moose in VT, NH, Maine?
- Key Deer?
- Panthers in FL?
- The manatees?
If not, why not? They are there, you basically said you need to support them if you love animals.
The fact is hunting is becoming an industry and you are a consumer. You are free to take your business else where, but there is a whole host of people out there wanting to make a buck by getting someone new to buy some boots, a rifle and head out west. Maybe some of you fall into that category and you are now realizing you were sold something that wasn't as good as it sounded.
Hunting has been an industry for a very long time. Fred Bear was part of the industry - that goes back a ways.
I got a book in 1978 and saw antelope, mule deer, peccary, etc. Decided I wanted to hunt mule deer and antelope. Figured I might get a chance "someday". 2017 went and shot my first antelope 39 years after first wanting to go. 2019 first muley hunt and got a nice buck, 160-inch ending that 41 year quest. Still want a buck antelope and
was collecting points, now planning to go guided to make sure it can be realized.
The media we have these days and the media heroes have ignited the desire a bit more than an old book or magazine article can. Then they told their followers that they should be hunting EVERY YEAR as opposed to a couple of times in their lifetime. Then they told their followers that we need to increase the hunter numbers as much as possible to stave off extinction. They said to bring em out west. They also said to buy these expensive pants and packs. BTW, this is how you apply for the tags and where you need to buy points. They even told everyone where to go in some instances. WY G comes to mind - meat-eat did that. Funny thing is that the various states have been known to pay these guys to come out and make videos to attract more customers. I mean hunters.
Anyway, like it or not - hunting has always been an industry. The offshoot "conservation" organizations have likewise been around for a long time milking the system as well. They do have mission statements and I'm sure part of those are not to help NR hunters get or keep opportunities in the various states.
LOL! - Someone with a little charisma could make a killing if they started that kind of organization right now - Send money to help fight for NR access and opportunities in western states. $35/year gets you a sticker and membership with monthly updates on the plight of the NR hunting in the western hunts. For an extra $25/yr we will include Alaskan hunting and whitetail hunting. You will be asked to provide ideas and participate in telephone and email campaigns.
I'm involved with this stuff for FL duck hunters - and no, we don't differentiate between R & NR - it's a come one come all kind of thing. Think it's $25/yr and we have events too - youth hunts, vet hunts, flyway conferences, and more. I started it in about 1999 - the voice of Florida waterfowl hunters. Promote participation in the regulatory meetings and push for more public access, etc. Just took some attended a meeting. Couple guys showed up and wanted to reinvent the wheel - told them if they joined, they would get an officer position and the ability to do what they were saying they wanted to do - with the support of the membership. We'll see how that goes. Otherwise, they were just flapping they gums. Time will tell.
