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I know that in Pennsylvania we have huge amounts of wild woodland that is preserved thanks to hunters. That same land is open for everyone to enjoy year round, some limitations being only during hunting season( safety). Hug a tree and hug a hunter who saved it. Hunters do more to help wildlife than 90% of those opposed to hunting.
For such a highly developed state, Pennsylvania does a very good job providing recreational land for hunting, and other outdoor pursuits as well.
Beyond just the state forests (sproul, susquehannock, rothrock, etc.) we have hundreds of thousands, if not over a million, acres of wildlife management areas. It's pretty incredible, actually, and so many are barely aware of the existence of some of these lands.
Yes, they provide revenue for otherwise beleaguered nations, but they also reinforce a modified ecology based not as much on habitat as on the populations of desirable game. I live in Maine and we fight a constant battle to maintain reasonable access to public and private lands. Every hunter become a diplomat for community relations. I have heard from friends that have hunted in southern states that the land availbale to the "average" hunter is becoming increasingly scarce. Most of us have seen our state fees and licensing increase regularly with more and more restrictions based not on safety or game numbers but on the heightened bias of non-hunting populations that don't realize how much sportsmen finance Bambi's protection with their hunting dollars. These are things I am seeing firsthand in a state that has traditionally had a measurable population that counted on game for subsistence. Public opinion is regulating us out of the opportunity to provide for ourselves from the land.
Perhaps the experience in your state is different than in mine. My state has seen an increase in "whitetail farms" and licensed hunting preserves. Yet, these are on private land usually used as previous pasture land too erodible for row crops and do not infringe upon public hunting areas.
Had your state enacted "no net loss of hunting ground" legislation? Does your state Constitution declare and preserve the right of the residents to hunt/fish? If not, those are some good places to start.
My state too has a significant number who rely on the land for their sustenance. Last year our Dept. of Conservation attempted to hike up hunting permit fees and increase landowner acreage requirements for free hunting permits. It backfired on them big time, the hunters spoke out in force.
We pointed out that in a bad economy restricting hunting by increasing fees would only force otherwise law abiding folks into the category of poachers without reason other than trying to make up for budget shortfalls. We have real problems with deer overpopulation and only a 10 day firearms season. We hunters pointed out it is high time the non-hunters start paying for conservation efforts by charging equal fees to non-hunters for educational programs as they charge for hunting/fishing licenses!
Hunters and firearms enthusiasts will always have to secure their rights and the future of this cultural heritage as long as their are Socialists trying to force their preservationist agenda upon conservation minded hunters.
Women and children afield hunting is the key. Keep the skills alive.
Ok, that is one way to look at it even if it is completely incorrect. Most states have public access hunting areas and state fish and game programs are not geared toward the "monied folks". Do you also disparage farmers who get extra income by offering hunting leases?
Lets examine African safaris. These "canned hunt preserves" generate income, encourage game management and breeding, and help deter poaching of the wild free-range endangered populations by local opportunists. When animals have long-term, sustainable economic value they are seen as worth preserving, not only ideologically, but with those financial resources generated by the safari hunters that fund state game management officers (game wardens/conservation agents).
My point....you say these canned hunts generate income.... for who? not the state game management..for that person....you do not need hunting license for these exotic animals, and can be hunted anytime...
Walk into a wal-mart and ask for hunting license for a Kudu....or better yet ask a game warden what the season is for a Kudu....
Never seen a wild a free Kudu in the united states either....
So if you do not need a license and can be hunted anytime....how does that fund the state game management officers?
The idea of "canned hunts" is pretty pathetic. I don't fish any more for kind of the same reasons. The fish get stocked and you're paying a lot to catch them in areas where they have little or no chance of survival. If I lived closer to the shore I would go deep sea fishing a lot more, though. I love seafood and out there the fish have as good a chance as any where to be caught or not caught.
Icy, I kind of hear ya, but I fish but for wild fish only. That means taking a hike to me. Farm raised fish is just like farm raised chicken, all sticky bland meats. I an not talking little farms where chickes get to roam out doors in the comparsion.
There is a big difference in a wild bird over a factory raised bird as there is with fish.
I have never been on any sort of canned hunt, and wouldn't. There is no sence in shooting at game tied to a tree, but there is gobs of money in it for the private so called preserve, and the Govt. The Govt gets to TAX a big fancy club house, the land the taxes on income, import taxes on what ever the game is and that can't be cheap. Taxes on the gun and ammo, and I have no idea if you need a hunting lic for that or not. Then more on the taxidermy, Pro butcher, and every other related service for the overly wealthy. I am just not sure I would go so far as to call it hunting.
To me it's more the a Micky D's drive thru, but more expensive, and not quite so fast. I could be wrong too, since I haven't been to a Micky' D's in better than 15 years, or anyplace like one.
Once living in the dead center of the Ossipee Ring D i k e (that would get nannied) A bird I never saw before landed in the door yard. It was a all tan color partridge looking bird, with a black mask on it's eyes. I looked it up in the bird book as I watched it out the window. It turned out to be a canned bird that got away called a Chucker. Dumbest bird I ever saw, I went out side to get a closer look, and I got to be in range to kick it! I didn't kick it, but I could have, and it flew to a small out building and sat up on the ridge line looking back at me. My basic feeling was I could have eatten it as easy, armed with no more than a hatchet to chop its head off like a chicken than to bother shootting it first. In fact a dooryard chicken is faster and far more leery.
I hope I never get to hear bragado from a hunter that gets a few of these because i will laugh in his face. There is a local Spruce Patridge here that isn't a game bird. The state must figure they are to stupid to hunt. You can find these on higher ridge lines, and give em the boot easy too. Now I have mildly kicked them off the trail with my boot toes several times. They are so dumb they just waddle ahead of you for 3 steps or so and you can nugde them again.
There is no way you can hunt a bird like that. Porky pines are the same way you can't really hunt them. When I want any quills I get armed with gloves pliers and a old burlap sack, but that isn't hunting.
Location: Visitation between Wal-Mart & Home Depot
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stan4
I couldn't do it. The idea of taking an innocent life makes me feel too guilty.
A turnip is also innocent.
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Do you also disparage farmers who get extra income by offering hunting leases?
