As I traverse around the board I am seeing a pattern emerging from the Anti hunting coalitions. Animals rights nuts pretty much know that they aren't going to get anywhere going through elected officials to perpetuate their agenda, so they are resorting to other means. I'm going to play the devils advocate here, and lets see if this is reasonable.
Anti hunting groups are getting clever, they have figured out that there is more then one way to skin a cat, though I don't think they would use that terminolgy.
1. Attack youth hunting to get fewer hunters involved in the sport. Just read how an animal rights group in Indiana is using a hunting accident to increase the age of hunters. This would put fewer hunters in the field, and reduce the number who ultimately would take up the sport.
2. Limit land access. The fewer places hunters have to hunt, the fewer hunters there will be. Conservation easements that include no-hunting clauses, no federal lands hunting, refuge systems, zoning classifications, purchasing large tracks of land to set aside, etc. Media campaigns discouraging free hunting showing hunters as reckless slobs etc. Propose and support vehicle restrictions and road closures to limit back country access.
3. Limit tag access. Buy up tags, put in for drawings and not hunt. Attempt to drive the cost of tags up.
4. Increase cost of hunting. Support taxes on hunting equipment, guns, ammo. Propose and support land access fees, parking fees, land use fees, area permits fees etc.
5. Use courts and Iniative voting to limit hunting. Outlaw various forms of hunting. Restrict weapons etc. Chip away at various forms of hunting. Glamorize certain animals, mountain lions for example to eliminate hunting. Mountain lions in California, doves in Wisconsin etc. Contiually attempt to bans guns.
6. Predator re-introduction. Allow predators to control populations eliminating the need to hunt, and/or reducing populations to a point that tags are extremely limited.
7. Oraganizational infiltration. Infiltrate decision making agencies such as USFW, BLM, USFS, local and state game mangement commissions. Reduce hunting quotas and seasons. Increase predation and limit over all access. Protect certain species, and areas.

This is but a few and I'm sure there are many more. I really don't think the anti's are just out carrying signs anymore. They are pooling funds and getting the dirty little fingers all over. There are many ways to reduce or attempt to reduce or eliminate hunting. I think we should all be vigillent.