ORIGINAL: Wild Work
I hunt several states in the northeast and can't believe the way hunter/sportsman argue. I'm a union carpenter and our motto is stand alone fight alone. Stand together and fight together. We are a minority both, the union and sportsman. We as sportsman are always on the defensive let change that and become the offense as it puts all of us back in controll. They have controll, because we let them. It's our money, our vote, and our heritage. Here in the Northeast it is the birth place of the revolution. All these sportsman organizations are good at keep our heritage but, are always waiting for the state to make the first move. Here in NJ we shouldn't try and fight for just one bear season. We should fight for a bear and dove season. Make the anti's fight more then one issue it spreads their resources thin. Divide and conquer. PA you should be doing the same. Along with NY, WV, ME ( by the way great job at sticking together and defeating the anti's on your bear hunts) If all of us would spend half as much time fighting the enemy(anti's) as we would spend sitting on our a$$, we would all be in better shape. If you noticed, I said "WE" not I, you, or them. A bundle of sticks is harder to break the just 1 twig.
I understand your position on standing together,it merits attention. Being a realist, I see with opened eyes exactly what's happening, and we're (hunters)slowly losing ground . This is to be expected, as more city dwellers move out to the "country" to live, as more high-tech games are introduced to our youth, a combination of many variables attribute to the falling away in our sport. The in-fighting only speeds the demise.
It's not feasible, or even sensible to believe we can have multiple tags for every hunter...expect many to be filled...and still have a properly balanced herd of ANY type animal.The conflict arises between hunter and conservationists(scientists) when the goals of both are in direct conflict with each other. Sorta like having your cake and eating it too.The solutions are as complex as the problems, but never doubt that $$ is TOP priority, for without it, the State programs don't run. Fact of life,and most here are mature enough to understand that. Most decisions are trade-offs in one way or another. there's NO miracle solution where EVERYONE'S staisfied..and that isn't restricted to any State boundries.The heritage of hunting is not dead, nor will it really ever be. It's gonna change alot, and we better get used to that idea,right now. The minority has ALWAYS had to fight harder, and we're no different. It's a shame that things are changing, but at least we can still pursue the game we respect more than any politician could understand. Just realize WHAT you're facing, and HOW MUCH involvement it's gonna take...it means actually DOING something like sending emails or writing letters. Just don't be irrate when pre-made decisions are announced that go against Ya. THAT too is a fact of "Government"life.