Issues Facing Hunting
- Thread starter 88man
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MThuntr
Well-known member
4) closure of access to public lands (ie road and trail closures that have historically been access points...often illegal though some have been to court)
5) mismanagement of wildlife populations (ie social vs science...also see Montana elk management plan and subsequent 6 month hunting season in nearly 50 units)
5) mismanagement of wildlife populations (ie social vs science...also see Montana elk management plan and subsequent 6 month hunting season in nearly 50 units)
Declining hunting numbers in terms of population percentages. Right now, most of the non-hunters are on our side. But around 6% of the population hunts. As we need the non-hunters in the political arena, it is harder and harder given our base numbers. That is why it is critically important that we critically think about the messages we are sending the non-hunting public in the supermarket, on Facebook, at the movie theatre, ...wherever we identify as hunters. Wear that camo hat to the gas station and cut someone off....guess what, that was a negative touch point with a hunter in that person's eyes. This will have a direct impact on land transfer, game management, etc.
8andcounting
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 16, 2013
- Messages
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Trophy hunting . Managing for trophys like many people on this sight try to do they want/think they should shoot a trophy on public land every year . People need to relax and just enjoy being in the outdoors
VikingsGuy
Well-known member
1. shrinking access
2. shrinking access
3. overly complex and expensive points schemes pushing hunters out
4. CWD
5. poor animal population management
6. anti-hunting/anti-gun sentiments
2. shrinking access
3. overly complex and expensive points schemes pushing hunters out
4. CWD
5. poor animal population management
6. anti-hunting/anti-gun sentiments
375H&H
Well-known member
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1.) Climate change
2.) Politicians of either persuasion who want to micromanage everything from who gets what tag to funding our agencies for land mgt & wildlife conservation.
3.) Hunters
4.) Anti-hunters
5.) Over-development
2.) Politicians of either persuasion who want to micromanage everything from who gets what tag to funding our agencies for land mgt & wildlife conservation.
3.) Hunters
4.) Anti-hunters
5.) Over-development
Meat hunting and opportunity at all costs. Forgoing management based on age classes and available range and replacing those ideas with ones that say elk are managed the way less than 100 politically connected ‘ranching’ families want them to be, while also ensuring that the holier than thou ‘meat hunter’ continues to exercise his God given right to shoot a two point rutting muley off the road and 5 does. Also two elk, including one on February 15th. The opportunity advocate will do this while telling you he’s morally superior to you for holding out for a single mature animal during the general season.
It’s the opportunity advocate that makes it hard to defend hunting with a straight face to unknowledgeable non hunters. How do we defend ‘hunting is conservation’ if they ever get smart enough to reply with ‘well what about ....’ everything I just named above.
8andcounting
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- Dec 16, 2013
- Messages
- 3,244
The trophy hunters in here that I refer to , say that b tags are not the issue ( I think they are) but the issue is too many bulls and bucks .
1. hunters
2. Politicians
3. Anti hunters.
Sometimes a person is all three. IE: Jason Chaffetz
BuzzH
Well-known member
Right at the moment...
1. Political meddling in GF issues.
2. People thinking they're special and deserve their own set aside of licenses.
3. Habitat (like who controls the land the habitat is on, how to improve it, etc. etc.).
4. Climate change
5. Lack of over-all hunter knowledge regarding just about everything to do with land management, wildlife management, and the distinction between the two and what agencies can and cant do.
6. Hunter apathy for not getting involved, not writing letters, not being part of the process.
7. Access and keeping it/improving it.
8. Poaching.
9. Commercialization of hunting and its impact on management, diversity, etc. in the Sport.
...the list goes on and on and on.
According to most State Legislators, we have lots of problems if we judge it by the number of bills they introduce each year trying "fix" them.
1. Political meddling in GF issues.
2. People thinking they're special and deserve their own set aside of licenses.
3. Habitat (like who controls the land the habitat is on, how to improve it, etc. etc.).
4. Climate change
5. Lack of over-all hunter knowledge regarding just about everything to do with land management, wildlife management, and the distinction between the two and what agencies can and cant do.
6. Hunter apathy for not getting involved, not writing letters, not being part of the process.
7. Access and keeping it/improving it.
8. Poaching.
9. Commercialization of hunting and its impact on management, diversity, etc. in the Sport.
...the list goes on and on and on.
According to most State Legislators, we have lots of problems if we judge it by the number of bills they introduce each year trying "fix" them.
Buzz, if I can ask? What are your thoughts in regards to CWD? Since it didn't make your top 9
BuzzH
Well-known member
My thoughts are its widely over-blown. I live in the epicenter of CWD and I don't feel there's much we can do about it right now. The rates of occurrence seem to have remained fairly steady on deer and elk here and we cant kill enough elk to control them.
I just don't view it as a big issue right now, definitely one to monitor and care about, just not sure what can really be done.
Lots of opinions, conjecture, and unknowns.
I just don't view it as a big issue right now, definitely one to monitor and care about, just not sure what can really be done.
Lots of opinions, conjecture, and unknowns.
BrentD
Well-known member
the single overriding biggest issue facing hunting (and just about every other problem) is too many people. An easy to identify, but difficult to fix, problem.
shoots-straight
Well-known member
1). Humans, (whether hunters or not), that are uneducated on any and all issues.
2). Lack of empathy for wildlife vs human existence. Energy development at all cost, tilling up all the available acreage left to feed a growing population.
3). Humans, just stupid ignorant humans.
4). Dewilding of America.
5). Did I say anything about dumb humans?
6). Technological advances in hunting equipment.
7). Genetically inferior Humans society have keep alive and they are breeding and vote.
8). This guy!
2). Lack of empathy for wildlife vs human existence. Energy development at all cost, tilling up all the available acreage left to feed a growing population.
3). Humans, just stupid ignorant humans.
4). Dewilding of America.
5). Did I say anything about dumb humans?
6). Technological advances in hunting equipment.
7). Genetically inferior Humans society have keep alive and they are breeding and vote.
8). This guy!
Ben Long
Well-known member
Habitat destruction.
Habitat destruction.
Habitat destruction.
(In all its varied forms.)
If wildlife and human being have wild space to share, there will be a future for hunting. At the end of the day, people are wired to hunt, some of us more than others. But once the wild places and clean water are gone, both are doomed. IMO everything else is pretty trivial.
Since I was a kid, America has grown by 100 million people-- about 33 percent. Most of them live in cities and would gladly trade off an elk herd or a sage grouse population for 25 cents off on a gallon of gas. Not because they are greedy, but just because they are ignorant or apathetic. That's the juggernaut we are up against.
Habitat destruction.
Habitat destruction.
(In all its varied forms.)
If wildlife and human being have wild space to share, there will be a future for hunting. At the end of the day, people are wired to hunt, some of us more than others. But once the wild places and clean water are gone, both are doomed. IMO everything else is pretty trivial.
Since I was a kid, America has grown by 100 million people-- about 33 percent. Most of them live in cities and would gladly trade off an elk herd or a sage grouse population for 25 cents off on a gallon of gas. Not because they are greedy, but just because they are ignorant or apathetic. That's the juggernaut we are up against.
Dougfirtree
Well-known member
Access should always be high on our list of concerns, but across much of the west, access is still pretty darn good. Most hunters live in the eastern half of the country and access is a real issue. Limited public land and private land being locked up for money, or just those who want their own premium hunting grounds, are making it tough for a lot of people to access good hunting. That's a major problem. (I know it's a problem in the west, too. We're just talking about two different scales).
Another is our own image. I'd love to see a country in which hunters are thought of as skilled woodsmen and women; where we're seen as a strong conservation force, putting our own interests second to those of wildlife and habitat. I'd love for people to think of us as respectful, skilled, safe and not bloodthirsty. Unfortunately, I think our image is getting worse in most of these areas. And, I think alot of it is our own fault.
I don't see a future where we recruit tons of new hunters and represent a larger percentage of the population again. I think we have to rely on the support of the non-hunting world and that means gaining the respect of a lot of people who live in cities, or suburbs and won't ever hunt. Living in NY, this is something I have a lot of experience with. I can tell you that two areas that really make people upset are varmint/predator hunting and trophy hunting. I think both of these are becoming too big a part of the face of hunting. The other one is the absolutist battle over the 2nd amendment. The two ends of this spectrum are hurting us, in my opinion. I see these issues come up over and over again among non-hunters (most of the people I know).
Another is our own image. I'd love to see a country in which hunters are thought of as skilled woodsmen and women; where we're seen as a strong conservation force, putting our own interests second to those of wildlife and habitat. I'd love for people to think of us as respectful, skilled, safe and not bloodthirsty. Unfortunately, I think our image is getting worse in most of these areas. And, I think alot of it is our own fault.
I don't see a future where we recruit tons of new hunters and represent a larger percentage of the population again. I think we have to rely on the support of the non-hunting world and that means gaining the respect of a lot of people who live in cities, or suburbs and won't ever hunt. Living in NY, this is something I have a lot of experience with. I can tell you that two areas that really make people upset are varmint/predator hunting and trophy hunting. I think both of these are becoming too big a part of the face of hunting. The other one is the absolutist battle over the 2nd amendment. The two ends of this spectrum are hurting us, in my opinion. I see these issues come up over and over again among non-hunters (most of the people I know).
