Bully! For North Dakota

June 09, 2009

Bully! For North Dakota - 5

You’ve got to credit to the folks at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department: they have a crystal clear understanding of where their bread is buttered.

Announcing the results of its recent review of activities taking place on wildlife management areas (WMAs) in the state, the agency said it would prohibit paintballing and geocaching on those public lands, beginning immediately.

In paintballing, teams square off and compete in simulated combat games. Geocaching participants utilize GPS units and follow a series of coordinates while attempting to locate a position, or “treasure” before a competitor does.

The lion’s share of the funding used to purchase WMAs across the country comes from federal excise taxes generated by the sale of firearms, ammunition and bowhunting equipment. The funds are distributed to the states by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service each year and are required to be used for hunting land acquisition, hunter safety programs and other specified purposes.

Scott Peterson, Game and Fish Department wildlife resource section supervisor, said the agency determined that paintballing and geocaching activities could potentially interfere with those using the WMAs for their primary purpose, which is hunting and fishing.

“While these types of activities may not always create a significant impact to an individual WMA, they do create a considerable amount of unnecessary disturbance to both wildlife and wildlife habitat,” Peterson said. “They also have the potential to create competition with hunters and anglers who help pay for managing WMAs.”

Here at the Newshound, we say hats off to the North Dakota Game and Fish Department for the respect it has shown for hunters, anglers and wildlife habitat.

Or, in the words of President Theodore Roosevelt, who once called the Dakota Territory his home:

“Bully!”

Comments (5)

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from charlie elk wrote 23 weeks 3 days ago

Hunters pay the bill for lands all over the place. It prickles my skin and then some when non hunter groups make rules to control hunter access.

Dittos on the Bully.

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from Bo wrote 23 weeks 3 days ago

Were it not for hunters and fisherman most, if not all, WMA's would not exist. The basic premise I believe started with Teddy Roosevelt, who was a big hunter. It is only right when the powers that be recognize the heritage at stake here.

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from www.dropjhook.com wrote 23 weeks 3 days ago

Its allways good when a name of such a figure in history is brought up & his name used in good terms!! I would have to say my hats off to local Fish&Game in my area they are very respectful & freindly also they dont get much credit. I think being in the outdoors does that to a humans soul gives them a deep understanding about things & our surroundings something you cant get from the city. The older local people would allways say I need to go sit out on the hill for a while so I can see straight again. Now I understand what they ment... they wasent meaning see straight they ment in the outdoors you have time to think & think not about bad things because its hard to have bad thoughts in the outdoors. So they ment when you enjoy the out doors you think postive and that spreads to all your thoughts then when you return home your thinking about evreyone and evreything in a postive way. So think of me when your having a bad day make time to sit on the hill so you can see straight again.. live free and postive!!
oh yeah,
nice moccasins Theodore

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from Yoda wrote 23 weeks 3 days ago

Wow that's awesome i wish there were a areas like that out here so we might actually have some public lands set aside for fishing seems like all the good places now a days are on private lands. It's a shame.

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from seadog wrote 23 weeks 1 day ago

The paintball people should have someplace to play, but NOT in the WMAs, especially DURING hunting season. I'm not really bothered by the geocache people. They're kinda like birdwatchers--I'd rather have the woods to myself but we can't keep everyone out.

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