Some nice pictures

Why hunting MIGHT die ...

#1: Can you say "hubris?"

As a northerner, I tip my hat to the South!

These 10 items are interesting for discussion except that the socialist movement now afoot cares nothing for any of those issues supported financially by sportsmen. They will figure another way to tax us IF they are really interested in conservation and habitat management.

Hunting, and then fishing soon to follow will become the sport of the socialist elite (aka communist Russia before the wall fell) and the super rich. It is almost there now with hunting tags soaring to $1000 and more and average outfitted western hunts approaching the $8000-10,000 range already.

I don't see hunting outlawed in my life time (58) but I see it getting so expensive with fees, limitations, restrictions, and outright expenses that the everyday worker won't be able to afford it.

I remember back in the 60s my dad quitting duck hunting when the federal bag limit went to 2 ducks. I'll never forget that.

With the current economic climate and the shift from long commutes because of the price of gas, suburban sprawl is going to go on hold as an issue. However I think a more important thing that sportsmen should be worried about is the planned conversion of huge stretches of open land into giant wind farms. I understand the need to end the reliance on foreign oil from a national security perspective, however the imposition of thousands of wind turbines will severely affect the local ecosystems and have a marked affect on the game population.

I'm inclined to agree with John J. For the last 20 years I've watched as more southern land is gobbled up by big timber companies or groups of wealthy individuals. The timber companies then lease to those who can afford to pay increasing costs of the lease. A few timber companies make an effort to keep cost per acre to a minimum, but others cater to the highest bidder. That's their right in a free enterprise country, but where does that leave the "average" hunter, struggling to raise a family while trying to pass the tradition of our sport down to his children. I wish someone smarter than I could come up with a way to make it more attractive to the high $$ companies to offer their land at reasonable rates! If our kids are forced to stop hunting, the sport will die in areas of our country. Look at declining license sales if you want proof.

The price of hunting started to rise when it stopped being a hobby and became a business. More and more people wanted to make their living selling the wildlife on their property. Therefore, as a group, they started slowly raising the prices to hunt to make their ends meet. Instead of hunting being a supplement to their income, it became their main source. When the demand increased, more and more people entered the "business". I can see why, its better than working for someone and look how much fun it is.
Hunting will take a hit during this recession and hopefully prices will return to normal. Does it seem normal to pay $10,000-15,000 to shoot a deer?

Most timber companies that I've encountered could care less if they lease the land or not. The land is there to generate revenue through timber. I know of one that is getting tested for phosphate mining and if it turns out that way, forget the timber. And forget the hunting leases that are currently there. Right now most timber companies keep their $$ amount per acre with the average rate. And if they find that quality bucks are being taken, the rate can go up.

i dont get how people complain about hitting deer with there cars yet wont let you thin the herd on there land if you truly want to exceed in deer management let hunters hunt privite lands otherwise deer will stay there and never be managed think of it like this if you want to keep paying high insurence rates keep your land un huntable till then dont complain about the deer hitting your car our truck!!!!!

In the Mid-west, at least, the phasing out of CRP will have quite an impact on all wildlife populations and hunting opportunities in the next few years. There is not enough quality public land to support the current demand. When the blue collar hunters lose interest, then groups like NRA,DU, SCI, etc will lose the support they need to hold off the anti's.

Why do you think they introduced Wolves and are protecting them? They can remove the need for hunters right out of the equasion. They are decimating Elk and Deer population. Despite what the government says. It's only a matter of time before they start shopping on the food chain and our children are on it.

Urban sprawl is clearly the nemesis of hunters. While the silver lining to it is that it makes for sketchy conflicts b/t humans and wildlife, wildlife is always the long-term loser. Hunters may enjoy a more successful season, but it is spent in a tree stand overlooking a soccer field adjacent to a mall rather than an actual sustainable setting that would teach hunting habits that would actually e able to be passed on to another generation.

It would be a devastating blow to our heritage as Americans if hunting were to be outlawed. But I remember when people never thought prayer in a public setting would be an issue.
This last week in Lexington, KY, I believe, students were gathered in a lunch area to pray for a student whose mother had been killed in an accident. School officials told the children to stop and when the did not cease and desist, these school officials called the cops to get them to stop praying, something the Supreme Court has recently said was legal. There was no intent to have the students arrested of course, just to have law enforcement there for the sake of the children just in case any unwanted or unruly behavior ensued.
That is a devastating blow to our heritage. There are many other people, who have only their own agenda as the thrust of their existence, and I'm afraid the good of the general populace does not play into any of their plans. Most of what is important to them is control. Global warming proponents want you to change. Even though those people violate their own plan for YOU. AlGore's home wastes more energy than more than 20 American households and his monthly electric bill is more than mine is in 2 years.
It's all about how they can control others. If they decide hunting is wrong, they will try to stamp it out. they don't care about how it will affect our environment or anything else, just their own way. They couch their word to evoke feelings, not thought. That is why it's been so easy for them to dupe so many people who can't think for themselves only FEEL.

Dear Bo, I agree that attempts at banning hunting are wrong, and I am sure, at least in Minnesota that will never happen, it is too important as a culutral and recreational activity for many differnt people. I would also like to kindly request that you don't use this forum to gripe about unrelated issues such as school prayer. You have a point in defending student's rights to religous expression (remeber that means Muslim prayer groups too) but this is not the place to do it. Lets keep things about hunting and fishing and leavr the culture wars for somewhere else.

Mahigir, Complacency is the reason hunting is at risk. To ignore the culture war is to pretend that it is not related to what we as hunters do. We are under assault from a variety of points all of which are trying to fundamentally change who we are as a nation.
In 1943, the number of deer hunter decreased by one half due to a movie called "Bambi" That is just one attack on hunters. If we surrender ourselves to political correctness is the area of the First Amendment, the Second will go even faster. This is all related, if that makes you uncomfortable and don't want to bring it up, you have already surrendered and given up on what makes most of us what we are.

Road-killed deer were part of my motivation for writing "Backyard Deer Hunting:Converting deer to dinner for pennies per pound" which will be published by AuthorHouse later this Summer. This book has chapters that will teach first-time hunters how to legally find, hunt and kill deer and other game with recipes for putting them on the table. There is even a chapter, The road-kill cafe, which tells how to safely salvage road kills. See my blog, Backyard Deer Hunting, for details.

The cost figure in the previous post was 11 cents per pound.

The "Dear Heart Soup" name came about because I earned my future wife's affections by feeding her soup made from a deer's heart when she had a stomach problem related to a mal-functioning gall blatter and could only digest low-fat foods.

For you guys out there, the way to a woman's heart is through the stomach.

#3 isn't exactly true either, while it maybe true that through the cost of licenses that hunters and fishermen are the largest contributors towards involuntary payments to conservation. Hikers speaking from first hand experience contribute money every year, as well as time and effort towards land conservation and reuse, including trail maintenance that becomes game trails as well as easy access for hunters. This is through club and organizations, as well as use fees. This happens year round, but we won't argue on the numbers because I haven't looked up any stats. If you want to point out something, make the point of the way the opponents are joining the state fish and game boards and using the guise of conservation to eliminate hunting and fishing grounds that the license is helping fund.