rockymtnhunter
Active Member
- Messages
- 198
Fellow MMer?s:
(This is a long read) Here are some random thoughts after 45 yrs of hunting muleys in the West (AZ, CO, MT, NM, OR, UT and WY). I've seen the good, bad & ugly of muley hunting, and had my share of screw-ups, poor choices, and some uneven hunting ethics. In addition, I'm concerned about the direction I see muley hunting going, esp. in terms of hunting ethics, fair chase and opportunity. I've talked and read about these concerns, and I think others share some of my concerns ? things like declining herds, loss of access to public lands, private gain from a public resource, increasing license prices, non-residents getting priced out with reduced opportunity for fewer & fewer tags, preference/bonus point creep, loss of crucial habitat, off-road vehicles, hunter/wildlife harassment, hunting turning into an activity only for rich property owners, landowner vouchers, hunting winter range areas during the winter, lack of recruitment of young hunters, and so on and so forth. I'm sure some of my thoughts will gore somebody?s ox, and maybe even be a little offensive, or maybe viewed as impractical or just plain crazy - but I think they're worth rolling around in our heads and maybe they will get us thinking individually and collectively about what could be changed. I apologize in advance if someone takes offense ? it is not my intent to offend ? only to get us to think about things, and what we might do to help.
1. Ban use of electronic devices to communicate the location of big game during hunting seasons.
2. Limit 3 companions with hunter (the ?posse? & ?entourage? & ?spotters? are getting out-of-hand IMO).
3. Ban overnight 24/7 tracking/monitoring of deer ? this is harassment IMO.
4. Limit use of ATVs (OK, I know States/Feds/Locals & others are trying, but there needs to be better self-governance by ATV users IMO) & let's get a better handle on off-road travel.
5. Ban use of trail cameras sooner than 15 days prior to opening day & during the open season.
6. Ban spot/fly-in hunting techniques and/or 24 or 48 hr delay before hunting.
7. Increase public permits on private lands that allow public access (e.g. CWMU or RFW) - limit private gain from public resource ? the legal principle in this country is that wildlife is held in trust by the State for all citizens.
8. Stop giving away public permits to private organizations/events that line their pockets with our resources.
9. Eliminate limited entry & premium limited entry hunting units - designate High Demand (HD) and/or High Quality (HQ) hunting units and/or hunts ? hunters can apply for only one HD or HQ (deer or elk) hunt per year ? multi-year layover between successful draw of HD/HQ tag.
10. Private land season dates same as public land dates.
11. Increase price of resident licenses and remove caps on #?s of nonresident licenses.
12. No application by ?proxy? ? I sometimes wonder if some hunters have others apply for permits.
13. Eliminate or limit ability to turn back permits, except for truly exceptional/extraordinary circumstances ? I've heard of hunters returning a tag because they didn't scout a ?big enough? buck.
14. Return to equal drawing chances for all applicants - five-year phase out of bonus/preference point systems ? i.e. no further bonus/preference pts earned and existing # of points decreases by 20%/year until zero points remain - IMO levels the playing field in terms of hunter opportunity to draw a permit.
15. Eliminate requirement for licensed guide to hunt in designated wilderness.
16. No baiting.
(This is a long read) Here are some random thoughts after 45 yrs of hunting muleys in the West (AZ, CO, MT, NM, OR, UT and WY). I've seen the good, bad & ugly of muley hunting, and had my share of screw-ups, poor choices, and some uneven hunting ethics. In addition, I'm concerned about the direction I see muley hunting going, esp. in terms of hunting ethics, fair chase and opportunity. I've talked and read about these concerns, and I think others share some of my concerns ? things like declining herds, loss of access to public lands, private gain from a public resource, increasing license prices, non-residents getting priced out with reduced opportunity for fewer & fewer tags, preference/bonus point creep, loss of crucial habitat, off-road vehicles, hunter/wildlife harassment, hunting turning into an activity only for rich property owners, landowner vouchers, hunting winter range areas during the winter, lack of recruitment of young hunters, and so on and so forth. I'm sure some of my thoughts will gore somebody?s ox, and maybe even be a little offensive, or maybe viewed as impractical or just plain crazy - but I think they're worth rolling around in our heads and maybe they will get us thinking individually and collectively about what could be changed. I apologize in advance if someone takes offense ? it is not my intent to offend ? only to get us to think about things, and what we might do to help.
1. Ban use of electronic devices to communicate the location of big game during hunting seasons.
2. Limit 3 companions with hunter (the ?posse? & ?entourage? & ?spotters? are getting out-of-hand IMO).
3. Ban overnight 24/7 tracking/monitoring of deer ? this is harassment IMO.
4. Limit use of ATVs (OK, I know States/Feds/Locals & others are trying, but there needs to be better self-governance by ATV users IMO) & let's get a better handle on off-road travel.
5. Ban use of trail cameras sooner than 15 days prior to opening day & during the open season.
6. Ban spot/fly-in hunting techniques and/or 24 or 48 hr delay before hunting.
7. Increase public permits on private lands that allow public access (e.g. CWMU or RFW) - limit private gain from public resource ? the legal principle in this country is that wildlife is held in trust by the State for all citizens.
8. Stop giving away public permits to private organizations/events that line their pockets with our resources.
9. Eliminate limited entry & premium limited entry hunting units - designate High Demand (HD) and/or High Quality (HQ) hunting units and/or hunts ? hunters can apply for only one HD or HQ (deer or elk) hunt per year ? multi-year layover between successful draw of HD/HQ tag.
10. Private land season dates same as public land dates.
11. Increase price of resident licenses and remove caps on #?s of nonresident licenses.
12. No application by ?proxy? ? I sometimes wonder if some hunters have others apply for permits.
13. Eliminate or limit ability to turn back permits, except for truly exceptional/extraordinary circumstances ? I've heard of hunters returning a tag because they didn't scout a ?big enough? buck.
14. Return to equal drawing chances for all applicants - five-year phase out of bonus/preference point systems ? i.e. no further bonus/preference pts earned and existing # of points decreases by 20%/year until zero points remain - IMO levels the playing field in terms of hunter opportunity to draw a permit.
15. Eliminate requirement for licensed guide to hunt in designated wilderness.
16. No baiting.
