Wes
Very Active Member
- Messages
- 1,195
I just received this in an e-mail from the Nevada Outfitters and Guides association.
CONGRESS ATTACKS
HUNTERS? RIGHTS
2/28/05
Dear Fellow Hunter:
Your right to hunt and fish on federal public lands . . . lands you and I
and every other American own . . . is about to be taken away from us via
legislation by our very own Congress.
A Bill introduced in Congress by Nevada Senator Harry Reid (S # 339) and
another by Colorado Representative Mark Udall (H.R. # 731) will allow the
Rocky Mountain States to exclude you from hunting and fishing on National
Forests, BLM and other public lands solely because you are a nonresident.
In fact, every State could keep you out if this law passes.
This bill will allow states to discriminate against you, to treat you like a
second-class citizen, and to deny your right to apply and hunt for elk, mule
deer, antelope, sheep and every other specie on public land. States could and
would impose stricter nonresident limits than on residents on public fishing
areas.
Senator Reid calls it ?A bill to reaffirm the authority of States to regulate
certain hunting and fishing activities.? Its? real purpose is to circumvent
recent court decisions that favored nonresidents and allow
states to again discriminate against nonresidents in allocating
licenses, limits, and setting license fees. In other words,
States could restrict nonresidents, like you, from
receiving any licenses to hunt or fish on public lands, or
allow States to charge you thousands of dollars for the
same hunting licenses that residents would pay only a few dollars for.
This isn't make believe. Even though the U. S. Supreme Court has ruled in
Hughes vs. Oklahoma, that the wildlife belongs to all Americans equally,
nonresidents are still subjected to severe discrimination today. Let me give
you just a few examples:
Colorado no longer allows nonresidents to apply to the Ranching for Wildlife
Areas. Once nonresidents were removed from these high quality elk and deer
areas, the State passed a quota on nonresidents to keep them from drawing too
many of the few remaining high quality tags left to apply for in the State.
New Mexico?s highly prized Valle Calderas National Preserve was bought
for $101 million in Federal money just a few short years ago. Now the NM
Game and Fish Department has put a strict quota on nonresidents. Last year
nonresidents donated over 65% of the application money for these elk tags,
but only received 19% of the tags. New Mexico?s sheep license is $3000 for
nonresident and $100 for a resident.
Utah, just in the past few weeks, passed a regulation starting in 2006 that
will give 25% of the existing nonresident tags and a paltry 5% of resident
tags to a yearly convention in Salt Lake City. The rules allow you to have
a chance of getting one of these tags only if you travel to Utah in person
and apply. They know you won't. In other words, they will transfer these
nonresident tags into resident hands. In more discrimination, Utah does
not allow any nonresidents to apply for the draw to obtain the high quality
Cooperative Wildlife Management Unit tags, only residents.
The Montana process keeps you from drawing the quality tags; they only allow
nonresidents ?up to 10%? of the sheep, moose, and mountain goat tags. When
applying for the quality limited elk areas, you have to first apply for the low quality
combination tag which is guaranteed to be drawn every two
years. Residents get to apply yearly as their combination
tags are over-the-counter. Once you have drawn the
combo tag at a cost of $660, then you reapply for the
quality limited areas. At one time, if you did not draw
the quality tag, you simply sent the poor quality combination
tag back to them for a refund. Montana did not want the
nonresidents to return these licenses so they passed a regulation
that you could only get a 50% refund for the poor quality
combination tag. So it costs you $330 for a 1 in 20 chance
of drawing a quality tag or you are stuck with the combination tag.
Not a tough decision for nonresidents to not apply, so the residents win . . . again.
In Wyoming, nonresidents apply nearly blind at the quality limited entry tags.
Wyoming gives up to 20% of the elk tags to nonresidents, but deducts two
nonresident tags for each nonresident landowner who qualifies and owns as
little as 2000 acres in that unit. But when they calculate the draw odds, they
act as if each tag was in the drawing. Trying to get this information on the
real numbers is time consuming, usually inaccurate, and often exasperating.
For added discrimination, Wyoming uses an outdated true preference point
program and quota system for their sheep and moose that gives you virtually
no hope of drawing unless you started years ago. Wyoming also forces you
to hire or use a resident to hunt wilderness areas.
Arizona and Nevada were highly discriminatory toward nonresidents until
the recent ?Montoya vs Manning? decision by the Ninth Circuit United
States Court of Appeals which forces these States to treat all hunters equally.
Arizona now is looking for ways to dodge the law and
actually advertised for ideas on how to discriminate
against nonresidents. They may try to take elk licenses
up to an outrageous $3200 each. Nevada already charges
$1200 for an elk tag to nonresidents. Nevada is also
attempting to defy the court system by only opening up
certain units to nonresidents and excluding nonresidents altogether from
millions of acres of federal lands.
On top of all this discrimination, nonresidents already pay the majority of
the budgets for the Rocky Mountain States? game and fish departments, even
though we get only a fraction of the licenses. In addition, Arizona, Nevada,
Montana, and Idaho collect millions of dollars from nonresidents each
year for general hunting licenses. They basically extort money from the
nonresident because the nonresident is forced to purchase a general hunting
license in order to either apply and/or obtain a bonus point. This general
hunting license rarely gets used so it is free money to the State. Little does
the nonresident know that the quota is the main deterrent to his drawing a
tag. It is about to get worse if S. 339 and HR. 731 becomes law. These Bills
expressly permit unlimited discrimination on price allocation on all lands
and waters.
If these bills pass, it won't matter if you have family in one of these western
states or own property in the state. It does not matter if you hire a guide or
not, does not matter if you are a bow, muzzleloader, or rifle hunter, and does
not matter if you have served your country in the armed services. As long as
you are residing in another State you will feel the sting of discrimination.
Ranchers and farmers won't be able to sell hunting opportunities to
nonresidents. So much for private property rights!
This is bad. Very bad. This is un-American and the greatest threat to the
hunting tradition to come along in a very long time.
We must act now, together, to protect our right to hunt, fish, and travel in our
own country. As American citizens and the bill payers, we have the right not
to be discriminated against because of the State we live in. We live in the
United States of America, remember! This isn't about States rights! This
isn't about conservation! It is about selfish and politically influential local
hunters wanting to keep everyone else out of our federal public lands in their
State, nothing more.
Due to many years of litigation and personal sacrifice, courts are now
supporting the nonresident. Now only the politicians, like Reid and Udall,
can pass legislation to continue the discrimination against us. If residents
of the states outside of the Rocky Mountains don't speak up against this
legislation, you stand to lose your right and your children?s right to ever hunt
in a quality unit in the Rocky Mountains.
You and your friends must call and mail your States? U.S. Congressional
Representatives and U.S. Senators. Tell them to oppose
S. 339 and H.R. 731. This is the most important
task you must do. Attached is a sample letter. Lift out the
paragraphs you like and send it to your own Representative.
Contact your local and national hunting organizations and tell them the
importance of defeating this legislation. Don?t let them use any excuse,
even if their headquarters is in one of the Rocky Mountain States trying
to take your rights away, they are supposed to be representing you, not
trying to obtain tags and hunting opportunities for themselves.
Non-taxable donations can be sent to the Conservation Force and label them
?Nonresident Legal Fund?. For more information, call or e-mail:
Conservation Force United States Outfitters, Inc
3900 N. Causeway Blvd. Suite 1045 325 Santistevan Lane
Metairie, LA 70002-1746 Taos, NM 87571
504-837-1233 505-758-9774
504-837-1145 Fax 505-758-1744 Fax
[email protected] [email protected]
You can get your congressman?s e-mail, phone number, fax number, and
mailing address at www.senate.gov or www.house.gov.
We must act now, together, to protect our right to hunt,
fish, and travel in our own country.
CONGRESS ATTACKS
HUNTERS? RIGHTS
2/28/05
Dear Fellow Hunter:
Your right to hunt and fish on federal public lands . . . lands you and I
and every other American own . . . is about to be taken away from us via
legislation by our very own Congress.
A Bill introduced in Congress by Nevada Senator Harry Reid (S # 339) and
another by Colorado Representative Mark Udall (H.R. # 731) will allow the
Rocky Mountain States to exclude you from hunting and fishing on National
Forests, BLM and other public lands solely because you are a nonresident.
In fact, every State could keep you out if this law passes.
This bill will allow states to discriminate against you, to treat you like a
second-class citizen, and to deny your right to apply and hunt for elk, mule
deer, antelope, sheep and every other specie on public land. States could and
would impose stricter nonresident limits than on residents on public fishing
areas.
Senator Reid calls it ?A bill to reaffirm the authority of States to regulate
certain hunting and fishing activities.? Its? real purpose is to circumvent
recent court decisions that favored nonresidents and allow
states to again discriminate against nonresidents in allocating
licenses, limits, and setting license fees. In other words,
States could restrict nonresidents, like you, from
receiving any licenses to hunt or fish on public lands, or
allow States to charge you thousands of dollars for the
same hunting licenses that residents would pay only a few dollars for.
This isn't make believe. Even though the U. S. Supreme Court has ruled in
Hughes vs. Oklahoma, that the wildlife belongs to all Americans equally,
nonresidents are still subjected to severe discrimination today. Let me give
you just a few examples:
Colorado no longer allows nonresidents to apply to the Ranching for Wildlife
Areas. Once nonresidents were removed from these high quality elk and deer
areas, the State passed a quota on nonresidents to keep them from drawing too
many of the few remaining high quality tags left to apply for in the State.
New Mexico?s highly prized Valle Calderas National Preserve was bought
for $101 million in Federal money just a few short years ago. Now the NM
Game and Fish Department has put a strict quota on nonresidents. Last year
nonresidents donated over 65% of the application money for these elk tags,
but only received 19% of the tags. New Mexico?s sheep license is $3000 for
nonresident and $100 for a resident.
Utah, just in the past few weeks, passed a regulation starting in 2006 that
will give 25% of the existing nonresident tags and a paltry 5% of resident
tags to a yearly convention in Salt Lake City. The rules allow you to have
a chance of getting one of these tags only if you travel to Utah in person
and apply. They know you won't. In other words, they will transfer these
nonresident tags into resident hands. In more discrimination, Utah does
not allow any nonresidents to apply for the draw to obtain the high quality
Cooperative Wildlife Management Unit tags, only residents.
The Montana process keeps you from drawing the quality tags; they only allow
nonresidents ?up to 10%? of the sheep, moose, and mountain goat tags. When
applying for the quality limited elk areas, you have to first apply for the low quality
combination tag which is guaranteed to be drawn every two
years. Residents get to apply yearly as their combination
tags are over-the-counter. Once you have drawn the
combo tag at a cost of $660, then you reapply for the
quality limited areas. At one time, if you did not draw
the quality tag, you simply sent the poor quality combination
tag back to them for a refund. Montana did not want the
nonresidents to return these licenses so they passed a regulation
that you could only get a 50% refund for the poor quality
combination tag. So it costs you $330 for a 1 in 20 chance
of drawing a quality tag or you are stuck with the combination tag.
Not a tough decision for nonresidents to not apply, so the residents win . . . again.
In Wyoming, nonresidents apply nearly blind at the quality limited entry tags.
Wyoming gives up to 20% of the elk tags to nonresidents, but deducts two
nonresident tags for each nonresident landowner who qualifies and owns as
little as 2000 acres in that unit. But when they calculate the draw odds, they
act as if each tag was in the drawing. Trying to get this information on the
real numbers is time consuming, usually inaccurate, and often exasperating.
For added discrimination, Wyoming uses an outdated true preference point
program and quota system for their sheep and moose that gives you virtually
no hope of drawing unless you started years ago. Wyoming also forces you
to hire or use a resident to hunt wilderness areas.
Arizona and Nevada were highly discriminatory toward nonresidents until
the recent ?Montoya vs Manning? decision by the Ninth Circuit United
States Court of Appeals which forces these States to treat all hunters equally.
Arizona now is looking for ways to dodge the law and
actually advertised for ideas on how to discriminate
against nonresidents. They may try to take elk licenses
up to an outrageous $3200 each. Nevada already charges
$1200 for an elk tag to nonresidents. Nevada is also
attempting to defy the court system by only opening up
certain units to nonresidents and excluding nonresidents altogether from
millions of acres of federal lands.
On top of all this discrimination, nonresidents already pay the majority of
the budgets for the Rocky Mountain States? game and fish departments, even
though we get only a fraction of the licenses. In addition, Arizona, Nevada,
Montana, and Idaho collect millions of dollars from nonresidents each
year for general hunting licenses. They basically extort money from the
nonresident because the nonresident is forced to purchase a general hunting
license in order to either apply and/or obtain a bonus point. This general
hunting license rarely gets used so it is free money to the State. Little does
the nonresident know that the quota is the main deterrent to his drawing a
tag. It is about to get worse if S. 339 and HR. 731 becomes law. These Bills
expressly permit unlimited discrimination on price allocation on all lands
and waters.
If these bills pass, it won't matter if you have family in one of these western
states or own property in the state. It does not matter if you hire a guide or
not, does not matter if you are a bow, muzzleloader, or rifle hunter, and does
not matter if you have served your country in the armed services. As long as
you are residing in another State you will feel the sting of discrimination.
Ranchers and farmers won't be able to sell hunting opportunities to
nonresidents. So much for private property rights!
This is bad. Very bad. This is un-American and the greatest threat to the
hunting tradition to come along in a very long time.
We must act now, together, to protect our right to hunt, fish, and travel in our
own country. As American citizens and the bill payers, we have the right not
to be discriminated against because of the State we live in. We live in the
United States of America, remember! This isn't about States rights! This
isn't about conservation! It is about selfish and politically influential local
hunters wanting to keep everyone else out of our federal public lands in their
State, nothing more.
Due to many years of litigation and personal sacrifice, courts are now
supporting the nonresident. Now only the politicians, like Reid and Udall,
can pass legislation to continue the discrimination against us. If residents
of the states outside of the Rocky Mountains don't speak up against this
legislation, you stand to lose your right and your children?s right to ever hunt
in a quality unit in the Rocky Mountains.
You and your friends must call and mail your States? U.S. Congressional
Representatives and U.S. Senators. Tell them to oppose
S. 339 and H.R. 731. This is the most important
task you must do. Attached is a sample letter. Lift out the
paragraphs you like and send it to your own Representative.
Contact your local and national hunting organizations and tell them the
importance of defeating this legislation. Don?t let them use any excuse,
even if their headquarters is in one of the Rocky Mountain States trying
to take your rights away, they are supposed to be representing you, not
trying to obtain tags and hunting opportunities for themselves.
Non-taxable donations can be sent to the Conservation Force and label them
?Nonresident Legal Fund?. For more information, call or e-mail:
Conservation Force United States Outfitters, Inc
3900 N. Causeway Blvd. Suite 1045 325 Santistevan Lane
Metairie, LA 70002-1746 Taos, NM 87571
504-837-1233 505-758-9774
504-837-1145 Fax 505-758-1744 Fax
[email protected] [email protected]
You can get your congressman?s e-mail, phone number, fax number, and
mailing address at www.senate.gov or www.house.gov.
We must act now, together, to protect our right to hunt,
fish, and travel in our own country.