I also took the opportunity to go testify today with Buzz. It was 2 versus 6 but we had fact and emotion and they had self-serving interests. I started to jot a few thoughts and ended up with a stinkin' novel. I took it and pretty much covered all of it during my testimony today. I also had the privilege of taking my 3 oldest daughters with me. They were awesome and I hope the youth aspect will help - other than Senator Hicks argued in his closing statements that youth not drawing tags was an easy fix: they could legislate a portion of the tags to go to youth only. I immediately stood and tried to shed light on that as well.........
Pretty frustrating, but entertaining. We need the support boys! Get the word out!
Here's my testimony from today:
I appreciate the opportunity to testify today on behalf of sportsmen all across this great state. My name is Cade Powell and I reside in Saratoga with my bride of 15 years and our 4 beautiful daughters. I apologized to their principle in advance, but there are some things you just can't learn in a classroom and I want them to have the opportunity and privilege of seeing government, by the people, in action. The last time I took them out of school for one of our educational outdoor escapades, I wrote a note and said they were going to be at the funeral of a DEER friend. McKenzie harvested a great mule deer that trip with Paige and I by her side. The next weekend she harvested a great pronghorn with Paige, Ashton, Rainey (their 6 year-old sister) and I all by her side. If they weren't all 4.0 students, those opportunities would be more limited. The way these girls can shoot, the school is starting to catch on and can't believe we have so many deer friends that keep passing away.
I want this committee to know that as a passionate Wyoming hunter, conservationist, father and mentor (to more than just my kids) that I am strongly opposed to SF085. In the eyes of the world I am not a rich man by any stretch of the imagination. Maybe in a few years I should move to a Pacific Island and trade these beautiful girls for a dowry of cows. I could be a WEALTHY, WEALTHY man. All joking aside, I do consider myself a wealthy man with the family I've been blessed with and the freedoms and opportunities that we have. In trying to set a good example for my girls, I try to educate myself on both sides of the aisle and stay up-to-date with all the happenings. I met with Senator Hicks last weekend to try and educate myself on his reasoning behind and desire to pass this bill. I came away from that meeting more convinced than ever that this is bad for Wyoming sportsmen and completely unacceptable to me as a sportsman with children who hunt.
I have heard several references to a WGFD survey that claims Wyoming hunters want a PP system for elk, deer and pronghorn. I even had a Senator in favor of this bill state that it was 80% who were in favor. I decided to educate myself and received a copy of this survey from WGFD. Here are a few of the most telling stats that I gleaned from this survey ? let me preface that in my opinion the survey is flawed in that the only options available are for a PP system or against a PP system. This was also conducted in 2008. In the last 4 years the # of hunters who have educated themselves on the issues with preference points has increased dramatically ? no I did not commission a survey or study to come to that conclusion. It's just my opinion :-D
I will read the most telling parts of that survey of Wyoming hunters: "In the most basic opinion question, support (54%) slightly exceeds opposition (45%) to having the Department implement a preference point system for Wyoming resident limited
quota deer, elk, and antelope licenses. Note that most opposition is strong opposition; support is about evenly divided between strong and moderate support." The first question from that survey may be the most telling. I believe it shows the true colors of Wyoming sportsmen, even those that believe they want a PP system. Here it is: "
I would rather have a small chance of drawing a license for a hard-to-draw area each year, instead of a nearly certain chance when I have received the maximum preference points needed for the area. Agreement (62%) is nearly double disagreement (33%) that
respondents would rather have a small chance of drawing a license each year (without the preference point system) than to have a nearly certain chance in other years (with a preference point system, when they have accumulated the maximum number of
preference points; the implication is that in other years when they do not have many preference points they would have almost no chance). In short, the majority of iv Responsive Management
respondents would rather take their chances without a preference point system, which gives them a small chance every year, rather than with a preference point system, which would give them no chance in some years but an excellent chance in other years.
The second most telling statistic from that survey is concerning our youth: "A preference point system limits the opportunity for youth to hunt in hard-to-draw areas. Agreement (76%) far exceeds disagreement (22%), meaning that most hunters think a
preference point system limits youth hunting opportunities in hard-to-draw areas."
Again this is a flawed survey, but some of the percentages are pretty telling.
Paige will be 12 this spring. McKenzie was taking the Hunter?s Education class when she was 11 and Paige asked if she could take it as well. I didn't think a 9 year-old girl had a chance and said yes, since we were already going to be in the class. Well, she got a 94% and McKenzie got a 100%. That spring I took her turkey hunting and she was able to harvest a big Greybull River gobbler. That fall she was able to harvest several grouse and even a few ducks. Ashton is signed up in the Hunter Mentor program and will have a Greybull River turkey tag in her pocket this spring along with Paige. Imagine their excitement in sitting down and filling out those forms and applications with their crazy ol? dad. Last year Kenzie studied the draw odds and units with me as we applied her for elk, deer and antelope. What a priceless opportunity.
This last month Paige approached me after scrutinizing the regulations to let me know how many elk, deer and pronghorn she could harvest this upcoming fall during her first big-game season. She also asked me about applying for moose, sheep and mtn. goat. We live ? mile off the beautiful North Platte at the base of the Snowy Mtn. range. We go for drives up the mountain just to look at the moose. I wish everyone here could have seen the look on her face go from pure optimism to shock then to the light being snuffed out when I told her she would never even have the opportunity to hunt moose out her back yard. Why? The Resident PP system! Now this isn't completely comparing apples to apples but the trends, tendencies and outcome will be a mirror-image. Paige is 11 ? currently there are 17,763 Wyoming residents with moose PP?s in front of her applying for 446 moose tags. There are 10,365 Wyoming residents with sheep PP?s in front of her applying for 191 sheep tags. Just in case we have any CSU or BYU graduates here today, I've broken that down even further so even you can understand. Paige will have to wait 55 years to draw her sheep tag at the spry ol? age of 67. That's a perfect age to climb the rim-rock up the Greybull River. She will have to wait 40 years to draw her moose tag. Because the Snowy Range is the premiere unit in Wyoming, she will never draw it. What a great way to keep a kid excited about this wonderful hunting heritage we have here in Wyoming.
Oh, but wait you say. To be fair, we'll set aside 25% of the tags in the random draw. Last year 2,257 people applied for the moose tag on the Snowies. Will someone who is in favor of this bill please step forward and explain to my kids how a 5 out of 2,257 chance is fair, just because of their age?
The same scenarios will happen if an elk/deer/pronghorn pp system is implemented. The numbers have been crunched for some of the top deer units around Dubois, Rock Springs and Baggs. Who wants to be the one to explain to a 10 year-old ranch kid from Baggs that it will take over 40 years to get through the First Tier of max-point holders? They?ll be in their 60?s before they will ever have a chance, just because they weren't born soon enough. Any takers? Me either.
Senator Hicks tried to convince me that draw odds and applications have been stagnate for elk/deer/pronghorn the last 3 or 4 years. That's great, but why don't we look down the road 20 or 30 years. When I was a student at UW in the late 90?s, elk draw odds at Laramie Peak were about 50% for 800 elk tags. Last year it was 26% for 1,050 tags. One of my good friends in college grew up in Basin and they hunted the Greybull river for elk every year. I remember in 1998 when the odds in unit 61 dropped under 100%. Last year it was 35%. That's a 65% drop in a decade. WGFD online draw odds reports only go back to 2007 or I would flood you with similar scenarios. Throw in a PP system and those tags will become harder to draw and odds will decrease. It has happened in EVERY western state that has implemented a PP system. Can we please learn from their mistakes and not make our own?
Please don't get me wrong and think that my kids or I somehow deserve elk, deer, sheep, moose and pronghorn tags. I've checked all of our birth certificates and there were no such claims when we signed on to this game we call life. All I am asking is that EVERYONE be given the same chance and opportunity. Give that kid from Rock Springs the Opportunity to draw a Little Mountain elk tag when they're 12 years-old. Give the kid from Dubois the OPPORTUNITY to draw a unit 128 buck tag. Give the kid from Meeteetse an OPPORTUNITY to draw a unit 63 bull tag. Don?t cave to the pressure of a few in the minority who believe they have somehow graced this old world long enough that they deserve to jump ahead of everyone else in line, and even those who aren't even big enough to stand in line.
Even though I am not a rich man, I scrimp and save and apply in many of the Western States. My wife accuses me of having a minor in statistics with my ability to regurgitate draw odds for most units in 5 or 6 states at the drop of a hat. She may be right. Because I apply for and study the odds in all these western states, I believe I have a pretty good feel for what is in store for us if this bill passes. Things change. Nothing is static, especially big-game herds. Was anyone here around in the 60?s that would care to tell us about Wyoming?s deer herds? They?re a pitiful remnant of what they used to be. Who would like to tell this great committee what the pronghorn herds looked like before the winter of 1992/1993? The moose harvest for Wyoming in 2002 was 1,160 animals. In 2011, it was 460. I bet no one thought that would happen when they implemented a Preference Point system 18 years ago. With the fire year that is bearing down on us, our short-term deer numbers may continue to decline, thus decreasing tags and opportunity. Is anyone here from the Platte Valley? Did you ever think you'd see the deer hunt go to limited quota? How fair would that have been if a PP system were implemented and those deer units were a general hunt? 2 years into the system, they go limited quota and NOONE from Saratoga, Encampment, Riverside, Rawlins, Laramie and Cheyenne have deer PP?s because it was always a general hunt. All of a sudden those folks are on the outside looking in and can't hunt out their own back door in the units they've been hunting for decades.
I've been up here rambling long enough. I know there will be several others here more versed or eloquent on the other cons behind a PP system. I am grateful for the opportunity to address this committee. WGFD has had the opportunity to implement a PP system for many years. They have chosen not to do so, because the sportsmen of Wyoming don't want it. Don?t cave to the pressure of a few. Stand up for our kids. Stand up for those who do not yet have their voices to speak for themselves. Please look at the long-term detriments and kill this bill in committee today. At the very least I ask that you table this bill until WGFD can poll their constituents again. If the people speak, and want a PP or bonus point or wait system then they need to be the ones at the table designing that system. We can't afford, our kids can't afford, to pass this flawed system on if our Wyoming hunting heritage and the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation is to stand as the greatest conservation success story written. Thank you.
OK, so I may be a bit long-winded but atleast you know what side of the fence I'm on.
-Cade
www.HuntForeverWest.com