Hi Todd, hope things are well with the brothers and the family!
Not long after my son was born, I purchased him a lifetime license. His number is barely over 1,000. Mine is less than 150. Back then the cost of a lifetime license was $500.00. It was a lot of money in those days and I did it because the Division really needed funding. My wife was mad at me for spending so much, when I didn't even know, at that time, if he would even hunt. I looked at it as a donation because wildlife needed it.
I fought hard, with many others, to get statewide archery back, along with the implementation of the AR-301 and other good programs. In part, we can thank the narrow-minded thinking and the leadership of Utah's great savior of wildlife, for the plight of our mule deer herds.
When I stood on the Capitol steps with many of you, we were promised that Utah's mule deer herds were going to be saved. They were basically hollow words and money and a change of course got in the way and thus Utah's mule deer herds got put on the back burners, as they didn't generate the money or interest, at that time, as did several other species.
The savior of our wildlife has done some very good things, but all in all, the common guy has paid a huge price in opportunity and now waits in line to hunt our world famous elk, why the rich and the famous, hunt them most every year. As our population increases and if things don't soon change, most will be very lucky to ever participate in these great hunts. And this same thing is going to happen to the mule deer, not because that is what hunters want, but as a result of not taking care of the resource in a responsible manner. Elk are much easier to manage, as are other species, and especially with the light hunting pressure now afforded elk and the once in a lifetime species. Is limiting opportunity to the common guy the only path we can follow?
So now the saviors of our wildlife believe that by limiting the archers from the southern region, they can appease their southern supporters. But I think this thing will back-fire big time and blow up in their face.
The same savior of our wildlife started the dedicated hunter program. Now 10,000 people strong, its a group that can choose a southern region tag and not only hunt it during the bowhunt, but turn around and hunt it on the muzzleloader hunt and if they haven't filled their tag, then hit it hard on the rifle hunt. Should that program be so sacred when bowhunting is such a sacrificial lamb? I guess according to our savior the answer must be yes!
It seems so strange to me, that by limiting the archers for a few days, from the southern region, that it can make any sense to anyone, but when you're the leader, at times you take followers into bad water and dead-end canyons. What good purpose does it really serve? Who does it really help? Who does it really injure?
I have many bowhunting friends who bought lifetime licenses way back. We strictly bowhunt and since the statewide archery returned, most of us have not applied for the southern region. When this passes, and I think it will, although I hope I'm wrong, we will all be applying for the southern region once again, thus taking some of the permits that have otherwise been going to the southern rifle boys.
When reason and biology are passed over in favor of ego and poor leadership, let it be known that the worst loss goes to the herd we are trying to save, and then to the southern boys rifle themselves.
If this foolish proposal passes, I encourage every single archer to apply for southern unit permit, so leadership that is wanting and pushing this, can suffer the consequence of such shallow and selfish thinking.
I hope all bowhunter will get off their duffs and get out to the RAC meetings and at least make their feelings known.
It's a very tough system to beat right now when our whole basic system is pretty much owned and operated by our self appointed savior. But if we publicly show are displeasure in masses, it will be hard for those sitting on the boards to go against such massive public opinion. But if we leave it to the same small handful of the dedicated doers, to defend and defeat this, you can bet they will be defeated.
Do your part and attend several RAC meetings and bring some of your friends along too. This is a must if we are to have any chance to retain the state wide archery hunt in its present form.
Have a good one. BB
