AN AMERICAN HUNTER’S DUTIES AND RIGHTS

He then went on to make a point that deeply resonated  with me; namely that if we allow hunting to become an elitist sport- a rich  mans or wealthy man’s sport only – then hunting is doomed. He pointed to  what has just happened in England with the recent loss of fox hunting.   In England, the general populace had long been unable to participate  (high cost- low access)– and the inevitable result was that support fell  away for the sport, until the majority no longer cared one way or the other  about it!! He warned we cannot let that happen to us in the US! General  public apathy will doom our sport.

Justice Scalia sounded a bell  that is still ringing in my ears! His two fold message: Make sure there is  plenty of public access to decent hunting areas; and secondly get kids  involved at every possible opportunity. If we fail to keep the interest  of the general public- both our sport and our gun rights will inevitably  suffer! It is beyond argument. And folks- we are very much losing the  battle.

Right now,  we all share the blame.  No insult  intended, but it is long past time to wake up! We routinely purchase prime  hunting areas for our own use, and close off the public. We routinely lease  up the same types of areas for personal use; for use by friends; for use by  our “club”.   Doing so effectively denies other members of the  public access. We do not do this out of mean spiritedness; we do it so we  have control and better hunting. But the undeniable result is that members  of the general public are shut out. Slowly, unknowingly, unintentionally, we  are shooting ourselves in the foot; and are diminishing the likelihood that   young people will retain the desire to hunt. After all, studies have  clearly shown that a major reason people are currently dropping out of our  hunting ranks, is because they have “no place to hunt.” Allowing a few  members of the general public to hunt our grounds will cost us  nothing!!

Yet we continue to ignore or else just fail to  perceive the access problem and it’s insidious and virtually inevitable  results. Even the smallest and easiest solutions go ignored. WE NEED TO WAKE  UP!!  By way of example, every year at my booking office, we process  many Wyoming license applications. As part of the application form — there  is small blank which allows an applicant to make a voluntary donation to the  Access Yes fund. You can donate any amount, even one dollar. Yet not one  applicant in 50 chooses to donate even a lousy dollar to that fund!! Perhaps  the perception is it benefits only residents, which of course is not true-  the access is for the public!

We simply are not perceiving the  problem!! Most of us  are fortunate to have the funds and opportunities  we do. Yet if we are honest, many people are less fortunate. A common  complaint, throughout the US is this: “When I was a kid, I could hunt just  about anywhere!”  While that will never again be true– we cannot  afford to continue the present trend of less access and fewer participants!!  We must take positive steps, both individually and as a group, to promote  access first; and the involvement of new blood second.

I  personally have been dimly cognizant of the problem, but Justice Scalia’s  observations have really crystallized my awareness! I expect most of us have  never seriously considered the consequences of poor access. But it is also  understandable as I suspect most of us have remained unaware of the  repercussions associated with lack of access.  I now firmly believe  that every single hunter and client of ours MUST realize that we absolutely  have to fund general public access! Failure to do so is just not an  option!!!!!!!!

Failure to take action to correct this problem  means that ultimately our future kids and grand kids, will find their  hunting rights and gun rights gone. And once gone–they will never come  back! If the majority of the general public is foreclosed from decent  hunting areas; if kids are not aggressively sought after and properly  trained in woodmanship, conservation, arms and hunting; then the public will  eventually become apathetic toward the sport we all love and cherish.  Without a general consensus of support by the general public, our rights  will just dissolve over time.

Moreover, animals will suffer  greatly if hunters cease to buy licenses. It is our license funds and  special excise taxes; and our trophy fees and the like, which have saved our  American, Asian and African wildlife from virtual extinction. Without  hunters, the funds will dry up, and so will the game we love so see and  hunt.

WE- MEANING YOU AND I — AND EVERY SINGLE FRIEND OF OURS  –HAS AN AFFIRMATIVE DUTY TO ACTIVELY CONTRIBUTE FUNDS (MONEY!) AND OUR TIME  TO PURCHASE AND SUPPLY ACCESS!! LIKEWISE TO INSURE THAT YOUNG PEOPLE GET  INVOLVED!  FAILURE WILL ULTIMATELY DOOM OUR SPORT AND VERY POSSIBLY  WILDLIFE ITSELF!

My hope is that I can motivate and challenge  some of the thousands of clients that we try to help and serve every year.  My hope is that every one of you who reads this will make yourself a  promise. The promise I am asking each of you to make is not all that big a  thing. I am asking each and every one of you to do TWO  things:

First- I ask every one of you (and myself especially) to  promise yourself — and your children and grandchildren and fellow  hunters— that you will make a donation of at least $100 per year, every  year for the rest of your life – to some fund that purchases public access.  I think almost every state has such programs in place. If not- send it to a  state that does! Most (but not all) of us will not suffer hugely from doing  so- but the potential benefits may go on for a hundred years! If you cannot  afford that sum do whatever you can afford, please. Love your sport enough  to do this.

Second- I want each one of you to promise  yourself and your grandchildren and fellow sportsmen – that you will  introduce at least one youngster (or an adult) a year to the great out of  doors – take them fishing, take them hunting, take them shooting, take them  hiking- but for gosh sakes-TAKE THEM!! Introduce one new kid (or an adult)  every year to our sport!  If you are like I am, there are very few  things in our lives that can move us so deeply as watching the sun rise over  the wilderness; or listening to the gravelly growl of a big bull elk; or  hearing the sweet sound of a woodcock’s mating flight; or the joy of a  squirrels chatter. Please, — please, do this in remembrance of those who  taught you to love the outdoors. Make it your legacy to Pass it  on!

Lastly, if you believe in any of what I have suggested, then I  ask you to please email me once in a while. Send me the pictures and reports  of your efforts. I will post them to our web site so we can all take pride  in our mutual efforts!!!  I hereby pledge myself to make this a goal of  my life, for the rest of my life. Please join me, for the sake of our  future!