Wildlife agency responsibility

[Oak]

I'm curious how much responsibility all of you think your state wildlife agency has for ensuring a stable income from hunters for rural communities that depend on hunter dollars. Do you think that local economies should be considered when agencies make management decisions? Or do you think decisions should be based solely on biology, and what's best for the game populations? Or do you think decisions should be made based on maximizing hunter opportunity(this kind of goes hand in hand with considering local economies)? Somewhere in between? What do you think is the best direction for the agencies to go?

Oak

 

[Elkhunter]

Tough choice no doubt. I think they have to go hand in hand, but ultmately in favor of the game. When a community is based on sometimes millions of dollars into their economy, how can you just cut that off. It has to be a consideration as well.

 

[BuzzH]

I think the game and fish should be concerned with only one thing:

CORRECT MANAGEMENT OF WILDLIFE.

The game and fish should be a seperate entity and in my opinion politics of all flavors should be left out of all management decisions. It makes no sense that the fish and game commissioners and upper game and fish managers are appointed positions by Governors. That scenerio stinks of corruption. Fish and Game commissioners should be voted on by anyone who purchases a fishing or hunting license.

Local chambers of commerce and local town mayors should have no clout in deciding seasons, tag numbers, etc.

Yet, you see it all the time...the outfitters and guides are catered to, the landowners are catered to, the local economies are catered to, hell even hunters are catered to...in many cases at the EXPENSE of wildlife.

I could list a bunch of cases of this type of political crap harming wildlife...

For example just last year. The Idaho Game and Fish biologists decided there werent enough salmon to hold a season on the middle fork of the Clearwater. The mayors of Kamiah and Kooskia raised all kinds of hell until there was a quota of 500 fish allowed in the middle fork...so the local economies could benefit from salmon. Thats bullshit, pure and simple. The Idaho game and fish folded under a tiny amount of political pressure applied from some bumkin backwoods mayor from nowhere Idaho. Thats not correct management thats a joke. That not looking out for the best interest of the salmon in Idaho.

The game and fish departments need to quit managing people and start managing wildlife.

 

[1_pointer]

I agree with Buzz's post for the most part! Game and fish management pass the 'litmus test' of what's best for the species under concern first than fit the rest in afterwards. In most instances the economies/societal wants can be addressed without severe detriment to the resource.

 

[ELKCHSR]

Buzz...I will ask this again....
Why don't you run for those offices that you see you could actually have some pull in and do some good instead of sitting back and letting it eat at you such.
This isn't meant to be derogatory.
Just stating what I see.
You have a good working on the inside of things, go some place you can actually improve the lot of what you believe in...

 

[BuzzH]

Cheese,

It isnt just my job to change things...its people like you who dont take the time to demand accountability and make your comments heard that really allow the various interest groups to have their way. One person cant always change things or demand correct decisions...theres hundreds of thousands of people who hunt/fish/trap.

I attend many, many, many scoping meetings, open houses, legislative sessions, etc. etc. for a variety of natural resource issues. What I find is that the faces never change at those things, its the same .05% of the people that care enough to get off the couch and attend.

Hunters/fisherman have an incredible opportunity to participate in the management of public lands and public wildlife...yet seem content to sit back and get run over by politics...sad really. As long as they "git thar elk/deer" they're happy.

Oh, and I have done things like served as a board member for the MTFWP Wetlands Protection Advisory Council. I also belong to a pretty long list of conservation organizations.

 

[Ten Bears]

Fish & wildlife management is people management.

 

[MattK]

TB- Where in Fish and Game do you see People. Unless you are the fish or the game. People are a tool of the fish and Game to control populations of wildlife. They also allow for a lot of the money to fund projects. Fish and Wildlife Management can be and is done in a variety of other ways than just management of people.

The problem with the fish and game is they cater to people too often and let good biology go to waste.

 

[Ten Bears]

Matty, you think way to shallow.

 

[FAIRCHASEBEN]

Oak ,
Proper management of wildlife should always be the primary function of all wildlife agencies , local economies will benefit as result of healthy game populations .

ELKCHSR ,
Buzz could never be effective in office because his expert knowledge of environmental issues is usually silenced by his lack of diplomacy ( I hate George W Bush ) .

Half of (I hate GWB) everything he posts (I hate GWB) doesn't get read (I hate GWB)because
he can't resist (I hate GWB) interjecting his personal hatred of the president .

 

[cjcj]

No doubt, way way to much politics "controlling" G&F dept`s... just look at how our lezbo governor... stopped our G&F on controling mountain lions [sabino canyon].... our governor knows absolutley nothing about wildlife,,, yet she stepped in and stopped G&f from doing thier jobs [based on science]... it happens everywhere unfortunatly.

 

[Nemont]

I guess it depends upon if we are living in a make believe world or in reality. In a perfect world it would be what is best for wildlife period. Unfortunately, in reality the fact is Politics always enters the picture.

Examples

1. Gov. Schweitzer cancellation of this season's Buffalo hunt.

2. In North Dakota a proposal to help spread out NR waterfowl hunters so there would be less crowding and allow waterfowl to have a break. Defeated by reps. from small towns who "depend" upon NR waterfowlers $$$$.

3. Outfitter Sponsored tags in Montana. Public resource (the Wildlife) is sold to Outfitter's clients because the Outfitters need a "guaranteed" client base.

4. USO's lawsuit and threat of litigation is mostly politically driven.

5. SFW- Don Peay states that decisions about wildlife are made by politicians so that is where SFW decides to spend their money. Doesn't matter to him what the Biology of an issue is just the politics of an issue.

The biggest problem is that Hunters and Fisherman mostly sit on the sidelines and bitch about the problems rather then engage politicians they elect. Politicians listen to whom ever shows up and voice an opinion.

Nemont

 

[Erik in AK]

Oak--good thread

Buzz--Spot-On about elected game commissioners

Matt--TB is right.
We are the variable with the most impact on fish and game populations and we are the only one controllable by regulation. Yes, weather and disease play a role, but long term, in any given range or block of habitat, fish and game populations tend to remain stable so F&G manipulates seasons, methods and bag limits for one reason only; to limit human impact on the resource.
Now the means and methods by which they go about this are often complex and almost always involve balancing politics(both official and public pressure) against the best interests of the resource. And yes they do have a charter to maximize public opportunity, but the level of that opportunity set based on F&G's best estimate of what the species in question can sustain. Game management is in fact the by-product of people management.

Nemont hit the nail on the head IMO by criticizing us for being quick to bitch and slow to make it count by bringing our concerns to the elected.

 

[ELKCHSR]

I know Buzz would never run for any of the offices that actually really mater, that has been apparent for the last few years I have known him, and the reasons stated above are only part of it, even though his party would probably welcome him with open arms (seems they have a problem finding people that actually have morals).

Buzz
How many meetings do I go to every year on behalf of our game and the management practices that come up?
I have posted on here a few I have went to, with no one posting back, so I don't think any one is interested whether I go or not, but same as you, I do go and am heard at the meetings when I see some thing that needs to be stated.
I used to even post the day's and places of the meetings here, but never have seen any interest, so I quit putting them up.
But that really isn't important here, what is important is that if a meteor hit the Earth, you would still find some way to work around it to find President Bush at fault.

 

[Ten Bears]

Meeting coming up, I expect to see BUZZ & MATTy there. Enaville Resort (Snakepit), Saturday FEB 26th, 7:00 a.m.. Format will be a sportsmans breakfast with the IF&G. topics will most likely include the new deer seasons/tags, ATVs, fishing, and other sportsman related issues.

Anybody else wanna go?

 

[ELKCHSR]

That's a little farther than my hundred mile limit..
If it gets up here, I will for sure make it.

 

[Nut]

Here is Ohio's DOW mission statement


We are dedicated to conserving and improving the fish and wildlife resources and their habitats, and promoting their use and appreciation by the public so that these resources continue to enhance the quality of life for all Ohioans.


So it is game management and people management also it seems.