More on Wolves

[juliusvatalaro]

I think the ESA was the worst thing that happened to USA. We need this piece of Legislation to even the playing field. Ryan Benson and Big Game Forever.



A Fight Worth Fighting
Some have questioned whether our proposed legislation, S. 249 and H.R. 509, the American Big Game and Livestock Protection Act can get passed through Congress. I think a much better question is whether we can afford not to get it passed.

A couple of important facts to consider. Unmanaged wolves have been a major problem for wildlife in the West and Midwest. All of the ?experts? who promised it wouldn't be a problem were wrong. Take Idaho for example. The statewide elk harvest has been cut in half. Every wilderness herd has been reduced 50-85%. Moose are gone. Outfitter clients are down from 4,500 to 1,100 hunters. The anti-hunters are winning. Wildlife is losing.

Current proposals to ?delist? by USFWS, do not turn power back to the states. But rather leaves important veto power in the hands of career bureaucrats. Perhaps the most important thing to understand about the wolf solutions being pushed by USFWS is that they do not represent an incremental victory. It is the END of THE ROAD. They want to use this incremental approach to slow down and stop the momentum on S249 and HR 509. What does this mean? This means there are no guarantees that states will have primacy to manage wolves. There are no guarantees that this will be the end of the delays. There are no guarantees that this will be the end of the litigation. There are no guarantees that this will be the end of the frustration, the destruction or the federal micromanagement.

Now they want to spread the destruction to Washington, Oregon, Utah, Nevada, California, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Texas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and across other states in the country. Other than our proposed legislation, there are NO plans to allow state managers to protect elk, moose, deer or other wildlife in any of these states. There are NO assurances that these states will not end up like Idaho. The Center for Biological diversity has filed litigation to force the spread of destruction to all of these states. Without Congressional action, they will succeed.

S. 249 and H.R. 509 allow every state to decide. S. 249 and H.R. 509 are the only bills that end this aggressive litigation. They allow the best professional wildlife managers in the world to manage and protect with responsibility.

So do we fight for our future? Do we let the anti-hunting out-of-state special interest ruin the wildlife of more states? Big Game Forever will continue to fight tirelessly in Congress. With 60 cosponsors from 31 states we have already accomplished what many have said could not be done.

Join the fight for the future of wildlife. Email your representatives in Congress at http://biggameforever.org/takeaction. It's fast, easy, and free.

Ryan Benson
http://biggameforever.org
[email protected]




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[Iowan]

Well between point creep, residents of these states trying to alienate non-residents, and now the wolves reducing the herd numbers I think I need to appreciate what I have here at home. As non-residents we hear all the time about how the game is owned and managed by the state (even on the millions of acres of federal land) - I am sure you do not need our non-resident help in this fight. Divide and conquer - another win for the anti-hunting crowd.

 

[feduptwo]

You can move to Wyoming anytime you want to reap the benefits of living in this state. Wyoming still has some spectacular hunting even with the wolf problems.
Only a small % of residents alienate "non residents" and Wyoming gives approx 25% of the permits to non residents. More than most states by 2 or 3x. This includes Iowa where I have to wait 3 years to draw a archery tag that a resident can buy over the counter.
We need you to get over your concern that Western states are not giving every permit to people that don't live here and help on this because if we loose this it is the start of the end. Today Wyoming, tomorrow Iowa. The 25% of permits only get smaller as the wolves carve out there share.

 

[juliusvatalaro]

LAST EDITED ON Mar-02-11 AT 07:51AM (MST)[p]My intent of this post is not to get folks riled up. To the contrary, I just want people to be informed. I believe there are some worth while organizations out there that are fighting our fight in Congress. I'm damn tired of the liberal Democrats, Obama loving idiots messing with the west. Ryan Benson is a very intelligent and focused individual that I am proud to have on my team. Just my oppinion!!

 

[Iowan]

I understand, it is just frustrating that each year some state is making it even harder for non-residents (New Mexico happens to be that state right now) to hunt on federal lands. I will agree that Wyoming is a friendly state to non-residents, but if history tells us anything that will change in time too. I do not see wolves ever being a problem in Iowa unless they can prosper in corn fields. Our 'wolf' is loss of habitat to feed the worst idea in history - corn based ethanol.

It is hard to hear 'move here', states manage the game so as a non-resident keep your mouth shut, etc. then hear a rally cry of we all need to join together. Do you think guys and gals in the eastern half of the country care whether or not the wolves or hunters kill the game out west if their chances of hunting are so low they might get a tag every ten years if they are lucky? It is not hard to see what is coming, non-residents will eventaully be squeezed out as game populations decline and human populations increase. If hunters could ever truly unite I think we would be amazed what we could accomplish (better game management, habitat improvement, stronger law enforcement, and other stuff that really matters).

 

[TOPGUN]

LAST EDITED ON Mar-02-11 AT 01:14PM (MST)[p]Iowan---I understand your frustration to a point. However, as was pointed out to you here and in a couple posts in another thread (my post included), your state of Iowa is no better. Getting a deer or turkey tag as a nonresident of Iowa is about as bad and expensive as the western states you are griping about. I would bet if it had elk, goat, and sheep habitat that the western states have that it would be the same or worse with those tags in Iowa!!!

 

[juliusvatalaro]

Iowan,

Every person from all 50 states needs to be concerned about the abuse of ESA. Every hunter from across this great land needs to be active in returning the mangement of the gray wolf back to the states and delisting from a fraudulent ESA. This is not just Wyoming's problem, it's not just Idaho's and Montana's problem, this is a problem of all americans and we need to unite. This problem threatens all livestock and big game animals. There are many states out west that you can hunt each year.

 

[Iowan]

I agree, I am just trying to make a point. The point is that we can not ask hunters to unite when it is convenient to our cause and the next day try to exclude a large segment (this is a general statement not directed at you guys).

You can draw a deer gun tag every year in Iowa for almost all units. Archery tags take two to three years. They are half the price of the elk tags. Turkey tags are a little harder to get but not that much. Iowa also has about 1% public land and nearly all of that is state owned so making any type of comparison is pretty tough. A couple years ago some people here tried to pass a law stating that non-residents could not hunt Iowa for pheasants until two weeks after the resident opener (much like South Dakota, North Dakota, etc.) and several of us opposed it and it was defeated. I view this resident hunter versus non-resident hunter as a race to the bottom and we are running fast. I hope they get the wolf season back open, I would love to shoot another one.

 

[Brute]

President Obama has just signed H.R. 1473 the Budget Resolution, continuing government operations until September 30. A provision within that act will have wide ranging effects on the control of the Grey Wolf populations within some western states. The act requires that in the states of Montana and Idaho the Wolf be removed from the Endanger Species Act (ESA) and returned to individual state management. Language was also included which allows Wyoming to move toward delisting.

Sen. Orrin Hatch expressed, ?I couldn't be more pleased with the inclusion of wolf-delisting language in the budget bill that passed this week. The return of wolf management in northern Utah to state wildlife managers is a very important step in the right direction. This wouldn't have happened without the resolute efforts of Big Game Forever and Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife. I remain committed to doing everything that I can to ensure that the states, not the federal government, have the responsibility for managing wolves. ?

The sportsmen of America are grateful for the leadership of Leader Reid, Senator Tester, Senator Baucus, Senator Hatch, Senator Barrasso, Senator Enzi, Senator Risch, Senator Crapo, Senator McCain and Senator Kyl, Congressman Rehberg, Congresswoman Lummis, Congressman Matheson, Congressman Bishop, Congressman Ross, Congressman Chaffetz, Congressman Simpson and the over 60 total cosponsors who played a role in building the consensus of a need for Congressional action to delist no longer endangered wolf populations.

?We are encouraged that Congress has acknowledged the need to delist no longer endangered wolf populations. It is unfortunate that multiple administrative delisting decisions and ultimately Congressional action were required to obtain a partial delisting of a species that has been recovered for years. We applaud the beginning of the return of management of wolves to state wildlife managers who manage and protect hundreds of game and nongame species so capably,? said Ryan Benson of Big Game Forever.

U.S. Representative Cynthia Lummis explained the importance of including language preserving Judge Alan Johnson?s November 2010 ruling. ?Upholding Judge Johnson?s ruling is crucial to advancing negotiations on a common sense wolf management plan. This language removes obstacles that would have otherwise hindered discussions on the status of the fully recovered gray wolf in Wyoming. Returning management of the gray wolf to the State of Wyoming is the ultimate goal. Much work remains, but with this provision intact, I am confident we are closer than ever to realizing a full delisting. I look forward to that happy day.?

Don Peay, founder of Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife, said, ?With the need to trim billions from the federal budgets, this was first step to return management of wolves to all states and end redundant federal expenditures for a job states can do better. More importantly, with high unemployment rates and losses of jobs, abundant big game herds are an American Treasure, a renewable resource, and with proper management can sustain tens of millions of dollars in annual economic activity, tens of thousands of jobs, and the opportunity for hundreds of thousands of Americans to put food on the table.?

Big Game Forever and Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife are grateful for the selfless and dedicated efforts of countless conservation minded sportsmen of America. The responsible livestock producer organizations, the conservation groups and many other organizations who have added their voice to this important effort have helped tremendously to educate for the need to protect healthy wildlife populations and America?s livestock industry.

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[maxxbob1]

Ryan Benson saved us !!! I'm about to puke. Please stop the BS, we aren't sending you any money.

 

[TOPGUN]

Ryan Benson saved us !!! I'm about to puke. Please stop the BS, we aren't sending you any money.

+1

 

[Gator]

LAST EDITED ON Apr-17-11 AT 11:16AM (MST)[p]If the Fed was to get sell a fed. hunting license just for Fed.Gov. land it would be hard for the states to say it their animals,if they stay on fed land from birth to death be hard for the staes to augue.Just think how much money that would give to the money needing Fed's and how much it would take from the states. The figures are mind numbing.
Some day in the future I think that's what we see a Fed hunting license and you still might have to buy a state one too. kind of a double dip thing..

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".

 

[BuzzH]

Gator,

You need to lay off the sauce...

 

[PleaseDear]

What a Bunch of Desperate and so very WEAK post's------

I want a Refund of my money from $fw and BGF clowns...

For being sucked into this Pro-Wolf agenda $FW/BGF have----

What a rip-off.

Robb

 

[TOPGUN]

Don't give em any ideas Gator!!!

 

[Gator]

Hell you all know it coming, It a money pit that hasn't been touched yet. LOL they will start it right after we hit $5.50 a gallon gas so it could be soon or alot later.

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".