Wildlife agencies in some states, such as Vermont, are suffering the government equivalent of private-sector bankruptcy. Vermont, and allegedly NJ, have been unable to run off of sporting license revenue and are getting general fund appropriations. Meanwhile, the state of NY is decreasing its sporting license fees and essentially lending money from its conservation fund, to the general fund; they call it “investing”, but it is really lending… The sportsmen’s federations of NJ claim to have 140,000 or 150,000 members, depending on the source, however, the number of current hunting licenses is between 70,000 and 80,000, closer to 70,000. So where are the 140,000 coming from? Horse clubs that have taken over Assunpink Wildlife Management Area and now oppose legalizing Sunday firearm hunting? Or is the Boat Clubs that oppose legalizing Sunday firearm hunting, especially Sunday waterfowl hunting? Yes, there are fishermen, but how many anglers are motivated to be politically involved, or even concerned about conservation? Some, perhaps more than a few, but I doubt 70,000 or so. If this implication is erroneous, let’s see some enumeration. At the date of this writing, one county does not even have a federation – how many times has that occurred in the history of the NJFSC? At best the federation of NJ sportsmen is comprised of around 70,000 hunters and 70,000 non hunters – however, that is simply is not true because not every licensed hunter belongs to the federation, so the number of hunters in the federation is much lower. So why is it a surprise, no initiative to move on mourning dove and Sunday hunting? Is it a surprise wild bobwhite hunting was “traded” for dove hunting, but a dove season was never established. If bobwhites recover, does anyone seriously believe it will be feasible to reinstate a hunting season? Personally, we have not studied the issue, but suspect it was not necessary to close wild bobwhite hunting state wide. Upland hunters, especially those who beat the brush to find wild birds are few, and only a few guys were taking around 80 a season in Salem/Cumberland counties. Portions within the one million acres of Pine Barrens also would seemingly provide suitable bobwhite habitat. Yes, no doubt bobs were locally extirpated in regions across the Garden State, but huntable populations exist and these populations are not likely to increase their distribution due to fragmentation and mature habitats. If 70,000 upland hunters were descending on Salem, Cumberland or Burlington counties, all chasing bobs, there would be a problem. But we all know everyone is after that rack and venison. If we are wrong, we ask Andy, the state’s upland biologist, who will receive a copy of this; to give us the correct perspective on the conservation status of the bobwhite in the garden state.
So, what else is wrong with Jersey? Plenty. Deer hunters who have not paid attention to nationwide changes in whitetail management prescriptions are charging that deer populations are too low and Sunday hunting will reduce them further. PA deer hunters are starting to wake up and some of them are trying to turn hunters against Sunday hunting because they claim the new deer management regimes are “environmental extremism”… So these green groups that have fought with hunters to legalize crossbows, Sunday bow hunting, opening county parks to deer hunting, baiting, and hunting with a bow 50 yards from someone’s doorstep, will now become the enemy (again)… Hunters will claim to be conservationists and all that, while fighting against sound management that preserves biodiversity… The antis will point out this hypocrisy and put it in their fodder along with the premises regarding green acres and that hunters only comprise a fraction of the public (0.8% in NJ).
What about NJ’s 10,000 waterfowl hunters? The Division of Fish and Wildlife surveyed waterfowl hunter’s opinions about Sunday hunting, and the majority support it. However, a group which is strongly opposed claims that the study was flawed and otherwise biased and that Sunday hunting would detract from (everybody’s) hunting… It should be mentioned that the same individuals, in addition to opposing Sunday hunting, have clearly indicated they also oppose mourning dove hunting; spinning wing decoys; and stocking pheasant. They also are highly critical of pheasant and bobwhite hunters, making rude remarks. Are these people actually hunters, or anti-hunters pretending to be hunters, even attending federation meetings, because that indeed has happened and continues to occur… Perhaps the fact they have also clearly indicated that they were going to sign petitions and also create additional petitions against Sunday hunting, dove hunting, and against the management of mute swans? At what point does so much smoke signal a fire? 150,000 federation members and 70,000 licensed hunters, that doesn’t add to the likelihood? So, now, there is more and more chatter about “trading” rail hunting for dove hunting. This was hinted at occasionally, and is now rippling out in wider and wider circles. We do not support closing ANY hunting season for ANY reason EXCEPT to conserve the species. Lack of participation is NOT a good reason to close a hunting season. It IS a good reason for us to go to court though, and we will, unless compelling biological evidence supports closure…
And Jersey has even more issues… It has only 2 million acres of open space, of which only 4% or 80,000 acres is early secession habitat. That means for each of NJ’s 70,000 licensed hunters, there is a little over one acre of small game habitat per hunter… The NJ state constitution in express terms, prohibits habitat management of lands designated as “natural areas”. Hunting and trapping is allowed on natural areas, but habitat management is not… Now NY and perhaps other states, have similar stipulations in their state constitutions to preserve climax forests. The percentage of land in ES habitat may or may not be similar, however the problem is not as egregious in larger states; as NJ only has 80,000 acres of habitat that supports biodiversity. In NY for example, the state constitution prohibits timber harvest within the Adirondack and Catskill parks. The Ruffed Grouse Society has lobbied the state to undertake different forest management strategies outside the border of the parks. With such restrictions, public opposition, and so little land to work with, non-government organizations such as the Ruffed Grouse Society, Ducks Unlimited, Quail Forever, and even the Nature Conservancy cannot do as much in NJ as they do elsewhere. One of the biggest positive impacts on maintaining ES habitat is the state’s pheasant and bobwhite stocking program. Yet people seek to eliminate this program which yields over $2 million in general economic activity to NJ annually; with no cost to the taxpayer nor the deer hunter, because NJ’s gamebird stocking program is completely funded by purchase of a gamebird stamp, making it a “user pays” program with economic and ecological benefits to non-users. To expand ES habitat, one logical strategy is to expand the state game bird stocking program, not eliminate it. Since there is little ES habitat anyway, even if the gamebird stocking program is not expanded it certainly should not be eliminated. Elimination of the stocking program would in turn eliminate the associated ES habitat unless alternate habitat funding strategies are created.
In an effort to sustain the budget of state wildlife agencies, and avoid accepting general fund appropriations, states are engaging non-hunters and have done so more successfully than they have recruiting and retaining hunters. Hunters have historically sustained the budget of state wildlife agencies by themselves. One explanation for poor recruitment of hunters is because the largest segment of new hunters are locavores who are interested in wild game meats, not trophies. These foodies are not interested in eating only venison, and they certainly are not interested in antlers, pelts, or solving the world’s wildlife nuisance problems… It is favorable not only from the perspective of license revenue, but also from the perspective of public support of hunting to engage the growing locavore community in hunting because anti-hunting organizations are trying to interject veganism ideology into the locavore movement. Locavores can be encouraged to hunt by expanding gamebird stocking programs and legalizing mourning dove hunting. If such expansion disperses hunters over a larger area, this will also increase the opportunity to harvest ruffed grouse, woodcock, mourning dove, and cottontail proximate to gamebird stocking locations. This variety of game meat and hunting opportunity would appeal to locavores and other hunters, thereby facilitating recruitment and retention of hunters. Expanding state gamebird stocking programs should be continued as a user-pays regime to avoid defunding and using gamebird stocking as a scapegoat to drive controversy. States which do not impose a game bird stamp should consider one, if only on a voluntary basis. Not only does this fund the program, it takes the “tool” of economic arguments away from anti-hunters.
So, what else is wrong with Jersey? Plenty. Deer hunters who have not paid attention to nationwide changes in whitetail management prescriptions are charging that deer populations are too low and Sunday hunting will reduce them further. PA deer hunters are starting to wake up and some of them are trying to turn hunters against Sunday hunting because they claim the new deer management regimes are “environmental extremism”… So these green groups that have fought with hunters to legalize crossbows, Sunday bow hunting, opening county parks to deer hunting, baiting, and hunting with a bow 50 yards from someone’s doorstep, will now become the enemy (again)… Hunters will claim to be conservationists and all that, while fighting against sound management that preserves biodiversity… The antis will point out this hypocrisy and put it in their fodder along with the premises regarding green acres and that hunters only comprise a fraction of the public (0.8% in NJ).
What about NJ’s 10,000 waterfowl hunters? The Division of Fish and Wildlife surveyed waterfowl hunter’s opinions about Sunday hunting, and the majority support it. However, a group which is strongly opposed claims that the study was flawed and otherwise biased and that Sunday hunting would detract from (everybody’s) hunting… It should be mentioned that the same individuals, in addition to opposing Sunday hunting, have clearly indicated they also oppose mourning dove hunting; spinning wing decoys; and stocking pheasant. They also are highly critical of pheasant and bobwhite hunters, making rude remarks. Are these people actually hunters, or anti-hunters pretending to be hunters, even attending federation meetings, because that indeed has happened and continues to occur… Perhaps the fact they have also clearly indicated that they were going to sign petitions and also create additional petitions against Sunday hunting, dove hunting, and against the management of mute swans? At what point does so much smoke signal a fire? 150,000 federation members and 70,000 licensed hunters, that doesn’t add to the likelihood? So, now, there is more and more chatter about “trading” rail hunting for dove hunting. This was hinted at occasionally, and is now rippling out in wider and wider circles. We do not support closing ANY hunting season for ANY reason EXCEPT to conserve the species. Lack of participation is NOT a good reason to close a hunting season. It IS a good reason for us to go to court though, and we will, unless compelling biological evidence supports closure…
And Jersey has even more issues… It has only 2 million acres of open space, of which only 4% or 80,000 acres is early secession habitat. That means for each of NJ’s 70,000 licensed hunters, there is a little over one acre of small game habitat per hunter… The NJ state constitution in express terms, prohibits habitat management of lands designated as “natural areas”. Hunting and trapping is allowed on natural areas, but habitat management is not… Now NY and perhaps other states, have similar stipulations in their state constitutions to preserve climax forests. The percentage of land in ES habitat may or may not be similar, however the problem is not as egregious in larger states; as NJ only has 80,000 acres of habitat that supports biodiversity. In NY for example, the state constitution prohibits timber harvest within the Adirondack and Catskill parks. The Ruffed Grouse Society has lobbied the state to undertake different forest management strategies outside the border of the parks. With such restrictions, public opposition, and so little land to work with, non-government organizations such as the Ruffed Grouse Society, Ducks Unlimited, Quail Forever, and even the Nature Conservancy cannot do as much in NJ as they do elsewhere. One of the biggest positive impacts on maintaining ES habitat is the state’s pheasant and bobwhite stocking program. Yet people seek to eliminate this program which yields over $2 million in general economic activity to NJ annually; with no cost to the taxpayer nor the deer hunter, because NJ’s gamebird stocking program is completely funded by purchase of a gamebird stamp, making it a “user pays” program with economic and ecological benefits to non-users. To expand ES habitat, one logical strategy is to expand the state game bird stocking program, not eliminate it. Since there is little ES habitat anyway, even if the gamebird stocking program is not expanded it certainly should not be eliminated. Elimination of the stocking program would in turn eliminate the associated ES habitat unless alternate habitat funding strategies are created.
In an effort to sustain the budget of state wildlife agencies, and avoid accepting general fund appropriations, states are engaging non-hunters and have done so more successfully than they have recruiting and retaining hunters. Hunters have historically sustained the budget of state wildlife agencies by themselves. One explanation for poor recruitment of hunters is because the largest segment of new hunters are locavores who are interested in wild game meats, not trophies. These foodies are not interested in eating only venison, and they certainly are not interested in antlers, pelts, or solving the world’s wildlife nuisance problems… It is favorable not only from the perspective of license revenue, but also from the perspective of public support of hunting to engage the growing locavore community in hunting because anti-hunting organizations are trying to interject veganism ideology into the locavore movement. Locavores can be encouraged to hunt by expanding gamebird stocking programs and legalizing mourning dove hunting. If such expansion disperses hunters over a larger area, this will also increase the opportunity to harvest ruffed grouse, woodcock, mourning dove, and cottontail proximate to gamebird stocking locations. This variety of game meat and hunting opportunity would appeal to locavores and other hunters, thereby facilitating recruitment and retention of hunters. Expanding state gamebird stocking programs should be continued as a user-pays regime to avoid defunding and using gamebird stocking as a scapegoat to drive controversy. States which do not impose a game bird stamp should consider one, if only on a voluntary basis. Not only does this fund the program, it takes the “tool” of economic arguments away from anti-hunters.