Hunting, fishing heritage subject of meeting

The future of hunting in Montana was the focus of a lively panel discussion Saturday at the Montana Wildlife Federation’s annual meeting in Helena.

Ron Moody, one of five members of the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission, said the state is poised at its tipping point in its role of being one of the last places where the North American model for hunting and fishing is still valid. He fears that Montana will fall into more of a European, or “Texas” model where people have to pay to hunt on private ground if people who enjoy those outdoor activities don’t step forward to protect their heritage.

“If that happens, people either will pay a private hunting club and go commercial, they’ll settle for what they can get on public land, or they’ll quit hunting,” Moody said. “The Rocky Mountain states, with their huge public lands, are the last holdouts. We need powerful, purposeful leaders or that will change.”

Commissioner Shane Colton added that for Montana’s hunting heritage to continue, the state has to engage more female and young hunters. He noted that at a recent hunter education class in Lewiston, the majority of students were young women.

“It’s not just the old boys club; women are belonging to rod and gun clubs and that’s wonderful,” Colton said.

He agreed with Moody that traditional hunting grounds need to be protected through the use of block management grants and conservation easements on private property to ensure people still have places to chase big game animals. Ensuring that people also have access to places where they can practice shooting also is important.

“In Billings … we have so many opportunities to go out and practice at shooting ranges,” Colton said. “Fish, Wildlife and Parks has done a fine job partnering with gun clubs that can stay open to the public using grants. You can’t underestimate how important that is. Many of our neighboring states don’t have these opportunities to learn how to make safe, successful shots.”

Four out of five members on the panel — which along with Colton and Moody included Commissioner Bob Ream, FWP Director Joe Maurier and FWP Fish and Wildlife Administrator Dave Risley — simply answered “no” when asked by moderator Stan Meyer if an increase in nonresident hunting licenses was the best way to fund the department and its activities.

But Maurier added that while no probably is the correct answer, it could make them their own worst enemies.

“If we really believe in the public trust doctrine, then why does every state in the union make it so damn hard for anybody not living in their state to come enjoy the resources?” he rhetorically asked the 75 people listening to the discussion. “It’s easy to sit back and just say that’s the way it is. But if we are all hunters and part of the same heritage, how do we reconcile that?”

He added that about half of the department’s funding comes from out-of-state hunters, and wondered aloud why Western states treat their customers so poorly.

“Would any other business do that? I’ll leave it at that,” he said.

All of the panel members agreed that the five-week general hunting season, which follows the archery season, is sustainable, with Maurier noting that they can easily “grow more elk” but need to work on better relationships with landowners for continued access to those elk.

“We need to repair and restore our convivial relationship with landowners,” Moody added. “That’s the single most important challenge.”

The Silence of the Lambs

Source: http://helenair.com