|
[ Return to Contents
| Post a Reply
| Post a new message
]
Respect
Posted by bushrat on Mar 24 2006
Sam
I am shocked and disappointed at the way you came at this whole thing. As David Johnson said, placing blame on the biologist (which you are still doing) is like blaming the cop who pulled you over for a violation. Both are just doing the job mandated by the state. To publicly disrespect a man, a biologist...is just not the way to go about changing things that don't work out in your favor. It makes you look bad, hunters on the whole look bad, and accomplishes nada but bad feelings and resentment.
Enough of that, but I wanted to make that point if it will be allowed.
About the gist of your conclusions, I have a couple comments:
#2 "I have noticed and observed the actions of the past and present biologist for the unit. There is some big differances. Plus we had higher moose numbers with the old biologist with more hunters "
It means ABSOLUTELY NOTHING (even if true) that with a former biologist there were higher moose numbers with more hunters. Things could have changed. Populations do change. You simply can't base conclusions by placing blame where it doesn't belong (on the area biologist). You can look at several game units in Alaska where ungulate populations have either decreased or increased dramatically, for various reasons, over the past twenty years, and hunter numbers have fluctuated. Using your line of reasoning, one could simply blame former and current bios just because things have changed...it is a senseless argument and doesn't wash.
"#4 I have read the long term goals set by the biologist from years ago and it was part of his goal for all of this to happen. Almost as he was forecsting the future."
Again, you are blaming the biologist. Your real beef is probably with the Middle Yukon Advisory Committee members who approved this proposal, and the Board of Game.
"This proposal IMO was 100% to make the locals on the river happy and not based on very sound biological fact."
Now that is a very interesting comment! I could say the same thing about all the predator control programs <grin>. All the proposals are about making somebody happy! Locals, non-locals, residents, non-residents...everyone wants their allocation, wants things a certain way. I think that all you guys who have pushed for widespread predator control have shot yourselves in the feet in some ways. You can't have your cake and eat it too. Start claiming there are predator pits...espouse the killing of bears and wolves to "solve" this, but in doing so you must validate ADFG density estimates, or agree with them. On the one hand, when hunters say we need to kill predators, they are saying there aren't enough ungulates, and in saying there aren't enough ungulates, they are also tacitly saying there may be too many hunters right now for a particular area. Surprise surprise when the Board agrees with the Middle Yukon AC. Or other Advisory Committees.
In conclusion, Sam, I want to say that while I understand and appreciate your passion for moose hunting and your real desire to hunt in a certain area with friends and/or family, I really have a hard time when I read former posts about your Yukon hunt that don't jibe at all with what you are saying now about boat traffic and hunting pressure. You mentioned in the past setting out a cow moose decoy to fool other boats into pulling over, at which point you would stand up and wave from the bushes to let them know you "got them" or whatever. And that this really angered other hunters (naturally!) and that afterward you had some gas stolen from camp. Yet now you talk about only seeing one boat, or few hunters...I don't know what to believe.
In closing, I want to say that I respect your passion for hunting and your drive in fighting for what you believe in. I have found there is a right way and a wrong way to go about that. Blaming area biologists is the wrong way.
Sincerely,
Mark
Previous: Good Post Bushrat 375ultramag Mar 24 2006
Next: You have done your homework. 375ultramag Mar 25 2006
 Message Thread:
|
