By Glen Wunderlich Outdoor Columnist Member Professional Outdoor Media Association
A poll conducted last month concluded that 90 percent of sportsmen are very likely to vote in the upcoming midterm elections. This survey conducted by Safari Club International (SCI) indicates an extremely high level of dissatisfaction among outdoor enthusiasts in government’s role in not only wildlife management but constitutional protections that have been stomped into the ground in recent years.
The smiling, talking heads will say anything to get elected, but when their voting records are scrutinized, their weasel words cannot disguise their records. And, if we are to believe anything…well, a skunk just doesn’t change his scent.
SCI President, Larry Rudolph said, “Hunters are standing ready to protect their sport, and the jobs and economic benefits it brings to rural communities, in the voting booth this year. Our poll shows that the sportsmen’s community is more interested in these elections than ever before, and hunters stand ready to vote on November 2nd.”
The poll, conducted in September and based on responses from 500 randomly selected self-identified sportsmen nationwide, also found:
· Nearly half (47%) believe sportsmen’s interests are underrepresented by the government in Washington, D.C. · Nearly eight in 10 (79%) sportsmen believe things in the country have gotten off on the wrong track. · Ninety-three percent (93%) of sportsmen are concerned about gun ownership rights,with 74% saying they are “very” concerned. · Three in five(60%) sportsmen also say they are very concerned about potential new laws governing ammunition and protecting the environment. · An overwhelming majority (92%) believe each state should manage and regulate its own wildlife opposed to the federal government.
Opposition to sportsmen continues to be strong, as evidenced by a recent case in Maine. A few days ago, a Federal Court of Appeals shot down an effort by anti-hunting groups to end trapping in the state. The Animal Welfare Institute attempted to manipulate the Endangered Species Act (ESA) to ban trapping by alleging that the Canada lynx – a species listed as threatened under the ESA – was not afforded enough protection under Maine’s regulations.
U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation president and CEO, Bud Pidgeon, said, “It was clear all along that anti-hunters were looking to set a precedent that could be used in state after state to shut down not only trapping, but hunting and fishing as well. With this strong decision, antis are going to have a far more difficult time doing this.”
The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation protects and defends America’s wildlife conservation programs and the pursuits – hunting, fishing, trapping, and shooting – that generate the money to pay for them. The foundation is responsible for public education, legal defense and research.
Although this case may have been concluded, without an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court and its unlikely probability of being heard, we can be assured that another one just like it is in the wings. The antis are well-funded and relentless and will look for another issue to further their cause.
In the meantime, we sportsmen will continue to hunt and fish and will continue to fund wildlife conservation so that animals like the wild turkey and deer, that once were endangered, will flourish – not in spite of hunting – but because of it and the funding it generates through sportsmen’s dollars.
The least we can do as sportsmen is to stand up and be counted November 2nd.
