This from www.humanewatch.org

There’s been a fight in many states over how to manage the resurgent wolf populations. The gray wolf, which was once hunted to near extinction, has through the past few decades made a substantial recovery and is no longer endangered in certain areas of the US. That has led some states to propose different management plans, because wolves can, for example, kill animals on ranches.

Michigan planned to have a limited wolf hunting season to help manage the population of the predator. But this was reflexively opposed by HSUS, an organization that is against hunting–its CEO has even spoken against hunting for food. What’s happened since has been a bit of gamesmanship.

Essentially, the Michigan legislature allowed for the hunting of wolves (there are estimated to be 600 in the Upper Peninsula) after the delisting of the animals. HSUS tried to start a ballot measure to overturn this law. Then, the legislature passed a second law to neutralize this HSUS initiative. HSUS then started a second initiative to overturn this law.

Then, hunting and conservation advocates started their own initiative, proposing a law that would neutralize the second HSUS ballot measure. They turned in about 300,000 signatures last month, and the initiative was sent to the legislature for consideration. (The legislature has 40 days to either approve the bill or put it on the ballot.) Yesterday, the Michigan Senate approved the measure, and the House is expected to do so within two weeks.
In other words, HSUS’s two initiative drives will be pointless. HSUS will have been outmaneuvered. Read more

Over 297,000 Michigan voters signed petitions to base wildlife decisions on sound science.

LANSING—Today the Michigan Senate passed the Scientific Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, a citizen initiative brought to the Legislature by the signatures of almost 300,000 registered Michigan voters led by the Citizens for Professional Wildlife Management, a coalition of conservation, hunting, fishing and trapping organizations.

“This is a significant step that recognizes the efforts of thousands of volunteers and hundreds of thousands of Michigan voters to ensure that sound science is the deciding factor in fish and wildlife conservation decisions,” said Matt Evans, legislative affairs manager for Michigan United Conservation Clubs. “Today, the Senate listened to the will of almost 300,000 of their constituents who exercised their constitutional right to propose legislation to their democratically-elected representatives.”

On July 24, The Michigan Board of State Canvassers certified over 297,000 signatures of registered Michigan voters to place the Scientific Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act before the Legislature. The act would share the authority for naming game species between the Legislature and the Natural Resources Commission (NRC), which is require to use sound science in its game decisions. The act also grants the NRC the authority to issue fisheries order, under the same sound science mandate, protects those fisheries with a $1 million rapid response fund for aquatic invasive species, and preserves free hunting and fishing licenses for active military members.

The act also defeats two referendums sponsored by the Humane Society of the United States, which is seeking to prevent a regulated hunting season on wolves in certain areas of the Upper Peninsula with high rates of livestock and pet depredation. In the past few weeks, five dogs have been killed by wolves in the Upper Peninsula. The Humane Society of the United States, which recently had its charity rating stripped by Charity Navigator, is also sponsoring anti-hunting initiatives in Maine and at the federal level.

The Scientific Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act now heads to the Michigan House of Representatives, which passed a similar measure last summer on a bipartisan basis.

Citizens for Professional Wildlife Management is a coalition of conservation, hunting, fishing and trapping groups and individuals including the Michigan chapters of Safari Club International, the Michigan Bear Hunters Association, Michigan United Conservation Clubs, the Michigan Trappers and Predator Callers Association, the Michigan Hunting Dog Federation, the Upper Peninsula Sportsmen’s Alliance, U.P. Whitetails, Inc., the U.P. Bear Houndsmen, and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. The act has also received the endorsement of the National Wildlife Federation, the Michigan Salmon and Steelheader Fishermen’s Association, the Lake St. Clair Walleye Association, the Lake St. Clair chapter of Muskies, Inc., and numerous local conservation groups throughout Michigan.

DALLAS — During a visit to Dallas, Tanzania’s top wildlife official told the Dallas Morning News that the U.S. ban on importing ivory would not curb illicit trafficking. Instead, the move “benefits the poachers. It only assures that more elephants will get killed.” Read more

August 7, 2014

Safari Club International (SCI) filed a lawsuit in federal court on August 6, 2014, challenging a California law that bans the importation, transportation, and possession of mountain lions hunted outside of California.  The California law, enacted in 1990 through a voter initiative, has discouraged hunters in California from hunting mountain lions in others states and countries.  SCI’s members in California and surrounding states strongly encouraged SCI to challenge this misguided ban.

“For too long California has interfered with the hunting of mountain lions in other states by residents of California,” said SCI President Craig Kauffman.  “Back in 1990, ill-informed California voters decided it was a good idea to take the management of this predator species out of the hands of the wildlife professionals.  Not only did they ban mountain lion hunting within the state, but they went further and tried to impose on other states their misguided views on mountain lion hunting.  The result was a harmful and illegal ban on the importation of mountain lions hunted outside of California.” Read more

GW:  They’ve sent me some great gear over the years- for members only, no less.  The tote bags are good for carrying hunting gear, as long as you remember to turn them inside out.  And, those cute gardening gloves – good for one oil change and lube.

Here’s the latest from www.humanewatch.org…

Given that the Humane Society of the United States spends about half of its budget on overhead—including tens of millions of dollars of fundraising costs that it misleadingly calls “program spending”—there’s no shortage of doodads and tchotchkes that wind up in people’s mailboxes. We’ve seen HSUS calendars, HSUS tote bags, and HSUS t-shirts. But now someone has sent us a pair of HSUS socks that he received in the mail.

Really? Socks?

Maybe HSUS should consider the symbolism of sending people something that is associated with bad stenches. After all, HSUS is an organization that only gives 1% of the money it raises to pet shelters, that recently stuffed $26 million into Caribbean accounts instead of giving that money to help needy animals, and that pays $400,000 a year to a CEO who has said “I don’t love animals or think they are cute.” Read more

The Humane Society of the United States – the biggest anti-hunting organization in the country – is up to its old tricks again, sending its lobbyists to Lansing and threatening frivilous lawsuits against the citizen-backed initiative to protect hunting rights by making fish and wildlife decisions with sound science.

You worked hard to get this initiative before the legislature, collecting almost 300,000 signatures from registered Michigan voters. Just last week, the Board of State Canvassers approved the petitions. Now it’s up to the Legislature to listen to voters like you and pass the Scientific Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act.

But they’re getting pressure and robo-calls from the Humane Society of the United States urging your representatives to ignore you, the 300,000 voters who signed the petition, and the 750,000 hunters and 1.2 million anglers in Michigan.

Your state representative needs to hear from you TODAY that you support the Scientific Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act and they need to vote for it this August!

Don’t let the Humane Society of the United States take away your hunting rights; Find your representative’s phone number by clicking here and call today!

(Columbus, Ohio) – Sportsmen, conservation organizations and outdoor personalities met at the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance (USSA) headquarters yesterday to develop strategies to counter the recent increase in cyber-attacks on hunters.

The group makes up the Hunter Advancement Task Force with most members sharing a common theme of having been targeted by animal rights activists through social media.

“This is a great opportunity to start developing ways to hold those responsible for the recent wave of cyber-attacks against sportsmen accountable,” said Nick Pinizzotto, USSA president and CEO. “The task force is not only working to stop direct attacks on hunters but also discussing how best to educate the public on the vital role sportsmen play in the conservation of all wildlife.”

Attendees included outdoor television personalities Melissa Bachman and Jana Waller, Colorado hunter Charisa Argys along with her father Mark Jimerson,  Doug Saunders of the National Wild Turkey Federation, Bill Dunn of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, John Jackson of Conservation Force, Dennis Foster of the Masters of Foxhounds Association, Tony Schoonan of the Boone and Crockett Club and Mark Holyoak of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Other attendees included USSA President and CEO, Nick Pinizzotto, Evan Heusinkveld, USSA vice president of government affairs, Bill Horn, USSA director of federal affairs, Michelle Scheuermann of Bullet Proof Communications and author Michael Sabbeth.

Bachman, a television producer and host, found her life and career threatened after posting a photo of an African lion she harvested to her Facebook page last year. Almost immediately, Bachman came under attack from anti-hunters around the world. Bachman also found herself the target of death threats that “hit way too close for comfort” when anti-hunters showed up at her office.

“Regardless of your beliefs about hunting, Americans can all agree that threatening someone’s life is simply unacceptable.” said Bachman. Read more