The Peasant Wars

(Republished by permission)

Opinion by George Dovel

George Dovel is Editor and Publisher of The Outdoorsman.

In 2003, North America’s foremost wildlife scientist, Dr. Valerius Geist, made the following observations:

“The miracle of North American conservation is that it is basically a blue-collar system, grounded in the political and financial support and the active participation of large numbers of middle-class citizens who bring their basic honesty and decency to bear on important issues. This is just the opposite of the elitist system that has existed throughout Europe for centuries and is spreading like cancer around the world today, even right here at home. Read more

Idaho’s Wolf Hunting Rules Will Be Ineffective, Illegal

I may be putting the cart before the horse here somewhat in anticipation that eventually the gray wolf in parts of this country will be removed from federal protection and put back in the hands of the states. If and when that happens will the current plans to manage wolf populations be effective? In fact, will authorities be able to have any control at all over wolves with the plans they have?

Idaho has some serious problems with their wolf management plans. I suspect that in the next issue of the Outdoorsman, we will all be educated by the editor and publisher, George Dovel, to the extent of which the Idaho Department of Fish and Game has overstepped their authority in creating wolf management plans. (This is all part of dealing with a fee increase being requested by the IDFG Commission.) Read more

Senators Crapo and Risch Sell Out Republican Party and Idaho

Guest commentary by Dr. Rex Rammell (edited 1/16/2009)

It didn’t take Risch long to show his true colors. On his very first vote, Risch joined Crapo and 10 other liberal Republican and 54 Democrat senators to stop a Republican filibuster, which would have continued debate and allowed for possible amendments to the huge omnibus public land grab bill currently before the U.S. Senate. Read more

Did Feds Address Court Rulings For Wolf Delisting?

Yesterday Deputy Interior Secretary Lynn Scarlett announced the intentions of the Department and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to remove the gray wolf from protection of the Endangered Species Act in the Western Great Lakes region and portions of the Northern Rocky Mountains. Following legal procedures, the USFWS will post the Final Rule in the Federal Registry next week and then 30 days thereafter, the rule takes effect.

The process of attempting to get the wolf delisted has been a confusing mess, mired in lawsuits, twisted out of shape by frustrating and puzzling rulings by judges and just as disturbing was the direction or seemingly lack thereof, the Feds took in dealing with the issue. Read more

Does Trophy Hunting Spoil The Gene Pool?

Yesterday I posted a rebuttal to a Newsweek article that supported the theory that trophy hunting was creating “weak and scrawny” game animals. The Newsweek article used information from a study done on big horn sheep on Ram Mountain in Alberta, Canada, that made the claim by some involved in that study that in 30 years it was trophy hunting that had caused a reduction in body size and horn length and mass. Since that posting, my mailbox has filled up with information.

Trophy hunting, as used in this post and related articles, can be best described as the effort of hunters to select an animal for harvesting that has large antlers/horns in combination with big body mass. The theory is that this type of harvesting selection is creating weaker and smaller species because hunters are culling out the best of the litters to hang on their walls. This simply is not true. Read more

Trophy Hunting Produces Survival Of Weak And Scrawny?

This is by far not a new topic but one that has shown its face in the media world once again. I’m talking about the theory that trophy hunting culls out the best of the litter in game animals, dumbing down the genes and weakening the species.

A recent article published in Newsweek magazine once again raises the question. Read more

Opposition To Idaho F&G License Fee Increase Proposal

As many of you have probably already heard, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game is proposing a substantial license fee increase that involves every license both resident and nonresident. There has been serious opposition to this increase, not so much for the increase itself but because of what many in opposition call extremely poor management, illegal use of license fee money to fund non game activities and the waste of funds on unwanted gray wolves and the costs of the federal program.

Below are two letters being circulated by several individuals and groups opposed to the IDFG rate increase. These letters and others like them, have been sent to members of the Idaho Legislature.

The first is a copy of a letter sent to Idaho’s Senator Little by a concerned citizen. Read more

Another Heavy Snow Year Leaving Officials And Hunters Concerned

With reports of areas in Northern Idaho seeing in excess of 100 inches of snow already this winter, many are becoming concerned that a back to back season of severe snow levels and cold will further cause high mortality of the deer, moose and elk herds.

The Coeur d’Alene Press reports that Jim Hayden, Fish and Game’s regional wildlife manager, is concerned deer kill will mirror last season. Read more