Post by LawrenceCoBowhunter on Aug 21, 2010 23:02:32 GMT -5
Here's another article that will be in todays paper.This Bloom guy seems like a jerk to me.I don't like anything about these proposed changes,well most of them anyways.
A huntin' we won't go
Some hunters complain proposed changes to deer hunting may keep them out of the woods
BY MARCELA CREPS mcreps@heraldt.com
August 22, 2010
For Daniel Terry, hunting is a family tradition.
The 67-year-old man from Mitchell taught his sons and grandsons to hunt safely. He even has plans to continue the tradition with his great-grandson when he takes the tot squirrel hunting.
“I hunted with my great-granddad and my granddad and my dad,” he said.
But when the Mitchell hunter heard about the proposed changes to the deer hunting regulations, he decided to make some serious changes to his hunting habits.
“It’s just family tradition. They’re just trying to kill it all,” Terry said.
One of his biggest complaints is the proposed shortening of the deer hunting season in November from 16 to nine days. According to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, those days will be added back in with the addition of a two-day anterless-only firearms season in October for designated counties as well as an additional eight days for anterless-only deer from Christmas until New Year’s Day.
Terry said the new November season would mean only one weekend would be available for hunters. He said that for hunters who work, it will make it more difficult for them.
“My sons and grandsons all work, and they work five days a week, and they don’t have time to go hunt except on weekends,” Terry said.
Randy Kieft, who hunts with a bow and arrow as well as a muzzleloader, said he has already expressed his opinion about the proposed changes. He also doesn’t understand some of the changes, including a shortened muzzleloader season.
“I sent back my comments, which were that if they’re wanting to harvest more deer, why shorten the gun seasons and open up a couple of gun season days and archery season in October?” said Kieft, who lives in Bloomington.
DNR communications director Phil Bloom said he’s heard from some hunters who like the proposal to change the deer hunting seasons. At a recent public meeting, Bloom said he was approached by a school teacher who was excited about the proposed December season. Bloom said the teacher thought it would be a good time for students to learn how to hunt since the November season falls when school is in session.
When asked about the reason for changing the seasons, Bloom said the focus is to reduce the deer numbers in a strategic manner. By switching more to anterless deer in October and December, the hope is to increase the ratio of female to male harvesting. With the new plan, 10 days will be for killing anterless deer, with nine days for any deer in November.
“The thinking behind that is in deer hunting, it is a fairly selective type of hunting. What deer hunter ‘A’ might shoot, deer hunter ‘B’ might pass up,” Bloom said.
Bloom said that the longer the season, the more antlered deer are harvested. The new plan would limit the time hunters have to get an antlered deer.
How hunters are taking to these explanations is unclear. Bloom said he recently spoke to two hunters who were initially adamantly opposed to the changes. After the three talked, Bloom said the hunters admitted to being more on the fence about the changes and were even leaning toward accepting the proposal.
Kieft remains unsure about how the proposed changes were designed, and said he thought the changes were “pretty terrible.”
Terry was a bit more direct. He said he’s felt harassed by DNR officials who’ve questioned him while he was out hunting. He also worried that the proposed changes will encourage hunters to poach, especially when a hunter needs to get food on the table. The shortened season in November also will be difficult if the weather is bad.
“You’re taking a gamble in buying them licenses and not getting to use them,” Terry said.
Terry hopes people will stand up against the changes, but he’s already made plans to change his hunting habits. He said he will no longer pay for the $24 license and will instead hunt on three parcels of property owned by his family where he can hunt without a license.
“I’ve got a .44 rifle that will just sit in the gun cabinet and gather dust because I’m not going to use it. I think it’s time the American stands up and said, “Stop. This is enough.’”
And his gun may not be the only one left in the cabinet. He said he’s talked to 15 other hunters who said they were also done.
“They’re not going to get anymore money,” Terry said. “I’ve had a regular hunting license for 64 years, and they’ve done nothing but take away from us all through the years. They don’t own the woods. The taxpayers own the woods. It belongs to the taxpayers.”
He also expressed concern that the shortened season will mean more people out in the woods at the same time. During his years of hunting, Terry said he’s nearly been shot seven times.
Terry hoped he could have attended one of the public comment meetings designed to get input from hunters, but the closest one to this area was Indianapolis. When asked why a meeting site closer to Bloomington wasn’t chosen, Bloom said the same could be said for the “89 other counties or whatever.”
“These were a start. This is an effort to get information to people and try to get meetings together very quickly in some strategically designed areas around the state,” he said, adding that limited time and resources made it impossible to have meetings in every county in the state.
Bloom said he knows hunting is often a family tradition, but he reiterated that, if accepted, this proposal would be implemented as a five-year experiment.
“Maybe people will develop new traditions in that time. We’re not going to know a lot of these things,” he said.
Following the public comment meetings, the proposal will be presented to the Natural Resources Commission as early as next spring. The commission members will decide what if any of the proposed changes will be implemented.
Terry said he believes the people making up these laws probably don’t hunt, and he questions the sanity of those who support these changes.
“They’re crazy. They need a shock treatment or something. I think that they’ve lost their minds,” Terry said.
A huntin' we won't go
Some hunters complain proposed changes to deer hunting may keep them out of the woods
BY MARCELA CREPS mcreps@heraldt.com
August 22, 2010
For Daniel Terry, hunting is a family tradition.
The 67-year-old man from Mitchell taught his sons and grandsons to hunt safely. He even has plans to continue the tradition with his great-grandson when he takes the tot squirrel hunting.
“I hunted with my great-granddad and my granddad and my dad,” he said.
But when the Mitchell hunter heard about the proposed changes to the deer hunting regulations, he decided to make some serious changes to his hunting habits.
“It’s just family tradition. They’re just trying to kill it all,” Terry said.
One of his biggest complaints is the proposed shortening of the deer hunting season in November from 16 to nine days. According to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, those days will be added back in with the addition of a two-day anterless-only firearms season in October for designated counties as well as an additional eight days for anterless-only deer from Christmas until New Year’s Day.
Terry said the new November season would mean only one weekend would be available for hunters. He said that for hunters who work, it will make it more difficult for them.
“My sons and grandsons all work, and they work five days a week, and they don’t have time to go hunt except on weekends,” Terry said.
Randy Kieft, who hunts with a bow and arrow as well as a muzzleloader, said he has already expressed his opinion about the proposed changes. He also doesn’t understand some of the changes, including a shortened muzzleloader season.
“I sent back my comments, which were that if they’re wanting to harvest more deer, why shorten the gun seasons and open up a couple of gun season days and archery season in October?” said Kieft, who lives in Bloomington.
DNR communications director Phil Bloom said he’s heard from some hunters who like the proposal to change the deer hunting seasons. At a recent public meeting, Bloom said he was approached by a school teacher who was excited about the proposed December season. Bloom said the teacher thought it would be a good time for students to learn how to hunt since the November season falls when school is in session.
When asked about the reason for changing the seasons, Bloom said the focus is to reduce the deer numbers in a strategic manner. By switching more to anterless deer in October and December, the hope is to increase the ratio of female to male harvesting. With the new plan, 10 days will be for killing anterless deer, with nine days for any deer in November.
“The thinking behind that is in deer hunting, it is a fairly selective type of hunting. What deer hunter ‘A’ might shoot, deer hunter ‘B’ might pass up,” Bloom said.
Bloom said that the longer the season, the more antlered deer are harvested. The new plan would limit the time hunters have to get an antlered deer.
How hunters are taking to these explanations is unclear. Bloom said he recently spoke to two hunters who were initially adamantly opposed to the changes. After the three talked, Bloom said the hunters admitted to being more on the fence about the changes and were even leaning toward accepting the proposal.
Kieft remains unsure about how the proposed changes were designed, and said he thought the changes were “pretty terrible.”
Terry was a bit more direct. He said he’s felt harassed by DNR officials who’ve questioned him while he was out hunting. He also worried that the proposed changes will encourage hunters to poach, especially when a hunter needs to get food on the table. The shortened season in November also will be difficult if the weather is bad.
“You’re taking a gamble in buying them licenses and not getting to use them,” Terry said.
Terry hopes people will stand up against the changes, but he’s already made plans to change his hunting habits. He said he will no longer pay for the $24 license and will instead hunt on three parcels of property owned by his family where he can hunt without a license.
“I’ve got a .44 rifle that will just sit in the gun cabinet and gather dust because I’m not going to use it. I think it’s time the American stands up and said, “Stop. This is enough.’”
And his gun may not be the only one left in the cabinet. He said he’s talked to 15 other hunters who said they were also done.
“They’re not going to get anymore money,” Terry said. “I’ve had a regular hunting license for 64 years, and they’ve done nothing but take away from us all through the years. They don’t own the woods. The taxpayers own the woods. It belongs to the taxpayers.”
He also expressed concern that the shortened season will mean more people out in the woods at the same time. During his years of hunting, Terry said he’s nearly been shot seven times.
Terry hoped he could have attended one of the public comment meetings designed to get input from hunters, but the closest one to this area was Indianapolis. When asked why a meeting site closer to Bloomington wasn’t chosen, Bloom said the same could be said for the “89 other counties or whatever.”
“These were a start. This is an effort to get information to people and try to get meetings together very quickly in some strategically designed areas around the state,” he said, adding that limited time and resources made it impossible to have meetings in every county in the state.
Bloom said he knows hunting is often a family tradition, but he reiterated that, if accepted, this proposal would be implemented as a five-year experiment.
“Maybe people will develop new traditions in that time. We’re not going to know a lot of these things,” he said.
Following the public comment meetings, the proposal will be presented to the Natural Resources Commission as early as next spring. The commission members will decide what if any of the proposed changes will be implemented.
Terry said he believes the people making up these laws probably don’t hunt, and he questions the sanity of those who support these changes.
“They’re crazy. They need a shock treatment or something. I think that they’ve lost their minds,” Terry said.
