Seems like this time of year, every year, these issues come up and round and round we go.
For us in the western half of the state we are faced with a huge drop in numbers due to the drought and EHD. I have more than made the state aware of the issues we are facing next fall. Fewer deer to hunt!
As far as the process goes our focus should be to have it driven by the biologist not the politicians.
For me and as I watch goverment take a bigger and bigger role in the well being of it's citizens it reminds me of the Robin Hood Story. Let me copy and paste:
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Robin Hood[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The story of Robin Hood is so well known that it scarcely needs to be reviewed, but don't worry, I'll do it anyway. The "facts ", at least one romantic version of them, are these. In the time of Richard the Lionheart a minor noble of Nottinghamshire, one Robin of Loxley, was outlawed for poaching deer. Now at that time the deer in a a royal forest belonged to the king, and killing one of the king's deer was therefore treason, and punishable by death. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]So Robin took to the greenwood of Sherwood Forest, making a living by stealing from rich travellers and distributing the loot among the poor of the area. In the process he gained a band of followers and a spouse, Maid Marian. Despite the best efforts of the evil Sherrif of Nottingham he avoided capture until the return of King Richard from the Crusades brought about a full pardon and the restoration of Robin's lands. In other versions he dies at the hands of a kinswoman, the abbess of Kirklees Priory. That, in a very small nutshell, is the legend, but is there truth behind it?[/FONT]
So, who's deer are they and who should write the rules? Sorry, I couldn't resist!