Buck Hollow Sporting Goods - click or touch to visit their website Midwest Habitat Company

Honest Question......

THA4

THA4

A Few Steps Ahead Of You
First i want all of you to know this is not meant to irritate anyone, and my intentions are seriously "just to know why"

I am a "New" IBA member and am adamately against the proposed leglislation changes......

but

I spent a combined 4.5 hours in contact with state individuals via email and phone, regarding the past issue of the extended shotgun season, as i know many of you did. It seemed to me that they had their mind made up WAY before we, the hunters even caught wind of it! Thus making it seem like our voices didnt really matter...... this really bothered me, i know it takes LOTs of voices to be heard, not just one or even a few, but a majority. However, even if every hunter in the state called and said they didnt like it, i feel the state would have gone ahead with it anyhow.....

so, with the threat of doubling the NR tag pool and making NR landowners tags more readily available, etc. etc. what makes this any different?

i have had one conversation with a "high Ranknig" Biologist and he made it sound like all state officials, biologist and DNR personel are in support of this increase.....

once again, it seems to me like the decision has already been made by the individuals who are responsible for actually making the call.

my question is this.... (and i mean no disrespect!!!!)
why bother to voice my opinion if the decision has already been made???

I honestly want to know how my shared opinion can change this potential mistake?


(im gonna say this one more time.... im not "firing rockets" at any of you IBA reps, or any one who is involved politically, i just want to know.)


Thanks!!!!!!!
 
Where the punch lands the hardest is with the legislators that are assigned to you, the people who are responsible to YOU. Lots of voices from lots of constituents is where we fight the battle.

The people in the DNR are not directly accountable to us, go to the people who are. It never hurts to talk to the legislators in committee also. Do your best, it has worked in the past and will continue to if we keep doing our part. The people who are supporting this would love for you to think the battle is a looser, don't give up!
 
THAH,
I hear your frustration.
We once had a Walmart coming to town.
City wanted it but the elected people wanted to keep their jobs.
Numbers really count.

Too be honest we do not have enough numbers just by this website.
We need a lot of voices and I mean a lot. Some people do not even know what is going on. We need to really and I mean really inform them.

Not trying to be an arse (which sometimes is not hard to do) are you not an editor in chief of a magazine that goes thru out the state? Put something in there or on the front page. Maybe it is not doable.

Andy has a printing company and bow shop he can possibly print or help somehow? (Sorry Andy you are nominated /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif)

We all have friends to talk with and they can talk with them. I would think that someone can get the list of members for Iowa NWTF and Iowa Whitetails Unlimited and let their members know?

How about an internet email to people kind of like a petition?

We have business owners here who can talk with their employees.
My opinion and it is only my opinion you can talk until you are blue in the face numbers is where it is at. They need us worse than we need them. It is because of us that they are in there.

Sorry for the book but that is how I feel. I have already made calls to friends and family and they are passing it on.I am in and want to buy land and have a place for my kids to hunt.

One question that I do have: Can someone draft a letter or kind of help with a draft for some of us. It might help others whom are on the fence and do not want to do too much work.
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: risto2351</div><div class="ubbcode-body">are you not an editor in chief of a magazine that goes thru out the state? Put something in there or on the front page. </div></div>

yep!
and i already have a plan in process to do just that!!

i am involved and will continue to do as much as possible!
 
Here is mine. Please feel free to use what you want from it.



------------------------------------------------------------
Please let me first thank you for taking the time to read my concerns with SF 118 as a lifelong resident and outdoorsman of this great state. As you know there has been considerable pressure to reduce the deer herd in Iowa. While I understand the concern and know the damage they can do in a rural area as well as urban this would be a step backward for deer management in Iowa.

Non-residents are NOT coming to Iowa to help reduce the deer herd they are coming for the trophy potential that this state is so widely known for. Outfitters would have more potential customers which will enable them to increase the amount of land that is leased for the sole purpose of a few hunts a year for trophy bucks. It will also allow the non resident landowner to purchase more acres of Iowa land that will be unavailable to help reduce the amount of does in an area creating "hot spots" of over population.

A non resident is not going to pay $2200 to $2500 an acre to let residents in to hunt it, nor is an outfitter going to be willing to let enough hunters in to take enough does to make a difference. Large chunks of land either leased or bought that act as a refuge and create larger problem. It is already happening in southern Iowa.

I understand the need for revenue for our under funded Department of Natural Resources but this is going to work against the major objective of reducing the deer herd in Iowa.

Take a look at thinking out of the box on resident licenses. Create a license package that would be available for the resident hunter that would include 4 doe tags (weapon of choice) and one any sex tag (season specific). Sell it at a slightly reduced price from retail. You are giving the opportunity for the resident hunter to shoot does in any season and also allowing a perceived value which in turn would increase license revenue. If this package is purchased make each additional doe tag $5.

There are several ways to create revenue for the DNR but in this case the quick fix/easy money will created more areas that are off limits for resident hunters to do their part to control the deer herd. There is a reason that people are paying a large amount of money to hunt in Iowa, it is because we are doing things right with deer management.

Thank you for serving the residents of Iowa.

Matt Ellison
 
THAH,

Two thumbs up gremlin here.

I knew you would help anyway you could.

Trust me though I feel your pain on not being heard.
 
I agree 100 %!! I also agree with Thomas! Sometimes it seems that nothing gets done! I talk to people all the time about subjects like this, and if anyone has been to my shop when these topics come up, then you know how much I voice my opinion! The problem we have is exactly as Risto Stated, "numbers"!! SO many people take what we have for granted!!

Ask around other states, and you will find we have it really good in Iowa. Truth be told, something has to change in order for these topics to go away!

I have voiced ideas, and opinions and sometimes get tired of doing so! The problem "in my opinion" is we voice our opinions to each other! We tell other hunters our opinions and we talk amongst ourselves!! Truth is, even if we band together we are the minority! But when we divide ourselves then we are wasting our time!

We all talk about doing "stuff", but here is my question, what is "stuff"!!

I am asked a lot, why do I support the "IBA"!! And here is the conclusion I have come to!! I support the IBA because it is a voice of numbers(and not enough, thanks for joining Thomas;) )! I am the first one to say I do not agree with everything the IBA does, hell I don't agree with everything Anyone does. But for the most part the IBA does and amazing job(thank you to the IBA people) We, the members, and the non members have to find something to help our voices be heard! I am one person, and you are one person, together we are two. If everyone who reads this would join up, we would be 300! See how quickly it spreads! I am not saying anything we don't already know, but I am saying to act on that knowledge!!!

I make calls on some issues, but not all. I have opinions many of you would rip me for, but the truth is, I am one! We need something to stand behind. WE need to show OUR support. That is what makes something happen!

I challenge everyone to go through history and see what events caused stirs. And see how people joined together! Again, That is how things get done. Everything you READ(besides IW) is about Deer/car accidents, or crop damage. Our "press" doesn't get it's reports from IW, it gets it from the public! And each one of those stories is from ONE person. One persons voice, joined with others,it has formed the opinion of many! We call them uneducated, I ask this, who's fault is it that they are uneducated?

We can all tell hunting stories to each other, because we understand each other, but do we reach out to educate others?

The above reasoning is why DOUBLE A ARCHERY, and I are so supportive of youth and youth programs!! If we would rather B^tch about todays troubles then to Educate the public, then at least educate the children!!!!

UNeducated opinions are formed from other opinions, if people won't research, then for the love of God, educate them with something you believe in!!


I know this was a book, and there are no answers in here. But the main point I have is this, educate everyone you can, voice your opinion and give your support more than your criticism!!!



P.S. Thomas, like we talked about early, Let me know, I am willing to help! We are fighting the good fight!
 
well put Andy

Limb, did you send that out to every email listed on the other forum, or just a few in your district??
 
Limb I love it!!! If people are laid back, which I believe many are(and I am not saying there is anything wrong with that) then I think we can help! If we produce a letter like limbs(or use limbs) that can be agreed upon(for the majority) and get as many people as possible to forward it to all the legislators and state reps then I believe our voice will be heard!

Owning a printing company we do TONS of mailings, and guess what numbers is the game. Think of credit card junk mail... You (like your reps) may through have of them away, but sooner or later you, like everyone else, open one up and read it. If there is valid points in there, then you may just order the card! I believe we can use the same Concept here!!!!

I believe we can make this happen, the question is can we get the support?


How many active members do we have, isn't everyone on IW required to use an email address to sign up for IW? If we sent a mass email asking for help with an attached letter to be forwarded to All the reps WE ARE DAMN WELL GOING TO BE HEARD!!!!

If 1/3 of the people signed up for IW sent it on we would make a dent. And for the active people, if we sent it to our contacts, we could make a serious dent!!! Guys, we vote for these people, their job requires them to listen!!! LETS TAKE A STAND!!!
 
Thomas, are you asking a question or calling attention to a problem?

I’ve always felt if you don’t voice your opinion then you can’t complain about the outcome. No matter that a person feels the outcome of a meeting was predecided well before the meeting, and a good chairman of any board, committee, whatever, goes into a meeting knowing what the outcome of any vote is going to be before it is held, you still have to fight the good fight. We don’t have to be Don Quixote like in our tilting at windmills, the Don was nuts after all, but it is incumbent upon us to insure a future of hunting for future Iowans as well as well as current Iowans. At this point in time it is the NR tag quota we have to oppose. In ten years, who knows what it will be.

The old saying is “There is strength in numbers” but my saying “There is strength in energy” is valid too. An individual with the energy to fight for what he believes in year after year after year is a mighty force and if that individual invests in a “strength in numbers” organization that fights for his rights as well, then he is doing all he can. How could anyone do any less and feel good about themselves? The secret is in keeping up the energy, year after year after year, and Thomas, I know you have the energy.

I know my post, to this point, is one huge cliché, but it is true. I’ll even give you some more. If you are feeling down about the proposed legislation, it is because you are lacking in energy. Here is where we differ from other animals. If we see a member of our pack slowing down and getting tired we don’t abandon him or let him fall behind, we find a way to reenergize him, get him back up to speed and fight on. This is but one battle in a never ending war and he who has the most energy wins.

One more point before Limb’s ADD kicks in and he quits reading. As has been said in all the previous posts, all is not lost when there is a legislative body elected by the voters to do their bidding. The way we fight this is to contact our legislators with facts and figures, not hyperbole, as in that letter from last week. I’d even go so far as to say there should be an investment made in outside experts to “testify” on our behalf. Not the lobbyist, but a deer biologist that can counter the DNR claims on a scientific basis, that is as long as we have a sound scientific reason for wanting to move our agenda on population control forward.

I’m done with my prolixic attempt at proselytizing.

The Cliché Machine
 
I can tell you not everyone in DNR is in favor of increase and I really don't think anything is cut and dried, or agreed to.After spending a lot of time at state house the last three years I've learned people like to talk in circles and overstate their positions, whether it be support, strength and just political BS.

It is time for the sportsmen and women in this state to stand up and be heard.If you saw less deer tell your legislators tell them, tell them a 100% increase in non res tags will have a tremendous effect on the access issue for hunters in this state.

Things are getting serious and more stuff will be brought before legislature soon.If you don't want in join the IBA that's fine, join PF,QF they are strong supporters of our cause. Main thing is GET INVOLVED. We all have friends that won't get involved with anything until it's too late.Kick them in the butt and tell them it's time to man up and get political.

I realize I'm preaching to the choir here. Thanks to all IW'ers who make the calls and send the emails.

Be respectful and polite, but remind your legislator that in the fall there will be an election and you like to vote.
 
Limb,

My opinion you've done a great job of addressing how doubling the NR tags will effect the population- large increases in many areas- see SE Iowa. We also need to address the DNR's need for more revenue, which is part of the reason the DNR wants this increase. It's time that resident hunters step up and pay for the great hunting we have long enjoyed. $27 resident any sex tags should be a thing of the past. The price should be at least $40-50. Keep the antlerless tags cheap and affordable.
 
Do non-resident hunters have to buy a hunting license if they do not draw? Some states do require this. If it's truly about the money, just keep the $80 for the hunting license from the 2/3 that do not draw. I just bought an Arizona license for this reason and my odds of drawing are similar to being struck by lightning. Utah does this now too.
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Danno</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Do non-resident hunters have to buy a hunting license if they do not draw? Some states do require this. If it's truly about the money, just keep the $80 for the hunting license from the 2/3 that do not draw. I just bought an Arizona license for this reason and my odds of drawing are similar to being struck by lightning. Utah does this now too. </div></div>

You would hear more complaints about leasing of pheasant ground...
 
It's hard not to let my passions get the best of me this time of year...but this is my letter for what it's worth. I hate to see everyone sending "form" letters so altering a little while getting the point across might be best.

It is incorrect to say ALL lawmakers and IDNR are for this or any bill/change in regs and to those that see the flaw in bills such as this one...forgive me. I do know that Rep. Whitaker told me in person that only 2-3 people in the entire House hunt at all, so assuming that they have any clue to realities of life out here in the country is a big mistake.

I know full well the feeling of despair...some times I just feel like saying the he$$ with it and let them all hang themselves...but then I get a grip and do the right thing.

Just keep fighting...or there won't be anything left to fight for.... /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/frown.gif

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I am very opposed to SF-118 because it encourages Non Resident land ownership soley for the purpose of hunting deer. This is already a severe problem here in Van Buren County where thousands of acres have been bought up and posted by NR's. While this is their right it creates huge sanctuaries for deer and only worsens our deer problem. NR's come here solely to hunt big bucks and will not waste time hunting antlerless deer, nor will they allow resident hunters access.

If NR's have access to a tag every year even more will purchase land creating an impossible situation for neighoring farmers. Deer already raid our crops by night and then hurry back to the NR owned "sanctuaries" before daylight. In doing so they are hit almost nightly on the road.

It's impossible for the IDNR to do anything about this problem...more tags, longer seasons, different types of seasons are of no avail if resisdent hunters cannot have access to hunt and harvest deer in large numbers. SE Iowa is a prime example of what is becoming a very serious problem.

More NR tags also encourage more outfitters who lease land to guide out of state hunters. These hunters pay large sums of money not to hunt deer, but very elusive larger trophy class bucks. They simply will not waste time and money harvesting antlerless deer that resident hunters are more then willing to do.

Becky, I'm aware that deer are not one of your priorties but I'm hoping you will be aware of the potential for disastor if this bill passes. Our DNR and lawmakers are very unaware of the problem they have already created and how out of control it can still get.

Thank you so much for your time and all your efforts on our behalf. Please call me if I can answer any questions as a sportsmen and resident of Van Buren county.</div></div>
 
I concur with the comments J Barton posted concerning resident hunting licenses. I would glady pay more for my anysex tags as a resident of Iowa if I knew that the additional revenues were directed to more enforcement staff and additional public land acquisitions.

Dbltee - excellent composition, well done !!
 
If anyone wants to use any of this letter please feel free to do so. /forum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Dear

I personally am opposed to SR 118 and I would like to urge you to voice your support against this devastating proposal. I am not against non residents hunting in Iowa, but the current 6,000 either sex tags for non resident hunters is a reasonable tag allocation. As you are aware SF 118 will increase the number of NR tags to 12,000.

An increase in non resident deer tags is not the solution for the current deer population. I understand that an increase in non resident hunters may initially provide more money into the state coffers and local economies. However, I urge you to look at the long range ramifications from an increase in non resident deer tags. Increasing the number of non resident tags will ultimately increase the number of deer in Iowa. Outfitters and non resident hunters will lease or purchase property in Iowa reducing the available acreage for resident hunters.

These properties that are leased or purchased by non resident hunters will become deer sanctuaries. The non resident hunter will lease or purchasing property in Iowa to shoot antlered deer, not antlerless deer. Those same non residents aren’t about to allow resident hunters access to the property to harvest the antlerless deer either. We already are seeing this trend at an alarming rate in Southwest, South central, and Southeast Iowa.

Something else to think about, when resident hunters no longer have a place to hunt, they are no longer spending money. The state looses revenue from hunting licenses, habitat stamps, and deer tags. The local economies loose revenue from lodging, gasoline, food consumption, and hunting equipment.

There is not an over population of deer in many Iowa counties other than in and around metropolitan areas, in state & county parks, and land that is already leased by outfitters, non residents, and yes in some cases resident hunters. All of the above mentioned are nothing but huge deer sanctuaries!

Respectfully submitted for your consideration,

your name,
your town, Ia.</div></div>
 
I think we are all hitting the nail on the head here in one way or another. I personally have lost literally TENS OF THOUSANDS of acres to out of state leasing knowing full-well that these farms now hold way more deer than ever, but rights have been sold and locked away. Iowa DOES need to reduce its' deer herd whether we want to say it or not, but I agree that giving NR's more tags will only make things worse.
To quote (I will butcher this in one way or another) central Iowa's Pheasants Forever Regional Biologist Dave VanWaus, "If 20 (?) calls are made to our legislator in ONE DAY on the same topic, that is automatically considered a CRISIS, which must be acted upon in a timely manner".
Now I'm not here to speak down on anybody's posts here because we are all fighting the same fight. I'm not sure a package deal would work unless it were county specific because not all areas of Iowa have the 'too many deer' problem. I fear that what we are dealing with is a kick in our own arse, in some respects.
As many of you have said, us Iowan's do have it good. WE have done a great job of managing our deer herd, so good in fact, that we have made them too healthy and have raised the carrying capacity for our land and continue to do so at an exponential rate. It's hard to reduce a herd when each surving doe has twins or trips the following spring. And it's especially hard to do so when NR's have so much land under lock and key, land that is managed to it's greatest potential only to see hunters a couple weekends a year looking to score their once in a lifetime deer.
Our answer is to get involved, and we need to raise money, because a well-funded opinion goes a lot farther than a phone call or a letter.
Sorry to ramble, but as a young outdoors enthusiast, I am truly scared at our future.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom