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Stop whining and ACT!

JNRBRONC

JNRBRONC

Well-Known Member
I've grown increasingly tired of the threads about "there are no deer", the "DNR wants them extinct", "Farm Bureau this", "Insurance Lobby that" on this and other forums. Please don't come here to whine, as it does NO GOOD!

What does work? Write the DNR and your legislators in a polite and rational manner, calmly explaining your opinions.

I recently made contact with a person within the DNR stating that there was a fair amount of hunter unrest on the forums and this was part of the email I received in reply:
I think it is important to emphasize that although the DNR established initial goals to work towards around the state, sportsmen will play an important role in determining what the “right” number of deer is for an area. That is because the department is trying to achieve a social balance among the various interests that are concerned about deer numbers and often these interests conflict with one another. The input of sportsmen is needed to help provide that social balance. The goals initially established by the DNR are felt to be reasonable ones but they are still subject to the will of the people. While comments to forums will provide an interchange among sportsmen; commenting to the DNR (as you have done) will strengthen that voice and if you and others feel strongly about this matter, observations and comments could be shared with local elected representatives as they are also important decision makers in this process.

The "social balance" theme blends well with 'Bonkers CCC thread. Do everyone who reads these forums a favor and write your reps instead of coming here and "preaching to the choir".

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I have emailed the heck out of my Reps, and those on the NRC committees, and even those that are not my Reps, to the point that they are tired of hearing it also.
 
loneranger said:
I have emailed the heck out of my Reps, and those on the NRC committees, and even those that are not my Reps, to the point that they are tired of hearing it also.
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That's a start.;)

But EVERYONE here needs to contact them, not just one or two or 50%. Everybody! And I don't care if you say you have too many deer/too few deer. Tell them what you think the reason is for your local deer numbers are.
 
Ted Nugent was at the IBA Spring Banquet a few years back. One of the things he said that stuck with me was,"Your legislators should know your name and fear it!" I don't agree with the fear part, but they should know your name. Hopefully they also regard you as a rational person who wants to be part of the solution to their legislative problems and not just a pain in their backside.
 
turkeyriver said:
Ted Nugent was at the IBA Spring Banquet a few years back. One of the things he said that stuck with me was,"Your legislators should know your name and fear it!" I don't agree with the fear part, but they should know your name. Hopefully they also regard you as a rational person who wants to be part of the solution to their legislative problems and not just a pain in their backside.
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Good advice. Putting a name to an opinion is time well spent. I think a person can triple their impact on the DNR and the legislature. How? Well, join the IBA (http://www.iowabowhunters.org/) and when the IBA lobbies, they can say they represent X number of hunters. Align with Iowa Whitetails Forever (http://www.iowawhitetailsforever.com/), then when they interact with the DNR and the legislator, they can claim they speak for X numbers of people. Finally, personal contacts with the DNR and legislators is key, because it is easy for them to blow off membership numbers provided to them, more so than someone willing to go to the effort to contact them and present their personal story and views.
 
The IDNR deer biologist has been at every IBA Spring Banquet Board meeting I've been to.
If any IBA members want to chat with him, that's an awful good place to do it. During the board meeting he gives a presentation on the deer issues, takes questions during his presentation and usually sticks around to chat for a little bit after the meeting.

You can come to IW and sound off all ya want about deer issues, in the end it means NOTHING! If you care, make your contacts. Simple as that.
 
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Bronc.

You have touched on one side of the coin. The other side is we have to police our own ranks. Just because we have 2500 doe tags to fill in a county, doesn't mean we have to go out and shoot 30 deer a piece. I admit, 4 years ago the deer numbers on my farm were outrageous. Me and my buddies did our share of killing. Now I see what the DNR and its lobbyists are doing, so this year and every year after that "I" will decide how many deer need to be taken off my property. Once I reach that number, I am done hunting. Which brings me to the late rifle season. If there was ever a time to NOT be shooting at deer in Iowa, late January is the time. Last year a neighbor let some guys go hunt and 3 of them managed to shoot 5 shed bucks. Man was I ever angry. I decided to not ever hunt the late rifle season, instead I take the predator call and see if a coyote is hungry.

It reminds me of the movie Field of Dreams, "build it and they will come"
DNR, Lobbyists, "Give them tags and they will shoot"

Everytime you pull the trigger you have made a management decision. just some food for thought.
 
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