The Outdoor Changes

Jordan McKellips

2-11-12

Over the many of years that I have been hunting I like others see that there has been an increase of the regulations in hunting fishing.  This in part, I think has to do with hunter/fishermen decline across the wisconsin.  Although there is a list of many things that are known to be a problem but this is also something that can’t be cured over night.  Many of us hunters are going to put more time into hunting than kids can.  So I think it would be nice is to get more kids involved, but at the same time, more college aged students too. One thing that will help is, having an earlier season for first time hunters to go with a mentor that have been hunting for years.  Which this is already implemented in many areas, but this needs to be more available for everyone.  One thing is that you need people that are committed to hunting and fishing to be involved with these programs.

With the regulations becoming longer and more complicated, this is scaring more people away. For instance, guys don’t want to hunt geese because they didn't remember if they called in a goose and are afraid of getting a fine.  Why do we have this punching a tag and calling in birds, when no other states have is type of system.  If they want a more information send out a form before or after seasons to survey how many birds were harvested by that one person.  Then when you do go to buy next years license, they ask you again how many birds you harvested in the last season.  What if they were to give you a form to fill out throughout the season that you fill out and send in.  I know that many people don’t like doing this and forget to fill things out but the only way I seem to remember to fill out those tags and call in my geese, is to write out every hunt that I go on.  This can also help with scouting and what better way to remember a hunt in the Great Outdoors….   

With the constant changing of rules, yearly we as hunters shouldn't have to read the regulations 20 times a year to make sure that your legal.  Another thing is the cost if the licenses, year after year and with this economy some people can't afford to enjoy the outdoors.  This is also another issue to getting more new people involved in hunting.  New hunters may not understand the rules that are implemented.  I’ll use a trout fishing rule that has been controversial over the last couple years and that is the rules of what kind of fish you can keep on a certain stretch of river.  You have to know exactly where you are every time you fish.  I mean you could have one half of the river be one type of regulation and the other half be something else but not every bridge or other markers to change the regulations in one specific area.

Overall these mentor programs that are being used across the state but you still have to sell hunting to the parents that are going to buy the equipment and to hunt with them.  That’s why you need to start looking into using these programs in college age levels and using college age students to help run these programs.  There are many of people that hunt throughout many of the colleges in Wisconsin and are willing to help with these hunting programs.