NCWRC Big Game Committee Meeting
July 8, 2009
I suspect like many of you other then the family time the rest of my vacation time I save to use during hunting season. Yesterday I used some of that time to attend the Commissioners meeting on Big Game because that seems to be where much of the stuff that affects our hunting comes from that committee.
Over the next few days I’ll go into depth on what was discussed at this 3 + hour meeting because there was a lot. The three main topics for yesterday’s meeting were; Bear hunting and baiting, Dog hunting in general, and should the state adopt a formal Quality Deer Management program.
I will say this that the average Joe hunter (which I consider myself one)needs to pay attention to what is going on because by far only the special interest groups seem to be represented at the meeting. Yesterday’s meeting there was about 20 to 25 people observing most of them were from the Bear Hunters Association and then a few from the Bow Hunters Association. There were only a handful of folks that was not associated with either of those two groups.
Don’t get me wrong these groups do a lot to preserve and advocate for our sport and I’m glad we have them. However their views are often one sided and may not represent the general view of the hunting community but rather their smaller group they represent. We saw that earlier in the crossbow fight.
Every year I attend the public hearings and give input on what is proposed and feel for the most part I’m pretty involved in the shaping of our sport here in North Carolina but maybe there is more that I can do. The meetings that are happening throughout the year are the ones I’m beginning to believe really shape the future of our sport. Voting and commenting on the proposals at a public hearing is good but can we have better impact by influencing what may get on the annual proposals in the first place? I think so or at least I’m going to check it out and see. I can’t make all the meetings but I’m certainly going to try to make a number of them. I may miss a day or two sitting in a treestand or a blind but maybe it will be worth it to see what takes place at the commissioners meeting and the future of our sport.
So now I’ll try to formulate some posts around what happened at yesterday’s meeting so stand by.
Moose Droppings is a place that chronicles my journey, I’ll explore new places and ideas I’ll learn new things and I’ll teach the things I’ve learned to others. Join me on the adventure and hopefully it will help you in your outdoor endeavors.
[...] the Big Game Committee Meeting some of the Commissioners pointed out that their intent was not to allow houndsmen the opportunity [...]