The Chairman Plays 10 Questions With WRAL

Raleigh TV Station WRAL does a series where they pick out a leader a week and let viewers submit questions for that leader. Then that leader answers 10 questions and they post them on the website. The most recent one was North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission Chairman Steve Windham. Chairman Windham took a variety of questions with the most common theme being access for hunting and fishing in the state. It’s no secret that development continues to sprawl across the state access is lost for many outdoor activities.

As a result of continued acquisitions and cooperative agreements with other state, federal, corporate and private landowners, the game land acreage in our state has increased to more than 2 million acres.
The Wildlife Resources Commission currently owns approximately one-half million acres in fee title, and more than half of that has been acquired since 1990, largely as a result of the funding opportunities provided by the creation of the North Carolina Natural Heritage and Clean Water Management Trust Funds, along with the support of numerous conservation partners that have worked with us to identify and protect these valuable properties in conservation ownership.
Within the last couple of years, we have just completed one of the largest land acquisition projects in the agency’s history. In a deal brokered by The Nature Conservancy, we have added 66,000 acres of former International Paper Company lands to our game lands program in the Upper Tar, Roanoke and Chowan River Basins. Incidentally, this acquisition will be featured in the October 2009 issue of our Wildlife in North Carolina magazine.

Other themes he touched on were dealing with wildlife that has become problematic and destructive and of course the hunting ban on Sunday’s that continues to be a hot button issue. Overall a pretty good selection of issues to cover in this small format forum that WRAL “Ask Anything”.
While it would appear that many of the folks that they interview for this section seem hard to get up with and talk to for the average person I honestly don’t believe this is the case with Chairman Windham or any of the other wildlife commissioners. My interactions with them whether in person or through email has always been good even when we talked about issues we didn’t agree on. So I guess what I’m saying is if you have a question that wasn’t covered in the 10 Chairman Windham answered contact him or one of the commissioners and get it addressed.

New Hunting & Fishing Regulations Posted

The NCWRC has released the new regulations book for the coming year on line version is available and hard copies should be showing up at the license agents soon. This had looked to be a monumental year in the hunting arena with what seemed like the approval of the use of crossbows, archery hunting on Sunday, as well as the addition of a second week of muzzle loader but all of that got delayed on some technicalities.
In an earlier post I wrongly agreed with a fellow outdoor writer Mike Zlotnick of the N&O when he placed the blame for these changes not taking place squarely on the shoulders of the NC Bow Hunters Association. While that is partially true because they spearheaded a letter writing campaign that blocked some of these proposals and educated other special interest groups on how to the same the NCWRC shares a lot of the blame as well. Clerical errors, ineptness, sloppiness or a combination of all of them on the NCWRC part lead to them not having a method of getting many if not all these rules in as temporary to block the shenanigans of a few special interest groups.
The big question is will NCWRC get their act together or will this be an annual occurrence making it a two year process to get any meaningful changes to game laws in North Carolina?

Mike Has Got It Right

Mike Zlotnicki over at the News & Observer has got it right. The 10-letter rule that sidetracked most of the new hunting proposals has got to go.

They’re not going to happen this fall, because of an obscure rule that allows a state regulation passed by a rule-making body to be delayed if the Rules Review Commission receives 10 letters of protest on a given rule.
This, after nine public hearings across the state, more than 40,000 comments in person, mailed and sent via the Internet. The proposals were then sent to the state Rules Review Commission (as are all state agency regulation changes) for review and were passed by the commission. However, because of the 10-letter rule, they now will be forwarded to the legislature for consideration in the fall. There, a proposal can die with the passing of a bill.

I whole heartily agree with ya Mike. It be one thing if these folks didn’t have the opportunity to speak up but they did and some I’m sure at multiple hearings. I’m mostly disappointed in the NC Bow Hunters Association while I support their right to stand up for their members this fight is very slimy. As an organization they do not allow any difference of opinion on the topic of crossbows. Members are forced out if they in any way support or condone the use of a crossbow. I know a number of members who do not support the total anti crossbow view but have to remain silent. I suspect that among the rank and file there is not as heavy support as the front the organization presents. Heck it wasn’t all that long ago that the purists within bow hunting organizations opposed the now widely accepted compound bow. I believe that many of those purists still hold that view but now turn it on to the crossbow.
Bottom line we all lose next season because of this stunt.

The 10-letter rule is counterproductive. The proposals had been hashed out and discussed by the public and by the commissioners.

Sunday Hunting Shot Down Again In North Carolina

A bill to remove the ban on hunting on Sunday’s in the state of North Carolina has been sidelined once again. This has been a controversial topic even among the hunting ranks but it still appears the opposition from many church goers seems to be the major obstacle. Unless the bill is resurrected by Thursday it will be 2011 before it has a chance to be considered again.

Republican Sen. Fletcher Hartsell of Cabarrus County said the measure is unlikely to come back before a Thursday deadline, which means it is unlikely to be heard again until 2011.

WRAL
A plan to allow bow hunting on Sunday, which would not necessarily require a change in current laws just a rule change, has also been sidetracked after passing the public hearings and being passed by the NCWRC. The rules committee received enough letters of opposition (10 or more) to delay and possible have it reviewed by the same state law makers that failed to bring this other bill out of committee. So hang on it looks like this will be a bumpy ride for the next little bit.

Majority Of Hunting Proposals Get Delayed For A Year

Many feel that the North Carolina Bow hunters Association (NCBA) has launched what amounts to a thermal nuclear war in the development of hunting rules and regulations for the state of North Carolina. Traditionally the changes to hunting regulations are proposed by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) and then taken to public hearings for debate and comments. Based on those hearings the Commissioners then vote on the proposals those that pass become effective the following July when the new regulation book is released. A simple and orderly process that for the most part has worked and most interested hunters understood and had accepted.
This year there was some controversial proposals that the NCBA opposed, removing the requirement that an individual has to be disabled in order to hunt with a crossbow and add a second week to muzzle loading. (Bow hunting would be allowed) At the public hearings there was overwhelming support for these two proposals despite efforts by the NCBA to organize opposition. There was also a number of other proposals including allowing bow hunting on Sundays that NCBA did not oppose that have traditionally been difficult to get past public hearings.
The Commissioners took these public meetings as well as the electronic comments into consideration when they voted on the proposals and traditionally that would be it those that passed would be the new rules. Except for this year the NCBA found a loophole in the final process that all new rules have to go before a State Review Commission that makes sure that the state agency making these rules has the authority to make these rules and that the new rules do not violate a current law. A new rule could be temporarily blocked if the State Review Commission received 10 letters of opposition to the new rule. That would then force the new rule to be put on hold giving the state legislators the opportunity to review it at their next session or to do nothing and then it would automatically pass. While this option has been around for a longtime it seems to be one that was not well known and rarely if ever used especially on Game Laws.
NCBA launched a letter writing campaign to block the expansion of muzzle loading from a one week to a two week season as well as blocking crossbows. Other groups followed the lead and Sunday Hunting along with a number of other proposals has been delayed as well.
Now in order for the NCBA to succeed in completely blocking these changes they now have the monumental task of getting a bills written passed and signed into law during the next legislative session that make it illegal for the NCWRC to allow the use of cross bows by non handicap hunters as well as a law that will not allow NCWRC to alter season dates. That is a mighty tall order to fill and I can about guarantee that it cannot be done.
There is no doubt that the NCBA had the right to take these actions but I would suggest that they did not think this whole thing through before they did it. They could not even come close to making a good argument or garner support at the public hearings where the majority of people there are fellow sportsmen. How will they get the support of those not interested in hunting? Many of these sportsmen now feel like the NCBA has pulled a fast one and they are now opposed to just about anything the NCBA stands for.

( For full disclosure I am currently a member of the NCBA)

Press Release from NCWRC

Sunday Hunting, Crossbows and A Number of Other Changes May Get Sidetracked Today

No doubt there was a number of controversial proposals made this year and debated at the public hearings for changes to the hunting regulations but after all the dust settled it seemed a number of them had passed. Legalizing the use of crossbows and the adding of an additional week to the muzzleloader season is what drew the ire of the North Carolina Bowhunters Association and even being organized they could not overcome the support for these proposals by the rank and file hunters across the state. The Wildlife Commissioners adopted these changes based on the public hearings and the public comments so it seemed like too many who had fought for these changes over the years that next year they would happen.
However what has normally been a mere formality in the past today will become a major roadblock and delay the implementation of these rules and possible a number of others. Once the Wildlife Commission approves the rules they are sent to a Rules Review Committee that reviews them and makes sure they fall within the scope of the agency and do not violate the State Constitution if they pass they can be enacted if they don’t they are rejected and sent back to the Commissioners. There is also another scenario that can take place that up until this point has never happened with Wildlife Commission Rules and that is if the committee receives Ten or more letters of opposition to a particular rule or rules then that rule is not enacted and sent to the state legislators for a review. That review will not take place until the next open session of the legislators which is not scheduled until June. There would not enough time to allow the enacting of these rules by the July 1st deadline for the printing of the regulation digest for the 09-10 season.
In addition to the letter writing campaign organized by the North Carolina Bowhunters Association it is believed that a religious group is using the same tactic to block the change to allow hunting on Sunday’s with archery equipment. While I doubt this tactic will prevent these rules from eventually taking place it could delay them for a year and may open a new era of wildlife management where it could take an additional year to pass any changes. I’m sure any group opposed to hunting, trapping or fishing can get ten letters of opposition to any proposed rule changes in the future. Today in Raleigh when the Rules Committee meets we may witness the opening of Pandora’s Box.

Bills Filed To Remove The Last of The Sunday Blue Laws

As time goes on fewer and fewer states keep or enforce laws that were put in place to maintain “the Sabbath”. Many of us remember the days when stores were closed on Sundays and hardly anyone had to work those are by gone days for sure. North Carolina seems to be moving towards eliminating the last of the Blue Laws

Alcoholic Beverage Control stores have been closed on Sundays since the 1930s. The Sunday firearm hunting ban on state-regulated land has been in place since 1869.

N&O
Two separate bills have been introduced one to end the ban on hunting with a firearm in North Carolina and another to allow the sales of alcohol on Sundays. It would appear the bill that will generate money for the state because they are after all in the business of selling booze has some legs. The Sunday Hunting Bill does not have the same level of support so it is unclear whether it will pass this time. I’m sure it is only a matter of time before the Sunday Hunting ban is lifted. Maybe some churches with a lot of parishioners who hunt could move the morning service a bit closer to noon and include a meal to encourage them to come out of the woods. Who knows that may even help add more folks to the church.

North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commison Releases Public Comments On Proposals

NCWRC has released a document containing all the public comments on the hunting, fishing and trapping proposals that the commison will take up at their March 4th meeting. A number of these propsals if passed will have significant impact on how we enjoy the great outdoors here in North Carolina.

After reviewing the more-than 40,000 comments, the 19-member governing board will meet on March 4 and vote on adoption. Some of the proposals apply only to one county or region, while others apply statewide. Approved proposals will take effect July 1, 2009.

Comments were gathered at nine public hearings held across the state in January, as well as online and mailed comments accepted through Jan. 31.

“The agency had a tremendous response to the proposals this year and I would like to thank all members of the public who took the time and effort to be a part of the process,” said Gordon Myers, executive director of N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. “That input is critical in helping the Commission make decisions that best conserve our wildlife resources. Wildlife Commissioners will include all public comments in their deliberations before making final regulations decisions at the March meeting.”

North Carolina General Statutes charge the Commission with stewardship of all state wildlife resources. Through hunting, fishing, and trapping regulations, the Commission works to conserve and sustain these resources and to provide more opportunities for hunting and fishing, promote hunter recruitment and retention and enhance sportsmen’s experience in the field.

We will continue to follow this story as it develops.n

Bow hunters Selfish?

At the district 5 public hearing the other night this was a theme that came out a number of times when the new proposals were being debated. Many of the deer hunting proposals will directly impact the bow hunters and thus opposition from them is viewed by other hunters as selfishness. Switching the deer season to open firearms earlier like the eastern part of the state would more then cut the bow season in half not to mention the the proposal to extend muzzleloader season from one week to two by taking a week off the bow season.

The fact is that if all these proposals pass bow hunters will have additional time to hunt but they will have to choose their bow over a firearm. Allowing hunters the choice of weapons earlier in the season especially on private property I think will have minimal impact. If you’re bow hunting on your property and all the surrounding neighbors are firearm hunting will it negatively impact you? It could but it could also help you by pushing more deer on to your land.

There was an individual that spoke and identified himself as an employee of Gander Mountain in Greensboro and he stated that if these proposals passed archery sales would plummet and he would likely be out of work. Sounds unlikely to me… If your a bow hunter….. If you’re passionate about it….. I find it hard to believe one would give it up because others are hunting with firearms at the same time.

The proposal to open up Sunday’s to hunting with a bow would increase the bow hunting opportunities and may actually increase the number of bow hunters because it is unlikely the legislators will pass a law overturning the restriction on firearm hunting on Sunday’s anytime in the near future.

There was some other interesting points about opening the season early and the impact on the deer herd. While there might be an increase in the number of deer killed it would likely be an increase in buck harvest and not do much of anything towards reducing the herd size. Other questions about opening up firearm season prior to the rut and killing many of the quality bucks prior to the breeding and negatively impacting the herd.

A separate proposal would allow the inclusion of the crossbow as a legal weapon for anyone whenever archery equipment is allowed. Current law only allows their use by those with permits because of a handicap. The North Carolina Bow Hunters Association is adornment in their opposition to any legalization of the crossbow except for the use by handicap hunters.

There is a lot of changes being proposed and while I see the majority of bow hunters opposing many of these I don’t think it is necessarily selfish on their part. While I went into the hearing with views favoring many of these changes now after hearing the arguments against the changes I’m now less certain of my view. Can the deer herd in the center of the state as well as part of the mountains sustain the increase pressure of an extended firearm season? I don’t know and I’m not sure anyone else knows for sure either.

Next up we’ll look at the turkey hunting proposals.

Step Up And Be Heard… Public Hearings ON Wildlife Take Place This Month

In North Carolina changes to hunting, trapping and fishing laws are often floated at public hearings across the state to get the public’s input on them. The comments are taken into consideration by the Commissioners when they sit down to make the changes in the spring. There are a number of proposals up for consideration that could really alter the way we hunt; legalizing crossbows during archery season (currently only handicap individuals with a permit can use them), switching most of the state to be under a uniform deer season like the eastern part of the state is currently under (that would add an additional 4 weeks or so to firearm season), eliminate the winter turkey season, open the spring turkey season up a week earlier ( this proposal has been floated time and time again despite the over whelming opposition. Commissioner Windham seems to be the driving force behind this effort even when the biological staff have constantly stated that the season already opens to early.) and of course the issue of Sunday Hunting as proposed to allow archery only on Sundays ( North Carolina is one of a handful of states that does not allow hunting on Sunday, the current law prohibits the use of a firearm for hunting on Sunday and would require legislative action to change the law. That leaves non firearm methods of hunting on Sunday as legal if the NCWRC passes rules to open Sunday’s up.). There are a number of other proposals you can see this years proposals as well as the hearing schedules here at NCWRC you can also submit online comments if you can’t make the hearings.

New Brunswick To Allow Limited Hunting On Sundays

There are only a handful of places in North America that bans hunting on Sunday and it seems that many of these places are taking another look at the ban. North Carolina just narrowly missed partially lifting the ban when the commissioners shot down falconry on Sundays with many thinking this could be the stepping stone to lift the ban.

This past week New Brunswick decided to allow hunting on Sunday’s during the annual deer season.

Natural Resources Minister Donald Arseneault says the amendment to the Fish and Wildlife Act lessens the restriction on hunters, while balancing the needs of the non-hunting public by limiting the number of weekends.

Some in North Carolina have talked about trying to get the same change here but unlike North Carolina where deer season runs September- 1st of January New Brunswick’s season is only 3 weeks long.

Two Buck Limit & Foot in the Door On Sunday Hunting Shot Down

The Wildlife Commission met today and although the official minutes have not been posted the news from the meeting is that these two proposals were shot down. As I reported before there was over whelming support for a statewide two buck limit with most opposition coming from the hound hunters. It seems the commissioners have sided once again with the dog lobby which really doesn’t surprise me but it is disappointing. No matter where you side on this issue you have to be concerned that a small minority with a lobbyist can sway the commissioners to vote against the majority opinion of sportsmen as well as their own biologists.

The other proposal that went down in flames that really surprises me is the one to open up falconry on Sundays. I heard of very little opposition to this proposal at the hearing I was at and from those I have talked to about other hearings from across the state. Many in the hunting community were looking at this as a stepping stone to open bow hunting on Sundays in the near future. Sunday hunting was endorsed by the Wildlife Commission briefly about a year ago with the completion of the Sunday Hunting Study and a recommendation to change the law seemed close. Then after a brief recess they undid all that and passed the study on without any comment. I really thought this would pass but obviously someone got to them or a lot of write in comments came in against it.

As far as the other 80 or so proposals go I haven’t heard anything so we’ll have to wait for the minutes to get posted.

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