Colorado Hunting being HIJACKED--HELP!

[Stix]

There is a current bill in the Colorado house to further expand the landowner voucher program which takes licenses away from the general public and adds them to landowner pools which goes to profit outfitters and landowners who sell them on the open market (PRIVATIZATION OF WILDLIFE). If you are against this European style of wildlife management, please read and "copy and paste" the information below and email it to the state agriculture committee legislators:

The following is an email that everyone can write to their legislators in opposition to Landowner Voucher Program. Please copy and paste email address of legislators into your "send to":

[email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]

Than put in title of email: Opposition to SB13-188

Then you may choose to copy and paste the following as your reason for opposition as the test of your email or tweak it to your own:

Please recognize this letter of opposition to SB13-188 regarding landowner hunting vouchers. I ask that all members oppose this bill because this is another step to privatize Colorado's wildlife which are owned by all the people of Colorado, no just landowners. This bill further depletes hunting licenses available to the average hunters, hunting on public lands and diverts them to landowners thereby giving a majority of hunters a net loss of tags available. I am vehemently opposed to the European style of wildlife management which gives the privilege to hunt to those wealthy enough to have the resources or private land available to enjoy hunting.

Here are the key reasons I oppose this legislation:

· The landowner voucher program violates the tenets of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation by allocating wildlife resources based on landownership, and/or wealth, while further contributing to the growing private ownership of tags.

· Our main concern is with the proposed 5% increase in private tags in the West and 10% increase in the East. This will result in an overall loss of opportunity by average hunters.

· Landowner voucher tags are now sold on the open market at prices that favor wealthy individuals and push out the average hunter.

· We strongly oppose this system whereby privilege, through property ownership or wealth, can be used to buy special access to public wildlife on public lands.

· The continued allocation of private tags threatens our public hunting opportunity and the basis of our sporting heritage.

· Capping private tags at current numbers and/or outright prohibiting the sale of tags above CPW values would be improvements to the current proposed bill.

Thank You,

(Signed w/address)

[KSdan]

Thanks for posting this.  The North American Model is in great jeopardy.  Another loss. . . . We must  educate our own on these issues.

[parshal]

Here are some details for your perusal.

  http://www.coloradocapitolwatch.com/bill/1/SB13-188/2013/1/

 http://www.gunnisontimes.com/index.php?content=C_news&newsid=7603  

  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-petersen/the-north-american-model-_1_b_2868149.html  

  http://www.gailschwartz.org/capitol-update-march-2013/  

  http://www.leg.state.co.us/clics/clics2013a/csl.nsf/fsbillcont3/78E88F7B0B8B123187257AEE00571B65?Open&file=188_ren.pdf

[Cory Mattson]

are the landowner tags for use on their land or are those tags allowed to be used on public land ??

[Stix]

on their private land, but they are taking away from the general license pool which covers public land.

[savage1]

My problem is they graze thier cattle for cheap and have the audacity to chain gate that are public access in both Colorado and Idaho.
I called the Fish and Game to confirm the access points and report the violation. They said to call the sheriff that they dont deal with it. I said, the sheriff didnt take my $500 plus.
I called the sheriff and they said they would look into it when they get a chance. Knowing you will be gone in 10 days they do nothing.
Go and cut a chain and I guarantee you get a visit to your camp.
You need to know and verify entry points for vehiclar travel. There are more than you think and it those off the beaten path ones that the ranchers  chain.
You drive 2000 miles to be locked out with no recourse than to go with the masses. Now you need horses or a lot more time to hike in.
Between government and some ranchers that feel the land is theirs, we are definitely on a bad path.

Lou

[savage1]

I do hike in by the way. Im talking doubling the distance carrying #65.

Lou

[Cory Mattson]

Yes different issues here - private users locking and blocking public land is a huge problem - perhaps the biggest problem today.
Ranchers abusing land - whether it be by overgrazing or simply the bad business model of grazing rights accessed too cheaply is a big problem.
Taking landowner tags (tags for game that live and grow on private land) and calling them public tags and then trying to take those tags and offer them to the public sounds unethical to me - all North American "code" aside.
I realize a lot of different points come into play - such as land parcel size - which may make these tags legimimate or not.