# They Said It



## bioman (Mar 1, 2002)

This is an excerpt from this month's Delta Waterfowl:

If this doesn't eloquently sum up the slobs who use market hunters, I don't know what does...

"Hunting is being taken over by people seeking instant gratification who can afford to pay for it. Hunting is being promoted as an extractive process. For too many hunters, killing is more a part of the process than scouting, seeing birds, setting decoys and all the other things that define the sport." Ron Reynolds, US Fish and Wildlife Service


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## DJRooster (Nov 4, 2002)

I don't resemble that remark!!!


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## prairie hunter (Mar 13, 2002)

*I would have to say the NUMBER ONE threat to hunting in North Dakota is the increase number of guides and outfitters in this great state. * :******:

The G/Os are the ones that attract the "hunters" (no let's call them shooters). These people may not even know (or care) what type of field they are hunting, if had been scouted the evening before ...etc... They want to kill birds.

I just returned from 6 days in North Dakota. I was hunting with ND friends in trucks with ND plates - so this time I was a ghost NR.

Great success on geese, marginal success on mallards. Pheasants - wow. Potholes (that had water) were full of ducks, but numbers were too scattered.

Anyway my thoughts on freelance NRs vs G/Os:

By our observations (mostly ND residents with me), many if not most freelance NRs are not hunting to get limits 7 or 14 days in a row. Many seemed to hunt the same marsh or pothole everyday regardless of whether they were successful or not. While we did not see that many other NR hunters (seven separate trucks over 6 days), it appears that many simply keep going back to the same spot every day. Wiscosin hunters especially seemed to fall into this cycle.

Read Denis Anderson's Star-Trib article. These guys stay put.

*The point I am trying to make is NRs are visiters. They identify with an area and may hunt it hard, but when they leave the area can recover.*

There is simply no reason why a North Dakota resident can not out scout, out hunt, and out produce most freelance NRs.

Guide & Outfitters
Guides and Outfitters are a very different threat.

1) First they are residents and have their home turf. Based on past years they attempt to lease (or secure) all the prime land in their core area. They watch the crops go in and know where the barley and corn is come fall. Hopefully behind their posted sign.

Leasing and now simply "posting" land for landowners to "control access" locks up many, many acres.

2) Next, these guys hunt every day. With fresh clients ariving every three or four days, the G/O must constantly hunt hard. If no migration is occuring - they simply hunt the same birds - day after day after day.

3) This high level of pressure eventually pushes birds out of their posted and core areas. They stretch out further - placing greater hunting pressure on nonposted land or worse yet securing even more land under lock and key.

4) Guys paying $250 to $500 per day expect to KILL limits of birds.

It is the G/O that places CONSTANT, EXTREME, and UNRELENTING pressure on the local resource.

It is the G/O that locks up more land than any individual could hunt in a season.

It is the G/O that is making hunting a big $$$ industry in ND.

Notice how Woodland Resort and the Streeter a** are both in Zone #3 unrestricted areas? These guys have $$ and power.


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## bigblackfoot (Mar 12, 2003)

Bioman, im sad to say i think your right. Give it ten years and hunting will be pretty much ruined. Just like the article said the "kill is more than the scouting, seeing birds, and setting decoys." It sucks to watch this happen. Better get all we can while its still descent.


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## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

bioman is exactly right in the quote from Ron Reynolds. Ron delivered detailed testimony at the House Natural Resources hearing last winter on 2048. They blew him off because they already had their minds made up to kill it.


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## Fetch (Mar 1, 2002)

Do you think they will get it next time ???

everything we have said has been true

We need new people in the State Legislature & Govenors office - that can figure this stuff out


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## stevepike (Sep 14, 2002)

> I would have to say the NUMBER ONE threat to hunting in North Dakota is the increase number of guides and outfitters in this great state.


I disagree, I would say hunter apathy is a greater threat than the g/o's. If all people do is sit and watch or just ***** and moan to one another, the course will continue. If the various representatives, governor, G&F director, newpapers, etc. got half as many good, well thought out letters/emails as there are posts on the sites, I think it would open some eyes.
If everyone on this site vowed to send 1 letter per month to someone, think what an impact that could have. Instead of a big push for various bills, a constant barrage of what hunters in our great state want and expect. I would bet some political platforms would change once they were aware.


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## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

Steve, you are correct. 100% correct. It will be interesting to watch the papers. And I have yet to receive a reply from this governor.


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## tsodak (Sep 7, 2002)

Agree with the above with one notable exception. Streeter is right smack in the middle of zone 1. I would question if it will really have a negative impact on Mr. Schlects business though.


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## Drakekiller (Apr 3, 2002)

Papers like the Forum which by the way own other news papers in the state are one of the resident hunter biggest foes! The Forum is a major supporter of the NR and GO. Just because you send them a well written letter does not mean they will be fair and print it. They would rather print letters that make the resident hunter look bad.Just look back at some of Jack Z. opionions.


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## prairie hunter (Mar 13, 2002)

Yah, I was looking at Steele not Streeter on the map.

Anyway from what I am hereing / seeing in the couple of areas that I hunt is at least two if not three new guides. One wants to build a set of cabins for "all of his new clients".

I would guess these guys are currently not even on the ND G&F's licensed guide list or radar screen.

Freelance guides can lease / lock up land too.

Pay hunting is about as polar opposite to ND hunting heritage as anything could ever be. Tehas yes. ND NO.


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## Bucky (Oct 8, 2003)

I totally agree with you that Pay Hunting is not in NoDak heritage. In refrence to your comment about the increase in guides. There has been a huge surge of them in recent years as a matter of fact N.D. Game and Fish has now one game warden who's job it is to oversee that all of them are following rules and regs. Yes Devils Lake's own Bruce Burkett has moved to Bismarck to over see the G/O's. He will do a fine job and is dedicated to his work. I have no doubt that he will make sure all there I's are dotted and T's are crossed. I once heard that there are now hundreds of guide licenses in this state. I don't want to put any #'s on the post there are a lot out there.


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## Ron Gilmore (Jan 7, 2003)

Drake I think that the Forum has published the letters about hunting issues when they recieve them. While the writers for the Forum are anti res I beleive that well written opinions that are different than there views do get published. Pick up the pens and leave the mean spirted attacks out of the letter and stick to facts and opinions and get the ball rolling.

I think Steve is more than likely right that apathy is the biggest issue. That tide can and should be changed. A number of people that I have spoken with are starting to see the light along with the elected officals. They however do not react well to spiteful statements so stick to the issues. When you make a point be able to back it up with info not rumor's. I have heard so much crap abput Sheldon again but cannot verifiy it so I do not repeat it. I do however make aware of the past and that a skunck cannot change his stripe.

Another thing to watch is land being sold. I have seen land be drivien up in price by nonag buyers even though farmers ended up buying the land. If you look at the purchase it would show Farmer Jones now owns the land, but does not show that Farmer Jones paid $40,000 more for that 1/4 than he should have. get involed an pay attention to what is happening where you hunt. Put that in you letters this and only this will wake the sleeping giant we have.

FB has been spinning things to the masses for a long time, and we need to be our own PR force. Dan is right about induvidual letters being more of an impact especially if they come in large numbers with similar messages, and not spitefull statements.


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## stevepike (Sep 14, 2002)

And remember, whatever the papers mild feelings are, their main motivation is to make money. And if they are printing more letters, stories and guest editorials from differing sides of a topic, that does tend to increase sales.

Although I do believe alot of them will/are bent towards the wrong sides of issues; the almighty dollar does sway them our way. Also, as stated above, when you deal with facts that can be proven it has alot more weight. Their "reporters" have alot harder time writing stories that are biased against residents. Such as I and 2 hunting buddies (residents) spent $1,136.15 in October in ND on gas, food, shells etc and 62% of that was in rural ND. We will probably spend more than that in November with deer hunting since my units are 60+miles from my home (one way). Anyone who does not want me to stop by and gas up and get some eats etc, need only let me know. If my money is not good enough for you based on my zip code, I will find somewhere else to spend it (even if I pay a little more). I am all for supporting the little guy as long as he is not stabbing me in the back.


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