# Casselton Meeting



## Decoyer (Mar 2, 2002)

I hope that you are all still planning on attending the meeting. I heard that a group of outfitters are coming from western ND. In total I think that it is around 20 guys.


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## Eric Hustad (Feb 25, 2002)

I wonder how many of these meetings these guys have gone to, and wouldn't the board members recognize them?? All I know is that they have got guts to come all the way here to give their view on how we aren't welcome out there. Well they are coming into our territory and you can bet Chris and I will be there and are talking to others encouraging them to go and show support. :******:


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## redlabel (Mar 7, 2002)

I suppose they are trying to rally support for the early opener since there has been little or no support for it.

There coming here is no different than Mark Mazaharri (spelling) going to all of the first meetings. I'm sure he took a few people with him. Ed Schulz is talking to a couple of guys from the sportmens alliance and they talked about going to the jamestown meeting.

It's like the County Wildlife Meeting in Grand Forks. About half of the people that got up to speak were from Fargo, Wahpeton, Valley City and Jamestown. People that are passionate about this will attend more than one meeting to get their point across. The apathetic people will stay at home and complain later.

I will be attending the meetings in Casselton and Grand Forks, as well as earlier attending the meeting in Devils Lake. We need numbers to have the governor rescind the early opener so go to a couple of meetings and bring a friend.


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## prairie hunter (Mar 13, 2002)

I have posted a few comments today. Here is one more. Some individuals on these sites maybe too young to remember -

Growing up in ND - 10 to 20 years ago the issue in Southwestern ND was not the nonresidents - but people from eastern ND coming to hunt pheasants. The SW ND ranchers were always very nice and usually allowed hunting. The small town residents on the other hand did not like the influx of Fargoans into SW ND.

If I was living in Elgin or Glen Ulen - does it matter if the guys hunting my spot are from Fargo, Chicago, or Miami. They are still in my spot.

One in seven people who live in ND now reside in Cass County (Fargo area). The further you travel from Fargo, the better the hunting usually gets.

Unless you are hunting big geese, hunters living in or around Fargo often travel a 100 or more miles within ND to hunt.

Just another perspective to this issue.


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## Eric Hustad (Feb 25, 2002)

My point was more towards this: so far these meetings have been a route, except for Dickinson, why would guides come all the way to the Casselton meeting when it is going to be heavily attended by eastern nd hunters? I am really convinced that Hoeven has already made up his mind to not change the opener, and these meetings are just being held to win back some of the eastern support. If one out seven people live in Cass County then I would think you wouldn't want to upset Cass County. Actually this whole process has made me feel better with the people out in the western part of the state. A few greedy people tried to put their interest ahead of the people who live here and they have seen how a majority feel. I wouldn't want to show up on the losing side of a route. They had their chance to talk, now let us. Oh and to that guy from Regent who said get used to "fee hunting" I say look at the results.
:beer:


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## prairie hunter (Mar 13, 2002)

I have no idea why these individuals (western guides) would show up in Casselton. I would suspect it may be a rumor to encourage more Fargo hunters to show up at this meeting.

Remember that propoganda, rumors, and myths are as much a part of politics as money.

Look at the history of bills introduced into the ND house or senate. Long, long before the Cannonball company started commercial fee hunting, the representatives from SW ND would introduce bills to completely close hunting to all land whether posted or not. They even tried to get the bill passed for land only SW of the Missouri.

I remember every other year the legislature would address these bills and then narrowly defeat them. It would scare the hell out of me and my hunting buddies.


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## Decoyer (Mar 2, 2002)

Prairie Hunter,
Are you implying that people from Fargo should be considered NRs?


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## Fetch (Mar 1, 2002)

Fargo ??? Isn't that something farmers spray on sneaky wild oats ??? :smile:


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## GooseBuster3 (Mar 1, 2002)

These guides coming to the meeting is true, Praire Hunter. I talked to one, personally, so dont go calling this a joke,because it is not. The guide said and I wont mention names, " Residents should pay extra for hunting permits, and then the Game and Fish would give the extra money to the farmers, and in return the farmers would let use residents hunt on there land. But that is the dumbest idea ever. All the guides want is an extra weeks pay,they dont care about anything else just the money. So dont go saying thing you dont know is true.I'm not mad,so dont take it the wrong way Praire Hunter, I just wanted to inform you.


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## nodakoutdoors.com (Feb 27, 2002)

I guess we'll just have to see who's in attendance. I really don't think it matters either way. Show your support for whatever you believe in. If you want to hunt in the future in the state of ND, you better speak up these days. Because everyone who profits off of hunters are.

I'm just looking forward to hearing the views from all sides. I don't want to hear people speaking at the meetings while disguising their motives.


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## prairie hunter (Mar 13, 2002)

No. If you live in Fargo you are a North Dakotan. But -

I was born in western ND but mostly grew up around Fargo. Have family scattered across ND and beyond. In someways people from rural North Dakota look at Fargo people differently. The big city don't you know.

If you go back about 15 years or so - these same debates were carried out between people from Southwestern ND and the eastside.

In the late 1980s and early '90s there were huge convoys of eastside hunters that traveled into towns like Mott and Elgin. On the Friday night before pheasant opener I-94 was very busy and full of hunters heading west. ND residents brought money to these towns too !!

The ranchers around Mott and Elgin got "wise" and began to charge money as nonresidents also added to the mix. As land began to get shut off to the average joe hunter people began to complain.

There is/was a ND state representative from Fargo (I can name him if you want) who has attempted to pass legislation over the past 2 or 3 sessions limiting NR hunters, guiding, etc... He is also one of the hunters that used to hunt this area before the "economic changes".

The debates still rage on the targets have changed (now its ND hunter vs NR or ND hunter vs guides). No one wants outsiders hunting their secret spots.

If you think the west vs east debate is dead in ND, wait until you see how ND handles redistricting the state with their senators and representatives. As I said in a recent post about 1 in 7 ND people reside in Cass County (Fargo area) alone.

There is much more to ND than hunting. Agriculture is the name of the game in this state.

Western ND is dying out. High schools are consolidated to entire counties. Some counties actually have less than 5 thousand residents. Understand that the people that remain need to maintain a good standard of living too.

Political power on ND is shifting east.

This may actually help ND sportsman place caps, etc on NR hunters.


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## Eric Hustad (Feb 25, 2002)

I think the power shifting East has to happen because a majority of the state lives here. Now that you mention the Mott thing from the late 80's I do remember the great hunting stories and hearing that it was a paradise for pheasants. Like I said before I have never hunted that area but remember hearing how fields would erupt with birds. As far as rural people living in ND they have to realize they need Fargo because of the money generated from the business here, just like Fargo needs the people in rural ND.
We need to work together, but some are really trying to push the us against them mentality.


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## prairie hunter (Mar 13, 2002)

I brought up these old issues - just to prove a point: that controversy in hunting always continues just the names change.

I love hunting as much as the next person. There is more to life than hunting.

I agree rural ND needs Fargo. (Hospitals, shopping, and NDSU just to name a few).

To that point ND relies and interacts heavily with Minnesota and the rest of the United States. Most of the grain harvested in ND is shipped through ports in Duluth (Great Lakes) or Minneapolis (MS river).

Many ND people with difficult cancers have had their lives saved at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. The farm kids that are burned or have limbs cut off are most often airlifted to Twin City hospitals to be saved and cared for.

The Twin Cities employs a huge number of college graduates from ND, keeping them relatively close to home. I still believe that many of these people are the NRs that return to ND each fall.

It would be nice if some of these people could return to ND and start up companies that employ ND people. Good jobs is what ND needs for economic survival.

North Dakota people typically cheer for the Twin, Vikes, T-Wolves, and Wild. Teams that are often kept in MN through public subsidy.

When I lived in ND we would head to the Twin Cities for pro games. What if people living outside the Twin Cities paid a huge extra tax for any game attended. The Vikes are sold out and many people from ND attend games. Should we limit the number of NR attending Viking games. I am sure there are people in the Twin Cities who would like to be at the games, but can not because tickets are held by others.

Then again maybe this is a bad example the Vikes may not be worth watching for a few years.

On a larger scale, I am not sure if ND spends more federal money than it receives or if they send in too much. Roads, powerlines, grain subsidies, etc... all benefit the quality of life in ND.

Its a big world out there and it is always changing. Compromise is the key.


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## nodakoutdoors.com (Feb 27, 2002)

Redlabel,

I sent you a private message.


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## Eric Hustad (Feb 25, 2002)

:withstupid: Chris??

[ This Message was edited by: Eric Hustad on 2002-03-14 12:46 ]


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## Field Hunter (Mar 4, 2002)

Just a quick mention to some of the guys that are posting fairly regularily on this site. I'm in no way a part of the management of this site but am a member. The gentlemen that started this site have started a great place to express everyones views on hunting and fishing and it seems to be taking off nicely.

It costs very little to become a member and help support these guys. Also if you check the advertising, it is very inexpensive as well.

Again, I have nothing to do with the ownership or management of this site but think that this site can and will become a very good place to express ones views.

Remember to pass this site along to all of the people who are interested in ND hunting and fishing.

[ This Message was edited by: Field Hunter on 2002-03-14 19:32 ]


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