# Interesting letter to editor



## SiouxperDave (Sep 3, 2002)

Sen. John Andrist letter: Farmer has right to profit from hunting

The Forum - 11/10/2002

How ironic that a lawyer, Dan Buide (Friday, Oct. 25 "letters" column), who no doubt charges up to $100 an hour for his services, feels so deprived when enterprising farmers want to charge him up to $200 a day to hunt on the land where they furnish most of the resources to nurture the game.

Who can blame farmers for trying to make a few legitimate bucks to supplement their income?

Nevertheless, if fee hunting troubles him that much, there is an enormous amount of space here in the west, unposted and available to any hunter who wants the outdoor experience and is willing to work for it. I've yet to visit with a hunter complaining about pressure. This is a myth that Buide and others, particularly in the east, keep repeating.

The growth in out-of-state hunters only (approximately) matches the decline of in state hunters in the recent past. Meanwhile, nonresidents have brought an enormous economic boost to the small towns in the heart of our best hunting habitat in western North Dakota. Hunters represent a huge boost in tourism for our state.

Another reality is that posted land is on the decline, at least in the northwestern part of the state. Fewer occupied farmsteads and lower livestock numbers are probably the reason more farmers are willing to accommodate hunters. So if you share Buide's desire to hunt free, come on out. Just don't ask the Legislature to grant you special privilege by keeping out other hunting enthusiasts who are giving the west such a nice economic boost.

There is room for everyone - and plenty of game as well.

Sen. John Andrist

R-Crosby, N.D.


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## zogman (Mar 20, 2002)

I may have to go to Fargo for legal services, no lawyer chages that low fee here in GF.


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## Fetch (Mar 1, 2002)

> Who can blame farmers for trying to make a few legitimate bucks to supplement their income?


No one ??? I just hope they realise that they need Libility Insurance (that ain't cheap) & I hope they pay taxes & report the earnings. Like anyother business.

& will there always be game for them to sell - ??? & how & why did that game get there (pheasants) in the 1st place ??? I'm sure the idea was to be a cash crop :roll:



> I've yet to visit with a hunter complaining about pressure. This is a myth that Buide and others, particularly in the east, keep repeating.


 He must not get out of Divide county much ??? Like most people who say this, they either are not really hunters, or don't go more than a few miles from home & they have not had their favorite spots taken away by $$$ & greed. Plus watched the public places, in their region, become worthless & / or overcrowded. Believe me, it is happening in some areas & will only get worse every year - if nothing is done.



> The growth in out-of-state hunters only (approximately) matches the decline of in state hunters in the recent past. Meanwhile, nonresidents have brought an enormous economic boost to the small towns in the heart of our best hunting habitat in western North Dakota. Hunters represent a huge boost in tourism for our state.


This is why there is the need for two licenses - should be seperate Waterfowl & Pheasants licenses - Raise the fees & make the funds go to improve access & law enforcement.

The decline in residents, is more because of the same reasons, all these areas are declining, for most everything else. A few will farm these areas & have giant game preserves someday. Wonder how the tax payers in the big ND cities will feel about helping pay for their other needs ??? I'm sure the NR's will be in favor of new taxes & tax hikes & fee hikes to replace the taxes needed to keep things alive out there ???



> Just don't ask the Legislature to grant you special privilege by keeping out other hunting enthusiasts who are giving the west such a nice economic boost.


I have always contended that Residents from the east & bigger cities have always filled the available services out in the few towns that have any. (For Hunting) Statistics prove we out spend NR's in the past - Now, not many residents want the hassles, so NR's have crowded us out of the towns with these services. We have suggested more zones & spread the NR's out over a longer period of time each fall. That would be true economic development.

Caps were a interim measure (if this is what he means by legislative privledges) ??? But we support the G&FD 's Hunter pressure concept as it has some science behind it. - It is sad to see such huge tracks of lands become private game preserves - where pheasants are released to give the group after group of NR's hunters the feeling they are shooting wild pheasants. Cause this is inevitable & will be exposed over time. What are these people doing to manage the animals ??? What if the G&FD adopted a law or rules that said they will only help those that allow public hunting. Kinda like they do in deer depredation cases ???

Same ol Same ol one sided thinking.


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## tsodak (Sep 7, 2002)

Actually, it is against NDCC to qualify access to deer depredation programs only for those not posting. In reality, the rules now state that even if someone charges for access for deer hunting, he or she is just as eligible for those programs as someone who does not post his land..... good deal huh???????


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## bioman (Mar 1, 2002)

How low brow and shamefully pathetic can a person get :eyeroll: I didn't know this issue was about a person's livelihood. What about all of the people who can't afford to pay for fee hunting, or chose not to out of tradition, values, etc. Absolutely disturbing that an editor would allow something like this to be printed uke:


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## zogman (Mar 20, 2002)

It's called freedom of the press, bioman. I think they even have it on the left coast :eyeroll:


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## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

Senator John Andrist's email address is [email protected] and he needs to hear, politely, what you think of his letter. Perhaps the only people he has heard from in the past are outfitters.


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## prairie hunter (Mar 13, 2002)

Go visit Burke and Divide Counties. This area of ND is on its very last heartbeat. Do not agree with everything he is saying, but you need to understand that this part of ND has become EXTREMELY remote. They are *absolutely* desperate for any chance to survive.

Sell his soul ... I bet he would if it meant a chance for his district to remain economically viable.

If you want to bash him fine, but may be offer him an idea or two to keep this part of ND from becoming the first Buffalo Commons territory within ND.


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## MRN (Apr 1, 2002)

Pickle hunter,

last heartbeat? - that's a bit melodramatic - have you ever been there? Those counties are no different than hundreds of counties in the Amercian and Canadian west. They live and die with agriculture, the grain elevators, and the railway. Crosby probably has significant oil and gas money too. Hunting isn't even a blip on the economic map for most folk.

The good senator should be working for better farm commodity price structure, better rail support, and better farm policy in general. Those folks aren't surviving on game animals, they are growing crops.

If the good senator were interested in serving the folk within his district with regard to hunting issues, he would join resident sportsmen and work to make a zone system whereby more R and NR hunters would visit his fine town. Perhaps the 48 folks (estimate based on 2001) shut out this year would be happy to visit his fine town?

I am not sure I saw the original Dan Buide letter, but I am confident it was well spoken, intelligent, and swayed the opinions of many reading it. That probably ticks off the pimps and guides and senators they take hunting.

M.


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## prairie hunter (Mar 13, 2002)

MRN,

I would have guessed that a gentleman of your psyc(hotic) profession and University professionalism would be somewhat beyond playground name calling games. If it makes you feel bigger (Freudian Joke hehe) ?

MRN: Have you been to Divide ? I have many times to hunt and work. I have friends living there too. I have driven cattle over 15 miles across Divide county.

This remote region of ND needs jobs of any sort. The few farmers, ranchers, and landowners (profiting from gas and oil) that remain there are likely doing fine.

*Towns and the townies are fighting to survive*. I guess when I visit Divide county towns I would like to see more than a bar open for business.

Again, the largest problem in this area is simply loss of people. Burke county has only 3,002 people (2000) and Crosby, ND, has 1,200 people. I could not find any further data on Divide county as a whole but would imagine that the county is similar in size to Burke.

If a farmer decides to tap into hunting as a cash resource .. I guess that is their right. *Do I like it --- NO WAY.* :******:

Still while you accept your NDSU paycheck. I would assume you also do some consulting work or receive money through research grants ... do you personally receive any extra cash for these endeavors ?

Do I agree with Andrist ? *No * :******:

Are expensive hunting lodges the answer ? (no way) I would hate to see this area go the way of Mott. Probably never will because about one in three winters gets tough up there and keeps the pheasant population stranded at a decent level, but below the high, high, high levels seen in the SW part of the state.

Crosby has one hotel, Bowbells ???, maybe three lodges or so already running up there ??? so why the big fight by Andrist against the caps.

I would imagine it might be the small rural counties saying "don't tell us what to do, how to do it, when to do it !! Oh sh** now I will get smacked for starting that one up again. :wink:

Guess that why I come to N...Os.

Your S&M Poster,

Prairie Hunter (that is MR. Pickle Hunter to you MRN).


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## MRN (Apr 1, 2002)

No, no, no, I'm really quite big enough - honest. I just think the pickle hunter moniker is funny. But if it upsets you....

I drive through Divide & Burke a several times a year for the last 16 years or so. I never considered Divide Co remote - probably because I came from, and passed through, real remote regions hundreds of miles to the north (the absolute edge of earth - that is, the edge of agricultural land). Guess its just "perspective".

The problem is that only a FEW farmers and ranchers are left. They are the life blood of any region. Small family operations have disappeared and large operations gobbled them up to survive. The problem is that commodity prices haven't changed significantly in 20 years or more. If the farmers could make a fair living off of their crops and livestock, there would be more small farms, and small towms with active churches and busy schools. All the jobs that go along would be plentiful. Hunting won't change that.

Moreover, I believe the senator is quite disingenuous - he knows if 20,000 more hunters came in, very few would go to Divide. He should be the poster child for zones, making sure his constituency gets its fair share.

Moreover, I don't think is it legitmate that land owners charge a trespass fee to hunt state owned animals - but that is an old, well worn argument.

As for research grants - you gotta learn how stuff works before you spout. Ya, the $250,000 goes straight into my checking account....

M


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## Fetch (Mar 1, 2002)

I'm not sure if "Pimp" is an attack ???

But I guess in the context - as in not being personal - I'll let it slide :roll:

I wish the moderator police would tell me when I'm screwing up ??? 

Carry on - k: I like the good points being made :thumb:

I'm moving to Fortuna :roll: build a compound that no one can get in - then go catch all the wild game & bring them in to my compound & not share with anyone - I may even bring the writing rock in there too :roll: :lol:


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## Bronco (Aug 12, 2002)

The biggest joke to ever hit rural ND is that outfitters, guides and fee hunting will save rural ND. Anyone who believes that has some severe mental problems!

Outfitters come in to profit-not to help the poor ailing farmer. If a guide takes in $100 bucks-he maybe gives $10 to the farmer. In addition- you may have had 100 residents and freelance NR come into a particular town to hunt-whereas with a guide you may have 5-10 guys come in, so the rural community doesn't benefit from these jerks either because they lease up & post all the land in the area! :eyeroll:

The bottom line is that rural ND has to drop this fictional idea that hunting will save them- IT WILL NOT! Rural ND has to do things to attract industry or businesses-and it can be done. Companies in California are looking to relocate to areas with skilled workforces and cheap businesses environments- Rural ND has this-just get the message out! Secondly, the farming community has to look at other ways of profitting off their crops! Selling through the traditional "middle man" won't cut it anymore! Why is it a farmer gets $40 for a hog, yet I pay 5 bucks for a pound of bacon!!! WE as sportsman have to back farmers and say enough of this crap already! We will buy direct from the farmer if the stores & middle men can't get their house in order.

99% OF ND'S PROBLEM IS THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PEOPLE IN THIS STATE!! THEY HAVEN'T A CLUE OF THE ASSETS UNDER THEIR NOSE'S-NOR DO THEY KNOW HOW TO MARKET THEM!!!!!!!!! The best idea these fools could come up with was to take North out of North Dakota to make the people come a running!!! Solve the poor rural ND economy problem and you will solve access problems!!!!


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## Fetch (Mar 1, 2002)

$6 to $10 a bushel for wheat could not hurt either :beer:


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## MRN (Apr 1, 2002)

Fetch,

Oh, I thought he was upset about "pickle hunter"...

Pimp? Let's see what Websters has to say:

pimp - noun - a man who solicits clients for a prostitute
prostitute - noun - 2: a person who deliberately debases his or her talents as for money.
Neither is labeled vulgar.
Describes the situation well. 
Where's the problem?

M.


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## prairie hunter (Mar 13, 2002)

Damn it MRN !! That is MR Pickle hunter to you.


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## Westerner (Mar 15, 2002)

Bronco,
I agree that improved commodity prices would help, but that won't "cure" things either. People in the west that do sign up through fee hunting services look at it as "diversification." They have learned to not put all their eggs into one basket.
I know it is different in other areas of the state, but in the Mott area where I know a lot of people on both sides of the issue, fee hunting has brought in bounty during the hunting season. Most of the NR hunters that come in and do the fee hunting thing bring nothing but their guns and clothes. They depend on locals to provide food and all other services. Also, even if these companies come in from out of state to do the outfitting, they buy gas too, hire local people, or bring in new people to guide, etc.
As for eliminating the "middleman" be careful of that too. One of those middlemen is the local grocer (they need money too). That is how economies work. People do what they do best and do it in enough quantity to make it valuable. I am in favor of some direct marketing, but I am hesitant to cut out middle men.
Finally, I am still unclear on why outfitters would lease up huge tracts of land and then release pheasant onto them. If they are leasing by the acre, why lease more acres than they need. If I am a businessman and have a plan to lease land and then release pheasant onto it I am going to only lease as much land as I need to safely hunt (1-2 quarters should do it). Bring the people out, release the pheasant, have them shot, bring in the next group. Why would I choose to lease huge tracts of land and increase my expenses. If it is because of the numbers of people that hunt that they need to repeat this process over and over to make it impractical to do it on only 1-2 quarters, then that is a lot of people that come into the small town and spend their money. The only reason that an outfitter would want to lease lots of land is so that they can manage it and give it time to "rest" to provide quality hunting when it is used again. It is either circular logic or illogical.



Bronco said:


> The biggest joke to ever hit rural ND is that outfitters, guides and fee hunting will save rural ND. Anyone who believes that has some severe mental problems!
> 
> Outfitters come in to profit-not to help the poor ailing farmer. If a guide takes in $100 bucks-he maybe gives $10 to the farmer. In addition- you may have had 100 residents and freelance NR come into a particular town to hunt-whereas with a guide you may have 5-10 guys come in, so the rural community doesn't benefit from these jerks either because they lease up & post all the land in the area! :eyeroll:
> 
> ...


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## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

Westerner, In 1992 I visted one one of the first people to go into commercial hunting at Mott. He gave us permission to hunt that year, but told us next year most ground would be leased in the area. I asked him why the commercial firm would need so many acres? His reply was that if people had a place to hunt at no charge, they would not need an outfitter.
His group was in effect "buying out the competition" and raising the price, in the same way that any other business buys out a competeing business, and then closes them, leaving the consumer at that buyers mercy, in this case the outfitters mercy.

The second business tactic that the outfitters must have is saturation liscenseing . They accomplish it by having an unlimited number of nonresident liscenses for sale by NDGF, NRs being the target market, as few residents will pay. Saturation liscenseing assures that any habitat not leased will quickly be pounded to dust by large numbers of freelance hunters. And the birds will move to the least pressured areas, the leased land.

The third tactic commercial hunting uses is aggressive advertiseing aimed at NRs with the full assistance of the North Dakota Tourism Dept. The ad campaign assures the saturation of avialable open habitat by hunters.


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## bioman (Mar 1, 2002)

Dick:

Very intuitive post; however, you left out one key element: the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. They also market the non-resident, only in a much more subtle aspect. When I flew in last year for the pheasant opener, there they were in the airport with their information booth set up to answer questions, hand out brochures, etc. After all, revenue generated from licenses, especially from the non-resident is extremely important. Not meant as a personal attack on the NDGF, but a reality that most never see.


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## muzzy (Mar 21, 2002)

Bioman, just to correct you, the game and fish department does not market to nonresident hunters. First of all we don't want to, and second we don't have the time to do it. The ND tourism department is who you saw at the airport. They get a bunch of PLOTS maps at no charge (free publication) and stand at the airport and hand them out showing everyone where all the opportunities are. This tactic upsets some people at the department for two different reasons. #1 The tourism department is benefitting off of the backs of sportsmen, they get to use this free publication for their own benefit and contribute absolutely nothing to produce it. Sportsmen pay for producing this publication. #2-This just adds to the problems of over run plots.


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## Fetch (Mar 1, 2002)

:******: Unbelievable :******:

This Tourism Dept. has got to be throttled - controlled by someone ???

Many years ago my friend & I worked the ND Toursim Booth in Minneapolis (for several years)- They let guides work the entire booth, so they could do other things :roll: - I mainly went to see the sportsmans show (very good by the way) My friend also went to Chicago & Wisconsin. A cheap easy - fun way to promote your business. & it worked fanstastic.

Now remember we never leased or locked up any land. We were mobile & went where the birds were & asked like anyone else. & had little trouble finding places to hunt. This was the late 70's & 80's & into the 90's - My friend charged $50 per person per day & under 16 were free. It was mainly a way to be able to fulfill our hunting addiction. & looking back what we did, was to teach these guys how to freelance hunt ND.

You would be amazed back then - how many wanted to know about coming to ND and shoot prairie dogs  or hunt coyotes & fox.

I still think the spring conservation hunts & all the publicity SOB's got, is what screwed up ND more than anything. All the people that wanted to come over here & shoot a snowgoose & learned it is not as easy as hunting Canadas :roll: Then they saw we had all the ducks too & the next year, they said to heck with SOB's & just were thrilled to hunt ducks. Sure some kept hunting SOB's. But !!!(then many decided to double their pleasure & Fun & go pheasant hunting too) Each new year - each of those folks brought new people & so on & so on etc. etc. up till now. & at the same time the Toursim folks kept right on - giving all we had away - promoting ND - add to this the internet & how fast the word got out. & add the good economy(in general) & the poor farm economy & mobile hunting boomed & we became NR Nirvana :eyeroll:

Then exactly as Dick has said, the commercial folks have had their plan to try & corner the market :******:

Now real (spoiled) ND hunters have to go to Canada :roll:


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## tsodak (Sep 7, 2002)

Oh most honorable Fetch, can I hunmbly disagree with something you said. :wink:

Label me a cynic, but increased commodity prices will ultimately have no impact on the state of the farm economy.

Seems crazy, but I beleive it to be the truth. WHat is happening in the rural areas today is a matter of cultural evoltution. If wheat was six dollars tommorrow, next year cash rent and all the other expenses would adjust to remove the profit levels from that price level just as it is today. The small farms of yesteryear were created first by government edict, the Homestead Act, and also by technical limitations. There was only so much land a man could work singly then. That is not true today, and farmers today are in many cases not agrarians, but business managers. The road to farm consolidations has been smooth and steady on the long term, as competition squeezes those out who are less able to compete. Beleive it or not, there are farms out there who are producing good income through farm programs, and acceptable incomes to those choosing to live that lifestyle. I could no longer live the lifestyle, hence I made a change.

How this relates to hunting is slightly more complex, but I think it is similiar to other historical trends. Look at what has happened in other societies. Eventually the royalty controls the land and hence the game when they control enough of it. Can anyone argue in the day of GW and the Kennedies that we do not have royalty in the States??? A horse by any other name is still a horse.

Anyway, all I am saying is that the only thing that ultimately can deflect or stop this trend is either major societal upheaval, or government interference. I would call a major move to organic food societal upheaval, but maybe not enough. The reasons that people lease there ground are irrelevant. The plain fact is that someone started doing it, and whoever does not do it in some manner is putting it themselves at a competitive disadvantage. If it were outlawed, then everyone would be even again. But the cultural bias against leasing has lapsed now, and once a genie like this is out of the bottle, I think it will never be totalyy put back, unless by law. I may sound fatalistic, sorry.

Does that mean we should not fight it? Heck no. there are lots of things we can do, not the least of which is beat them at there own game. we can also fight for whatever legal restrictions we can get on leasing, and wage a cultural campaign to reinforce the cultural ideas that kept leasing out of here for so long. Otherwise the only thing that I see to ese it is a catastrphic loss of game populations, and I dont think any of us want that. Tom


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## Fetch (Mar 1, 2002)

Yeah more corporate greed :roll: Another problems is alot of the NICE NoDak folks that owned & farmed the land. That so many are impressed with - have left the rural farms & have gone to the towns & bigger cities or out of State completely. When most of them were on the land - things were so much better.

I'm afraid that the farm managers could careless about hunters. & are not the nice same old nodakers that once were out there. Sure alot of the good folks still live in smaller towns. But as ND ages & many of these die - The us against thems, will even be further apart on things :eyeroll:

What can be done to win over these corporate farm managers ??? For them to see & how unique & special ND is & has been - as far as freelance hunting goes ??? Or is money all that counts ??? If so how can we as a group pay them collectively to let us hunt & not lease to commercial interests ???


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## prairie hunter (Mar 13, 2002)

Fetch is was not you. It was the ducks.

NR waterfowl licenses remained quite stable through the 80s and early 90s. Many of these hunters were the snow goose hunters coming to ND for good hunting.

Then in 1993, nature unleashed a fury of water in ND that no one could have ever imagined. For the most part the rains have not slowed until this year. With all that water, ponds filled and ducks thrived. Where there is game, hunters follow.

*The majority of the new hunters coming to ND are coming to ND to hunt ducks. * Obviously many are so new to ND that they have no idea that ND was ever a great snow goose state. 

Remember MN and WI is really a land of DUCK hunters. All those southern gentlemen coming to ND are here to hunt ducks. Snow goose hunting while being a strong tradition in ND - is more of a side show to most waterfowl hunters everywhere else but LA and TX.

These duck hunters fill places like McClusky, Jamestown, and Carrington. Other traditional snow goose areas such as Bottno have not seen the mass rise in hunters. Devils Lake is blessed (cursed) with being an area that always held both good snow goose and duck populations.

*Freelancing: *Just read the sporting magazine trade articles over the past 10 years. Nearly all hype ease of access. Add in ND tourism. Finally add word of mouth. *How many times have you told a friend about a hunting spot or a fishing hole ... they tell a friend and then they tell a friend and then its gone.* That is why many successful hunters and fisherman will discuss calling or other techniques - but go to there grave when it comes to discussing locale.

The hunters that do come with a guide see that they are often hunting unposted land, here about no tresspass laws, see the available public land, etc... They return as freelancers.

Even a state such as SD with its strong no tresspass law and competing pheasant hunting industry is more difficult to freelance for ducks. You will see birds - but ALWAYS have to ask - even to jump shoot.

*Land Leasing:* I lived and hunted in the deep south for about 6 years. The leasing of land is intense - yes. But waterfowl tend to concentrate into smaller areas or counties of LA, AR, and TX. These leased areas can provide good hunting (it does cycle) through the entire season. River bottoms, coastal marshes, and flooded rice fields (water is pumped in if the rain does not come).

One thing I have learned is in ND, waterfowl populations are much more mobile - they occupy ponds over many more square miles and will move around widely to find better food conditions (hail), water conditions (sheet water), and avoid hunting pressure. These ND waterfowl outfitters lease a lot of land and still end up somewhere else a good part of the time. Strategy there is just at least we have a place to go ?? Leasing has to be good for pheasant outfitters.

*Snow Geese:* Not sure if they will ever use ND as a major staging ground again. Most diehard snow goose hunters have been going to Canada for 5 to 10 years now. This includes A LOT of people from ND.


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## bioman (Mar 1, 2002)

Muzzy:

I was not incorrect in my assertion. I know this for a fact, because I actually stopped and talked the NDGF staff person. NDGF personnel were attending the booth and handing out information, it was not the ND Tourism people. Also, the local media were there interviewing non-resident hunters with their main story tied the infusion of cash into small communities. I was actually approached by KFYR to do a spot interview. I declined then I walked over to the NDGF booth and asked the staff person what all the fuss was about. The entire airport was a circus atmosphere and NDGF were there amongst it.


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## muzzy (Mar 21, 2002)

Bioman, I might be wrong, I will see what I can dig up, what airport was it? What was the person's name, was he/she wearing a uniform. All I know is that there is a lot of grumbling around game and fish at the fact that the tourism department does this. I do know that the tourism department does do this, and I have not heard about anyone in the game and fish department doing it. Update, I just talked to another employee in Bismarck and he told me the same thing, that he couldn't think of anyone doing this. Unless you get more information, I will stand by my initial post


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## muzzy (Mar 21, 2002)

Bioman, I just talked to my supervisor and he was unaware of anyone in the Department doing this. The reason that I questioned it as myself and the 3 other people in my division are the ones that set up informational booths and do that kind of work. We set up informational booths at places like sportshows, ag shows, fairs, etc. Not sure what division would be doing this if you are correct as most people I talk to on a regular basis in the department feel that it is wrong that the tourism department gets a free ride off of the sportsmen when this does occur. As far as the who could be doing this, the fisheries division really wouldn't be a part of the hunting issue, enforcement division has more important things to do and doesn't have the time any way. Wildlife division is pretty much upset with the way things are going with the commercialization and I couldn't see them doing it. That leaves administration, and except when the top brass goes to meetings, they pretty much stay in the Bismarck office. If this is happening, the people I am in contact with are unaware of it. I certainly hope we are not doing this. Once again, any information you have on this would be helpful. Were these people in G&F uniforms, did they say they worked for G&F, what airport was this in?

As far as your earlier statement about the department catering to the outdoorsman because it brings in money, you are partially correct. No one can deny that license sales to nonresidents brings in money to the department. However, how much does it cost? The PLOTS program is a wonderful thing, but do you really think we would have to invest all the time and money into the program if it wasn't for people pouring into the state? I would stand by the idea that it isn't much of a net increase when you think of the associated costs of having to do these programs to offset the problems that occur.


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## bioman (Mar 1, 2002)

Muzzy:

Sorry to leave you hanging, but I wanted to talk to the two people from my hunting party that picked me up at the airport to confirm what I saw (they were deer hunting so I didn't get a chance to talk to them until last night). I flew into the Bismarck airport around 3:30 pm on October 12. As I stated earlier, as soon as I got into the main concourse I was approached by an interviewer/newswomen from KFYR to do a spot interview about non-resident hunters and their tie to "economic development." I turned down the interview and walked about 15 feet to the open area where you board planes. A guy had a table set up along the south wall, and I stopped to ask him what was going on. He very briefly detailed me on the non-resident - resident argument, which I was intimately familiar with, since our hunting area has been overrun. I stood there for a few a minutes taking in the circus atmosphere, then asked the guy if I had to go the NDGF headquarters to purchase a crane tag or if I could buy it over the counter. He told me that I needed to go to the headquarters and asked if I needed directions. I told him I was from the area, so he asked me where I was from and how long I would be hunting. I told him and that was the end of the conservation.

As far as what he was wearing, I unfortunately don't remember if he was in uniform or wearing street clothes. As far as his appearance, the guy was (I'm guessing) in his early 40's, most likely had light brown hair but was mostly gray, and he wore glasses with newer metal frames. After I left, a National Guard soldier came up to him and they talked for some time. I do know for a fact that ND tourism was also at the airport. They had a table set up right next to the baggage claim and several people were shooting the breeze with their representative.

The two people from my hunting party remember the gentlemen also, but couldn't remember what he was wearing because he was sitting down. Here is the part I do remember most vividly, as soon as we picked up my luggage and were headed up to the HQ, it dawned on me why NDGF was at the airport. The two members from my hunting party and myself had a very heated discussion about what appeared to be a blatant sellout targeted to the non-resident hunter. So when we arrived at HQ to purchase my license, I asked the woman at NDGF whom I could write a letter to detail concerns about the quality and state of hunting in No. Dak. She told me to write the director directly, because he reads all of his personal mail.

I spent the week hunting and was absolutely aghast at the even higher density of non-residents (me included) from the 2000 season. This issue gnawed at me for the next couple of months, so instead of being silent, I decided to do something. I saw Mr. Hustad's e-mail address on another website, so I sent him a note asking about the house bill that was circulating through the legislature. He told me that he was going to be starting a website and look for it in late February or early March. That is how I found this site and the issue that brought me here. I even called one of my best friends who is a very good lawyer and had him do some research on the issue of commercial hunting being legal in the state. He generated some ideas for me and that is how I landed on this site. 
So to answer your original question, I cannot 100% guarantee that I spoke with personnel from NDGF, but his ability to answer the crane tag question led me to believe he worked for the department. If I am wrong I will gladly admit to this.


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