# Hunting unpleasant in the Bowman area



## FlashBoomSplash (Aug 26, 2005)

Hunting unpleasant in the Bowman area

By JESS VILLAFUERTE 
Denver
After reading "A way of life" in the Tribune, I needed to let you know about my recent pheasant hunting trip to Bowman, N.D.

Last year's trip, my first, was one of the most enjoyable experiences in my 55 years of hunting. We always stopped and asked permission to hunt and were allowed to do so with a smile. Our party of two had our limit of birds by 10 a.m. for three days straight.

This year was totally different. The area around Bowman was posted for miles in every direction. We asked several folks to hunt and were flatly refused. The people we spoke with were just short of rude. One landowner said that the area owners were participating in an organized boycott of hunters.

I believe that property owners have the right to do as they see fit with their land. My only differences are with the owners who take government subsidies for land and refuse to allow hunters the use of said property. These hunters are the ones who pay the taxes that are used to keep land fallow.

My North Dakota license cost a little over $100, my motel room for three nights was about $100, the restaurant where I had breakfast and dinner for three days was over $100. I also purchased gas and food during this trip.

Unfortunately, this will be my last trip to North Dakota. I will advise anyone asking about the Bowman area to save their money. My suggestion would be for the North Dakota Fish and Game to increase their plots program by 500 percent. During our trip, every hunter in the area seemed to take turns hunting these limited areas.

If someone needs a reason for the declining number of hunters, all they need is an experience like ours to hang up their shotguns. Upon my return to Denver, I called my congressmen and senators and asked that they introduce a bill that will allow hunters access to land that is being subsidized by taxpayers.


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## FlashBoomSplash (Aug 26, 2005)

I am sure some others have read this but I figured I would post it. Whats everyones feelings on this.


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## djleye (Nov 14, 2002)

The landscape of hunting is changing. It certainly will be easier for residents to make the appropriate contacts than it will be for non-residents. THIS IS NOT SAYING ANYTHING BAD ABOUT NR!! I am only saying that it might be tougher for NR to make that contact. The more people hanging up their guns, the worse it will be for all of us in the long run. Sad to see, but a fact of life!!


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## dblkluk (Oct 3, 2002)

> It certainly will be easier for residents to make the appropriate contacts than it will be for non-residents.


Absolutely correct djleye!

But I find it interesting how if the same story is told by a resident, we are "whining".
I think when the NR's start complaining about the status of our hunting, often times people begin sit up and take notice.

So I consider stories like this helpful, although like you say djleye, its up to us residents to make the contacts.. (Legislators)


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## FlashBoomSplash (Aug 26, 2005)

I have been hunting ND for the last 10 years and by far this has been the worst year for access and pressure. I think ND got greedy not the land owners. To many licenses are being sold and I think the land owners are sick of all the people. To much of a good thing is a bad thing.


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## Plainsman (Jul 30, 2003)

It was a very good article. I would hope rural North Dakota would start looking at the big picture. This fall my son and friends hunted in a small town for a week. I think there was five or seven guys. Each morning they ate in a local café with two none residents. When they ate the last morning before leaving the restaurant owner said to my son "we are happy that you non residents come to North Dakota and spend your money, it really helps". The sad thing it was one fellows home town.

How is Mott doing this year? I understand people are avoiding it. Is that correct?

To us conservatives the word society often carries a bad connotation. It is used to often in promoting welfare and things that don't appeal to independent people like we North Dakotan's. My point is that we all form a spoke in the wheel that keeps this state moving forward. I suppose it's pie in the sky to wish that we could all learn to appreciate one another. Restaurant owners should appreciate resident and non resident, hunters should appreciate landowners, and and landowners should appreciate hunters. We all spend money in restaurants, farmers provide a place for us to hunt, and hunters pay taxes and support agriculture. We are all intertwined, but in this modern world everyone wants all the goodies.

Outfitting and other forms of pay hunting will greatly reduce the number of hunters. Following that the restaurant owners will see empty seats at 5:00am Saturday and Sunday mornings. Small towns will follow the passenger pigeons into oblivion, and the farmers will be looked at as just another business.

Am I just getting old and longing for the 1960's again? Some will call it progress, but I think it only constitutes progress if it's going in the right direction. It isn't. Someone needs to tell the good folks of Bowman that blackmail isn't the answer.


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## Bigdog (Aug 13, 2003)

Organized Boycott of hunters? Any truth to that and if so, does anyone know the reason?


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## rap (Mar 26, 2002)

i'm going to get used to fall fishing, thats when u catch the big ones anyways, we're going to turn into texas, want to make a reservation to hunt public land?

this is not a NR problem, its the people who pay to hunt, which mainly consists of NR's, but i have stopped grouping them all together a while ago

NR's are not the problem, its greedy people who like to consider them hunters when they really are just shooters

I love talking to people who call themselves hunters and pay to hunt on land or game farms!!! Thats why i'm out hunting public land in December with -20 degrees on the thermometer. I would much rather take one late season rooster on public land than shoot my limit the opening weekend.


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## blhunter3 (May 5, 2007)

I would agree, its not the NR's its the pay-to-play people. I'm from ND and have family back in the Jamestown area, and every year my family has a few guys asking if they pay them money, to keep everybody off the land so then can hunt it. This is even happening where I'm at now in Minnesota. I'm very close to Fergus Falls, even about 5 years ago we had hunting land there, but now the farmers land who we used to hunt on says that he cannot turn down the amount of money those pay-to-play people give them. 
I think that it is very sad to have this happening. I'm only 19 and its so hard to get on land anymore everywhere you go. ND, MN, SD, where ever. This pay-to-play bs needs to quit, if the land is not there how are we going to get the next generation hunters out there? Public Land is a good thing, but it sometimes isnt worth going to becasue there are so many people. Even now the only private land I get to hunt now is the farmers who I work for. Not everybody has that oppertunity. I understand that the money is nice for the farmers but they are doing more harm then good. I had a hard time saying that because we had to sell our farm in ND because on money reasons. I am by noway saying that its the farmers fault, its those rich SOB's that feel cool when they flash money to hunt. uke: 
Trust me its not only ND that has the same problems.

:2cents:


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