More JS Paul Smith Drivel

More JS Paul Smith Drivel: https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/columnists/paul-smith/2018/01/31/smith-its-time-pay-hunters-killing-cwd-positive-deer-wisconsin-cash-incentive-program-combat-cwd-wis/1079938001/

This guy needs to find a new job.  This, in another long laundry list of stupid ideas and viewpoints he gets paid to produce.  Basically puts a bounty on deer, which will not reduce CWD prevalence.  How about investing that $10,000,000 in prion research instead?  Actually may make progress towards a real fix.  

If you're ready worried bury some in PVC  pipe somewhere. 

Snake.... Are you saying it's a big conssssssssspiracy?

That's a good point littleluck. I could see that happening.

Drahts-

If your read my analysis leads you to conclude that I am a communist, then you must be a fascist.

I doubt that is true, just applying your rules of engagement.

Granted Paul Smith is no Jay Reed but he writes for a paper that used to support sportsmen, I say used to because I am old enough to remember the real sports show that has turned into the seven mile fair. If to don't think the anti-gun groups are after all guns you have obviously partaken of the cool aid , just look at the confiscations that have taken place around the world, it starts out just like smoking in public did. Once the camel gets its nose in the tent the rest follows, just register your guns then we make one style illegal then one more then one more and so on, Just look at who wants to change the constitution all the time. The tax you to death to support their voter base with free stuff crowd, remember the lie they always tell us its government funded except its really taxpayer funded they forget about who really pays the bills in this country. To blame one party more than the other for what we see as injustices is just tribalism, just look at what is happening in Washington, its like two kids fighting over a toy.

Scottie sitting on his hands was the best thing that ever happened  ?  More CWD ,more pollution  , more billionaires paying less in taxes . 

Watch the next democratic debate or look up past debates to hear the anti gun rhetoric . Its no longer just a rallying cry for the NRA it is being spoken by many in the Democratic party running for President. Mayor Bloomberg is very outspoken on gun control. As we get closer to the election Im sure it will be uttered only behind closed doors again but maybe not. I hear more and more democrats not afraid to speak out against guns and its not just assault rifles and high capacity magazines. If you haven't heard it you aren't listening. This has kinda gotten off track from the article.

I do believe we need to restore science based thinking to our natural resources and common sense laws that were mistakedly changed and the DNR stripped of many good people. We need to get things back on track and restored to what was once a shining example of game management in the United States.

Couldn't agree with you more Doug!  Yes, you may be able to find those out there with a "ban all guns" ideology but it is an unsustainable, unelectable platform.

Over the years I've moved from being a solid Republican to an Independent for the very reasons you have cited. The vote Republican or lose your guns mantra is brilliantly conceived alliance with the NRA and the reason I gave up membership many years ago.

Trouter-

I agree we need people who can do both.  But my challenge still stands... show me an "anti-gun" proposal that included conventional rifles and shotguns.  

So we have a choice, vote to protect something that isn't being threatened or vote to protect natural resources and public health which IS being attacked EVERY day in America by our Republican "friends".

I am done now

Actually, Paul Smith is a nice guy who writes about natural resource issues.  I have no idea what his political leanings are, nor do I care.  

The bounty proposal is not new.  But 10 million is a bit steep.  I would suggest trying it on a smaller scale to see how it would work.   Would landowners  in the target area participate in such a program ?  What new data would such a program provide ?  Would participation be large enough in the target area to actually reduce the deer herd to the target density ?  

In the CWD target area of Adams County, we made a goal of taking 300 samples for testing and achieved that goal without paying bounties.  But, taking the 300 samples did not reduce the deer herd in any measurable way.  

If the goal is to take a high number of samples in a target area, we already do that without payment for CWD infected deer.

If the goal is to reduce deer in a target area to a specific level, such as 6 deer per square mile, then I am not sure there would be sufficient landowner participation to achieve that goal, bounties or not.

But it is worth a try.  Do the bounty experiment and see how it works.

Dougs evil twin you must be kidding about showing you something about democrats taking away our guns. It used to be said only behind closed doors when no one was listening but it has been shouted from the podium over and over again now it's not a veiled threat anymore being spoken by the jackbooted thugs at the NRA. 

On the other hand the republicans while mostly willing to protect our gun rights they have been negligent in getting things done and have undone many good rules and regulations that were in place. 

We need to find some to help us to do both, protecting our natural resources and gun rights.

P.S. I actually find Paul Smith a good read and am thankful he brings these points up to keep us informed of what is going on as far as natural resources in the political world. I would bet the average sportsman is not paying any attention. More inclined to complain about the DNR.

Really? Really? Show me one credible example of a proposal that has suggested taking away hunting rifles and shotguns.  There are none.  And don't trot out some b.s. about banning assault rifles having anything to do with hunting.  The fact that hunters buy into that faulty logic and fear is exactly why Republicans don't ever need to  do anything to support conservation again.  You are gonna vote for em even when they fill wetlands, promote CAFOS, give tax breaks to develop habitat, and allow energy companies to carve up public lands.  

Rather than naming calling, it is time to face facts and do some critical thinking.  The Republican party--once championed by Teddy Roosevelt, Ding Darling, and Warren Knowles--abandoned hunters in the 1980's when the party turned hard right and sold its soul to an agenda dominated exclusively to  "free market" economic growth.  Those policies, in most cases, have polluted our waters and wells, privatized natural resources, defunded parks, and scientific research, and unleashed the growing plague of climate change that, ironically, with reverse whatever economic gains have been made. 

Rather than be held accountable at the a ballot box, the GOP aligned with the NRA- a formerly respectable organization that now has questionable ties to Russia --to drive a wedge into the sporting community by spreading a bunch a non-sense about liberals wanting to take your hunting firearms away.  As long as hunters continue to blindly swallow such fear mongering and vote Republican, those assholes don't have to worry about losing their seats and they continue to ravage our natural resources.

Yes,  one would be hard pressed to find an administration governed from either side of the aisle that did a greater disservice to Wisconsin sportsmen than Walkers.

Regrettably, the current leadership has been very slow and seemingly disinterested in implementing policies to turn the tide.

Agreed that Mr Smith is "left-leaning" but that is not a surprise due to his employer. Would prefer he kept politics out of his column.. 

To his credit though he does have some good articles over the course of the year where he actually talks about hunts and fishing events. He has also covered/promoted some really good events (Horicon Marsh Hunt for Wounded Warriors etc) that showcase the good things the hunting/fishing communities do to support great causes..