This past weekend I took one of my boys who just turned 10 to take the hunter safety course and for those of you who are not familiar with this it is a course that someone male or female at any age can take and if you pass it allows you to carry a firearm whether a gun or a bow into the woods to use for hunting. And although my son Wyatt is young he did a great job and passed it which will now allow him to participate in this years hunting season. But this might all sound like good news but I soon learned that within the next few months this program which teaches the safety of firearms, hunting, camping, survival and first aid might no longer be offered. Or it might still be available to take but not for free as it is right now. This all happened due to the hiring on a new county commissioner. Now what really gets to me is the fact that all of the people who run this program are all volunteers, who themselves believe that this program has done wonders for the hunting community. But my main concern is that fact that my younger son Tye who is now 7 won't be able to have the same opportunity as his brother did.
So the true question is why this county commissioner is trying to change the rules and regulations of this class. When in all honesty having this class allows for more people to become avid hunters. Which in the long run will lead to those people purchasing goods for hunting which has always proven to play a large part in our nations economy. Now we have always been taught that two wrongs don't make a right and this is a perfect example. Because if this class was no longer available it could cause 1. a decrease in hunting population which would decrease the purchasing of hunting goods. And 2. the lack of knowledge to those who need and want to learn the safety of hunting and the effects it has on the world around us. So what possible good could come out of this? Any opinions I would love to hear them.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Many people around the age of 22 like myself probably don't think that they play a huge role in the economy when it comes time to living out their everyday lives. Well I'll be honest I thought that they only role I played in the current economy was at the gas pump, but recently I've learned otherwise. If anyone else out there enjoys participating in the same outdoor activities as I, such as hunting and fishing, then the following topic will probably be as interesting to you as it is to me.
While doing some research on those who hunt and fish like myself I soon realized that what I do for fun actually has a huge impact on our economy. Now one of the best comparisons that I found that relates hunting to the economy was done by the Department of Fish and Game. On one of their sites they stated that by comparison, and if hypothetically ranked as a "corporation," hunting would be put in thirty-fifth place on the Fortune 500 list of America's largest businesses, right between J.C. Penney and United Parcel Service. This is based off of the 700,00 jobs it creates and the annual spending by America's 14 million hunters which amounts to $22.1 billion. Now those are some numbers to think about.
Although hunting is one of my favorite past times it also allows me to spend quality time with my dogs. Because without them all of the hog hunting that I participate in wouldn't be possible. Now I do spent alot of money when it comes to hunting equipment for me and my dogs but when I saw the totals of how much money hunters spend on their dogs I was shocked. On another U.S. Fish and Wildlife website I found out that hunters spend $605 million on hunting dogs, which is far more than the $513 million skiers spend on ski equipment. And each year hunters spend more on food for hunting trips than Americans spend on Domino’s Pizza. Now if these numbers don't prove how hunting is more than just an American past time then I must have done something wrong.
Now speaking of doing something wrong there is something that I believe our Nation has started to do, which in the long run could have a negative impact on our society as we know it. What has worried is me is the fact that I don't know how much longer hunting can survive in a civilization that’s losing contact with the natural world. Since I began hunting as a child I always wondered if this activity that I enjoy so much would live long enough for me to share it with kids of my own. And I have soon learned that I am not the only one with this concern. One man who shares the same questions as I is Huey D. Johnson and he runs the Resource Renewal Institute in San Francisco. When I read a recent article on him he stated "I believe that hunting needs to be seen as an advocate of a continuing tradition, important to humanity, if it is to survive for another millennium." To be honest with you I couldn't of said it better myself. I don't know if I am the only one out there who sees hunting and fishing as a way of life but that is exactly what it is to me.
Truthfully where would we be today if it wasn't for hunting and fishing. We definitely wouldn't have survived to live this long if our ancestors didn't know how to live with these trades. So why does it seem that every year whether it be the Government or Law Enforcement, they make it harder and harder for people like me to participate in the activities that I enjoy so much. Whether it be the creation of new laws or the shortage of land it always seems like something is always getting in the way of me and my hunting or fishing.
Now since Zoology is my major I do understand that Biologists have to get the government to pass new laws in order to protect certain species but this isn't (for the most part) where my hunting and fishing is most impacted. I know all laws are created for a reason but what about the benefits that hunting has on the society and it's economy. I believe that since the hunting and fishing industry plays such a huge role in the economy it should be seen as a booming industry, instead it seems to be dwindling.
Hunters are not only purchasing hunting gear, boats and trucks. They also fill their gas tanks and coolers and stay at motels and resorts. They buy hunting clothes and those goofy hunting hats with sayings that are sometimes funny and always a conversation piece. So why are so many laws formed and so much land being developed which only prevents people like myself from investing more money into an economy which is in dire need of a boost? And if hunters are good for the economy then why is our own Nation slowly pushing them out of society as we know it? These are the questions that remain on my mind and if you share the same opinions or have any answers feel free to let me know.
While doing some research on those who hunt and fish like myself I soon realized that what I do for fun actually has a huge impact on our economy. Now one of the best comparisons that I found that relates hunting to the economy was done by the Department of Fish and Game. On one of their sites they stated that by comparison, and if hypothetically ranked as a "corporation," hunting would be put in thirty-fifth place on the Fortune 500 list of America's largest businesses, right between J.C. Penney and United Parcel Service. This is based off of the 700,00 jobs it creates and the annual spending by America's 14 million hunters which amounts to $22.1 billion. Now those are some numbers to think about.
Although hunting is one of my favorite past times it also allows me to spend quality time with my dogs. Because without them all of the hog hunting that I participate in wouldn't be possible. Now I do spent alot of money when it comes to hunting equipment for me and my dogs but when I saw the totals of how much money hunters spend on their dogs I was shocked. On another U.S. Fish and Wildlife website I found out that hunters spend $605 million on hunting dogs, which is far more than the $513 million skiers spend on ski equipment. And each year hunters spend more on food for hunting trips than Americans spend on Domino’s Pizza. Now if these numbers don't prove how hunting is more than just an American past time then I must have done something wrong.
Now speaking of doing something wrong there is something that I believe our Nation has started to do, which in the long run could have a negative impact on our society as we know it. What has worried is me is the fact that I don't know how much longer hunting can survive in a civilization that’s losing contact with the natural world. Since I began hunting as a child I always wondered if this activity that I enjoy so much would live long enough for me to share it with kids of my own. And I have soon learned that I am not the only one with this concern. One man who shares the same questions as I is Huey D. Johnson and he runs the Resource Renewal Institute in San Francisco. When I read a recent article on him he stated "I believe that hunting needs to be seen as an advocate of a continuing tradition, important to humanity, if it is to survive for another millennium." To be honest with you I couldn't of said it better myself. I don't know if I am the only one out there who sees hunting and fishing as a way of life but that is exactly what it is to me.
Truthfully where would we be today if it wasn't for hunting and fishing. We definitely wouldn't have survived to live this long if our ancestors didn't know how to live with these trades. So why does it seem that every year whether it be the Government or Law Enforcement, they make it harder and harder for people like me to participate in the activities that I enjoy so much. Whether it be the creation of new laws or the shortage of land it always seems like something is always getting in the way of me and my hunting or fishing.
Now since Zoology is my major I do understand that Biologists have to get the government to pass new laws in order to protect certain species but this isn't (for the most part) where my hunting and fishing is most impacted. I know all laws are created for a reason but what about the benefits that hunting has on the society and it's economy. I believe that since the hunting and fishing industry plays such a huge role in the economy it should be seen as a booming industry, instead it seems to be dwindling.
Hunters are not only purchasing hunting gear, boats and trucks. They also fill their gas tanks and coolers and stay at motels and resorts. They buy hunting clothes and those goofy hunting hats with sayings that are sometimes funny and always a conversation piece. So why are so many laws formed and so much land being developed which only prevents people like myself from investing more money into an economy which is in dire need of a boost? And if hunters are good for the economy then why is our own Nation slowly pushing them out of society as we know it? These are the questions that remain on my mind and if you share the same opinions or have any answers feel free to let me know.
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