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Panfisher · December 20, 2012, 04:50 PM

Boa10 as holder of a Wildlife Conservation and Management degree I would be happy to debate the health of wildlife in the U.S with either Peru or Europe.

In the last 40 years or so professional wildlife managers and biologists have "taken over" the various state and federal agencies that manage them. The result? Thriving healthy populations of nearly all hunted species. In fact hunted species are usually in better shape than non-hunted ones because they are a economic base in many places while things like songbirds and non game while important aren't.

Don't believe all the tripe you see in print or on the internet about americans and their guns destroying the wildlife of the country. Even some of the species that were essentially extirpated from many areas in the lower 48 are making a come back, Mountain Lions, Wolves to name a couple of the slower recovering species, others like the wild turkey and whitetail deer are at numbers to be considered nuisance species in many areas.

I am a hunter and most of my family hunt, I can't remember a time when we harvested a full quota of anything except maybe small game like squirrels and there certainly is no shortage there. Wildlife agencies, and organizations have spent billions of dollars on wetlands, refuges, and protecting many species during vulnerable times like breeding seasons. The biology and science are there to support the practices and harvest limits set and the results pretty well speak for themselves.

I will happily admit that much of the "problems" with wildlife species especially reptiles comes when we as humans move into their habitat, sometimes they eat our pets or bite us, but so far I don't see those populations vanishing.

I hope you don't feel like I am being rude, its just that the stereotype perpetuated by PETA and other groups agains the american sportsman/hunters is essentially wrong. Sportsman were even the first ones in america to make the pleas for seasons, limits, and limitations, but I am beginning to digress so I will stop.

I will say that I appreciate that you had the inerest & integrity to log on to a site like this one and ask a question, most in your position would simply have taken the onesided argument and accepted it as gospel. For that alone sir you have earned my professional respect.

December 20, 2012, 04:50 PM	#20
Panfisher Senior Member Join Date: July 30, 2010 Location: Missouri Posts: 1,337	Boa10 as holder of a Wildlife Conservation and Management degree I would be happy to debate the health of wildlife in the U.S with either Peru or Europe. In the last 40 years or so professional wildlife managers and biologists have "taken over" the various state and federal agencies that manage them. The result? Thriving healthy populations of nearly all hunted species. In fact hunted species are usually in better shape than non-hunted ones because they are a economic base in many places while things like songbirds and non game while important aren't. Don't believe all the tripe you see in print or on the internet about americans and their guns destroying the wildlife of the country. Even some of the species that were essentially extirpated from many areas in the lower 48 are making a come back, Mountain Lions, Wolves to name a couple of the slower recovering species, others like the wild turkey and whitetail deer are at numbers to be considered nuisance species in many areas. I am a hunter and most of my family hunt, I can't remember a time when we harvested a full quota of anything except maybe small game like squirrels and there certainly is no shortage there. Wildlife agencies, and organizations have spent billions of dollars on wetlands, refuges, and protecting many species during vulnerable times like breeding seasons. The biology and science are there to support the practices and harvest limits set and the results pretty well speak for themselves. I will happily admit that much of the "problems" with wildlife species especially reptiles comes when we as humans move into their habitat, sometimes they eat our pets or bite us, but so far I don't see those populations vanishing. I hope you don't feel like I am being rude, its just that the stereotype perpetuated by PETA and other groups agains the american sportsman/hunters is essentially wrong. Sportsman were even the first ones in america to make the pleas for seasons, limits, and limitations, but I am beginning to digress so I will stop. I will say that I appreciate that you had the inerest & integrity to log on to a site like this one and ask a question, most in your position would simply have taken the onesided argument and accepted it as gospel. For that alone sir you have earned my professional respect.