OK, so the recall is on. Bumper stickers and yard signs are out in full force.
The other day I drove past a HUGE sign that reads “Sportsmen For Walker – Our Outdoor Heritage Matters.”
I drive on home, and I decide I’m going to check the details about how Scott Walker “values” our outdoor heritage.
First, I check Scottwalker.org, and I find a link in the “Issues” section on his website called “Taking Politics Out Of The Woods.” (That rings a bell with me. I take an ice fishing trip with a group of guys, and we really try to avoid all things political)
As I read on, I see that Scott says, “Our state needs a commitment to accessibility of land and waterways for all sportsmen and women of all ages to hunt, fish and trap.” Next, he says he wants to “Allow increased access to state lands for forest management and the use for all of Wisconsin’s citizens.”
He also appointed a “Whitetail Deer Trustee” for better deer herd management. This person is an outside expert that will provide the state with an independent, objective, and scientifically based review of Wisconsin’s deer management practices…Cool, this sounds great!
So I decided to Google this “Deer Trustee” and see what I could learn about him, and his credentials. First off, he’s from Texas. Hmm. I was expecting someone from the Midwest, but what do I know? I guess if our state is truly in need of an expert, what’s the difference where he is from, right? If he knows deer – great, because we like our deer hunting here, and our “outdoor heritage matters.”
Anyhow, James Kroll – Dr. Deer, as he is called – has a 37-page resume! His website says, “He has spent 35 years debunking popular misconceptions about America’s favorite big game animal – the white-tailed deer.” It adds that Kroll “has helped landowners from the Gulf of Mexico to the Canadian border manage deer. His cutting edge research includes the use of infra-red triggered cameras as early as the late 1970s.” I keep Googling.
Then I find this third nugget of info: Back in 2002, Joe Nick Patoski of Texas Monthly wrote a long piece about the battle over deer hunting regulations in that state. Kroll stated that he doesn’t believe in public lands, people who call for more public hunting opportunities are “pining for socialism.”
He further states, “(Public) Game management is the last bastion of communism.” He calls national parks “wildlife ghettos” and flatly accuses the government of gross mismanagement. He argues that his relatively tiny acreage, marked by eight-foot fences and posted signs warning off would-be poachers, is a better model for keeping what’s natural natural while making money off the land.
Wow! This is the guy Walker picked to manage our state’s deer population?
I’m going to make a wild guess here, and bet money that the “Deer Trustee” is going to come down hard on our DNR and propose plenty of things that will take wildlife management out of the hands of our experts (who actually live in our state) and put the responsibility with some all-knowing cowboys from the south.
This sounds to me like the Deer Trustee (who is being paid with our tax money) will convince our governor to treat our state like a big private hunting club. Will we all get membership cards?
The question that I would ask my deer-hunting neighbors is this. What do you believe? Gov. Walker’s words on his website, or his actions in the hiring of a man to manage our wildlife who believes land is only of value when it is privately owned.
Our state has value to ALL of us. Our public land, wildlife, and water access have serious value – ask anyone from Illinois. This value could also be called “Our outdoor heritage,” and yes, it does matter. It matters to all of us. We all have memories of hunting and fishing with our families, camping with our Boy Scout troops, and hiking trails in our public forests.
I look forward to creating memories with grandkids I don’t even have yet.
Many of us struggle to find the time to stay on top of what our politicians say and do. Scott Walker needs to be clear with his supporters (many of them are hunters). He owes it to the people that are sporting his yard signs, and sending him money to be honest with them, and adhere to his stated beliefs.
I know plenty of people who think their vote doesn’t matter, and nothing will change as a result of their vote. Well, if Dr. Deer is true to his words, things may change for hunters, and the rest of us – in a big way.
John Sibilski
Burlington Sportsman
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I’ve read that Dr. Deer privatized some popular Texas lands and it’s a fee of about $250 to bag a buck now above the normal $25.
you can read all you want buddy, If you dont like the prices go to private land… Oh yeah you dont have any. Then go to the public land, Oh yeah you dont support it.. Just stay home and keep your lips flapping I guess .. or you could call the ex-gov and cry…..
what the heck are you trying to say? this post makes virtually no sense.
Not a surprising opinion from a founding member of the Progressives United Political Action Committee. Just to clarify, there isn’t a club named “Burlington Sportsmen” (with an “e”), John is claiming that he is a hunter who cares about sportsman’s rights. Use your own thoroughthought when reading a piece meant to sway your beliefs.
Is that what politicians do, write and make statements to sway people to their beliefs? Perhaps he made some valid points and someone used their own “throughthought” and were swayed to his side or remained steadfast because they did not agree with his view points and statements. People interpret differently, ie I did not take his Burlington Sportman to mean he was in a club by that name merely he was a sportsman that lived in Burlington.
I am an avid reader and can make no sense of of frady cat’s post.
Does Walker really believe in the entire State of Wisconsin there is no person intelligent enough to manage the deer population and that is why he appointed a Texan. Who better knows deer hunting than our own state deer hunters? Let the Texans stay in Texas to manage their deer. The states are completely different. Perhaps Texas deer and Wisconsin deer are different as well.
First of all, Thoroughthought and frady cat??? I know that the very idea of a “sportsman” having any concern for public land, and water is a very foreign idea for many of you. I am one of many people who use our public land for outdoor recreation, and to “harvest” wildlife, who actually cares about public access and management of our valuable natural resources…it’s obvious that I am not alone – just ask the folks at Gander Mountain who had second thoughts and backed out of hosting an event for our sportsman of a governor.
I wish I could say more to support a counter argument, but I am unclear about what they are trying to say..