Proposition 127 could have long reaching effects
I hear there’ll be an election in about a week.
I spent the last week in a political ad free zone. Otherwise known as grouse camp. There are more important things to do at grouse camp like hunt grouse, take care of dogs, cook meals, and campfires.
But this coming Tuesday a vote takes place that holds the potential to alter the scope and look of hunting. None of us reading this even get the opportunity to vote on it. But if approved, within 25 years the tentacles of it will find their way into and affect even Wisconsin hunting negatively.
Proposition 127 in Colorado holds all that potential and more. Proposition 127 projects all the new tactics and a lot of the old of antihunters. Proposition 127, on its face, seeks to ban the hunting and trapping of mountain lion, bobcat, and lynx. Lynx are not hunted in Colorado. The state has a very limited population of around 150 lynx. Ramping up the emotions of low information voters with pseudo-science, nothing new, but this is an outright lie.
The verbiage of 127 clearly shows the intent and provides the mechanism to extend beyond mountain lion and bobcats in the future. So, when Colorado’s antihunting governor turns his sights to elk, deer, bear, sheep, geese, or upland birds a mechanism exists allowing him to do so, if 127 passes. He just classifies the species a “trophy” animal. I simplified for space, but that’s essentially the process. Besides creating the language of “trophy hunting,” 127 makes “trophy hunting” a Class 1 misdemeanor.
Criminalizing hunting represents a new tactic by the antihunting crowd, but shows how they view us. If successful, Arizona and New Mexico stand directly in the line of fire by the anti-hunting organizations for these tactics.
Washington state started leaning this way several years ago, an incubator of sorts. Remember California with its citizens vote in 1990 banning the hunting of mountain lions. That initiative passed with 52.42% of the population voting in favor, hardly a mandate, but it remains the law of the land.
The antis cited biological reasons, lying to the public that hunting would cause mountain lions to become extinct. Interesting to note, California has never killed less mountain lions than they did when they allowed hunting of lions. Today California pays wildlife control professionals to kill more mountain lions than they killed when they had a hunting season prior to 1990. And prior to 1990, hunters actually purchased licenses for the opportunity to hunt lions.
No biological reason exists not to allow the hunting of mountain lions and bobcats in Colorado. The populations are robust. The biology clearly supports the hunting of mountain lions in Colorado, California too. Including lynx in this ballot initiative expands the lies they used in 1990 in California.
The money and the legal impetus for this ballot initiative comes from outside of Colorado. Colorado law requires a Colorado based organization to sponsor a ballot initiative. To circumvent this, the antis created an organization in the state of Colorado and funneled out of state staff and cash into that organization.
Predator hunting and especially predator hunting that involves hounds represent low hanging fruit to anti-hunting organizations. Starting an attack like this brings in far more cash than they spend on it. A lot like the “save the wolves” campaigns do. We can expect more of the same in the future and at an accelerated rate if Proposition 127 passes.
Wisconsin isn’t a ballot initiative state. But stacking our Natural Resource Board with individuals that oppose hunting or trapping or both may happen in the future. States like Washington and Colorado see the negative side effects of that anti-hunting strategy.
Elections create consequences. Nationwide, estimates show up to 80% of hunters and trappers do not vote. This cannot continue. I pointed out the reasons why many times. The simple fact of the matter is that there will never be more people who hunt in the U.S. and Wisconsin than today, and that number is significantly less than 25 years ago. There will never be less anti-hunting individuals than today and that number will increase significantly in the next 25 years. Anti-hunters live to play keyboard warrior on the internet, protest, and politic. They are once again outworking us. We need to make our voices heard.
The splendor of what my wife calls Chucktober fades into the treasures of November. Good luck, but please remember, Safe Hunting is No Accident!
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CHUCK K OLAR LOCAL OUTDOORSMAN
