Hunting is Conservation

Posted by John Stallone on 04/11/2014 in archery, hunting, shooting and outdoors | 7 Comments

Hunting is Conservation

“In a civilized and cultivated country wild animals only continue to exist at all when preserved by sportsmen. the excellent people who protest against all hunting, and consider sportsmen as enemies of wild life, are ignorant of the fact that in reality the genuine sportsman is by all odds the most important factor in keeping the larger and more valuable wild creatures from total extermination. “
President Theodore Roosevelt, 1905

I need to get something off my chest…. I am tired of anti-hunters calling me names, posting their comments on social media, tired of the hate mail we receive and quite frankly how fricken ignorant some of you are…. First and foremost… I am not just a Hunter and Steward of the animals I pursue. I am also a Certified Deer Manager, Certified in Wildlife and Forestry Conservation and have my degree in Rangeland Management & Ecology ,So I am going to attempt to try to educate you once and for all…

#1) There is no other group or population of people that do more for animals and conservation than hunters.
• Pitman Robertson act: This excise tax on all hunting, fishing and firearm related sales generats almost 2.5 billion dollars a year for wildlife conservation
• Hunting and fishing Licenses: it’s the law that the state may not use these funds for anything but protecting and improving wildlife, contributing more than $1 billion each year through the purchase of licenses, tags, and permits
#2) The vast majority of hunters respect and are stewards of the animals they hunt and their habitats
• NSSF: Contribute upward of 14 million dollars a year to the Hunters heritage program which helps states develop habitat and education programs.
• SCI: Not only funds conservation with millions yearly, but started Sportsmen Against Hunger in 1989, and through the network of SCI chapters, provides food banks with meat from harvested animals. In 2006, over 250,000 lbs of wild game were donated to charitable relief organizations
• Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
• Mule Deer Foundation
• Wild Sheep Foundation
• Wild turkey Foundation:
• Ducks unlimited
• Whitetails Unlimited:
These are just a few of the many hunter funded organizations that add an additional 1.8 billion dollars annually to wildlife conservation and awareness….In fact it would be almost double that if we didn’t have to spend so much lobbying against all the anit-hunting organizations

#3) There wouldn’t be any animals here today for us to enjoy if it wasn’t for hunting
No. 1 why Hunting Is Conservation: In 1907, only 41,000 elk remained in North America. Thanks to the money and hard work invested by hunters to restore and conserve habitat, today there are more than 1 million.
No. 2 why Hunting Is Conservation: In 1900, only 500,000 whitetails remained. Thanks to conservation work spearheaded by hunters, today there are more than 32 million.
No. 3 why Hunting Is Conservation: In 1900, only 100,000 wild turkeys remained. Thanks to hunters, today there are over 7 million.
No. 4 why Hunting Is Conservation: In 1901, few ducks remained. Thanks to hunters’ efforts to restore and conserve wetlands, today there are more than 44 million.
No. 5 why Hunting Is Conservation: In 1950, only 12,000 pronghorn remained. Thanks to hunters, today there are more than 1.1 million.

#4) Anti-hunting groups kill more animals than any other group
According to the Humane Society About 2.7 million healthy, adoptable cats and dogs—about one every 11 seconds—are put down in U.S. shelters each year. That’s like 105 million a day… HMMM….World wide hunters harvest 200 million animals total yearly…that’s including birds, squirrels, alligators etc… deer only make up like 2% of that total at 6 million that’s less then we kill with our cars in north America each year…

#5) And for those of you who play the “God card” ..yep that’s right he’s cool with it too..
Genesis 1:26
“Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
Genesis 9:2
“The fear and dread of you will fall upon all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every creature that moves along the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hands. Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything”

#6) Some of the greatest names in wildlife conservation were all hunters and understood the importance of balance

• 1900 – Iowa Congressman John Lacey drafted the Lacey Act, making it a federal offense to transport illegally killed wildlife across state borders.
• 1901 to 1909 – President Theodore Roosevelt protected more than 230 million acres of American lands and waters. He undoubtedly did more to conserve wildlife than any other individual in U.S. history.
• 1911 – Massachusetts Congressman John Weeks instituted an act bearing his name that allowed the federal government to buy land east of the Mississippi for national forests.
• 1916 – Canadian Charles Gordon Hewitt signed the Migratory Bird Treaty to protect a variety of feathered species from egg and nest collectors, as well as unregulated hunting.
• 1933 – Aldo Leopold published “Game Management,” a book that serves as the bible for the principles of managing game species. Its message is still relevant today.
• 1937 – The Pittman-Robertson Act put a 10-percent excise tax on arms and ammunition, which could be matched $3 to $1 from state license fees.
• Teddy Roosevelt, Gifford Pinchot, George Bird Grinnell and others formed the Boone and Crockett Club and used their status to create some of North America’s most important and enduring conservation legacies
And if all this isn’t enough to convince you that hunting and hunters are not just blood thirsty barbarians or better yet toothless hillbillies that we are often portrayed to be….

Here is a few more Reasons:
• why Hunting Is Conservation: In 1937, hunters actually requested an 11% tax on guns, ammo, bows and arrows etc. to help fund conservation.
• why Hunting Is Conservation: All together, hunters pay more than $1.6 billion a year for conservation programs. No one gives more!
• why Hunting Is Conservation: Three out of four Americans approve of hunting, partly because hunters are America’s greatest positive force for conservation.
• why Hunting Is Conservation: As taxpayers, hunters also fund the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, etc.
• why Hunting Is Conservation: Hunting funds conservation AND the economy, generating $38 billion a year in retail spending.*
• why Hunting Is Conservation: Hunting supports 680,000 jobs, from game wardens to waitresses, biologists to motel clerks.*
• why Hunting Is Conservation: Hunters are the fuel behind RMEF and its 6.3 million-plus acres of habitat conservation. More than 95 percent of our 196,000 members are passionate hunters.
• why Hunting Is Conservation: A wildlife management tool, hunting helps balance wildlife populations with what the land can support, limits crop damage and curtails disease outbreaks.
• why Hunting Is Conservation: Hunters help manage growing numbers of predators such as cougars, bears, coyotes and wolves. Our government spends millions to control predators and varmints while hunters have proven more than willing to pay for that opportunity.
• why Hunting Is Conservation: Hunting has major value for highway safety. For every 6 deer hit by a motorist, hunters take 1.
• why Hunting Is Conservation: Deer collisions kill 200 motorists and cost $10 billion a year. Imagine costs without hunting!
• why Hunting Is Conservation: Hunters provide for conservation—and for their families. Hunting is a healthy way to connect with nature and eat the world’s most organic, lean, free-range meat.
• why Hunting Is Conservation: Hunter numbers are down, while hunter spending for conservation is up. Unequaled devotion!
• why Hunting Is Conservation: Avid hunter Theodore Roosevelt created our national forests and grasslands and forever protected 230 million acres for wildlife and the public to use and enjoy.
• why Hunting Is Conservation: With funding from hunters, RMEF helped restore wild elk herds in six states and provinces. This is only one example of the conservation efforts created by hunter funded conservation groups.
• why Hunting Is Conservation: As society loses its ties to wildlife and conservation, the bonds with nature formed by hunting are the greatest hope for creating the next generation of true conservationists.

Well I’m going to get off my high horse because honestly this is not me… I don’t usually preach I just want to be treated like I treat you….If your vegetarian, vegan or whatever… I don’t judge you in fact I respect that fact that you live true to your life style….. I will not impose my life on you, you do not need to watch my videos, read my books or friend me on facebook…. But in return I expect the same respect I give you…..