Personally I'd like to hear more about the local politics of hunting in this area. I'm sick of the anti's walking all over us outdoor folks and would like to see some more dialog from hunters about our rights and what we plan to DO about asserting ourselves into the political scene.
Here's a list of things that really piss me off (please feel free to add your own items):
1. It never sat well with me that the DFG shortened the A22 season several years back and never gave us a decent explanation as to why. My favorite time of year to hunt deer is in January when the holidays are over, work tends to be slower and the bucks tend to be out more during the daylight due to the cold temps and shorter days.
2. Why is the County of San Diego and the State of California buying up huge tracts of private land and than closing it off to all hunting. That is BS right there and it needs to stop. That's why hunting is less popular. There's no where to hunt. We need to organize and fight back. Just because we are a minority doesn't mean we can't make a big stink for the jerk-off politicians. Let me ask you, how many of you have written a letter or visited a county supervisor, congressman or senator in the last ten years?
3. Why is it illegal to carry a firearm during bow season when the threat of being robbed by growers or coyotes (2 legs) is greater than it ever has been.
4. Why do hunters have to pay for a Wilderness Pass to hunt on public land when we already pay for a hunting lic., deer tag, upland game stamp, vehicle reg., state ffl reg., etc..... . What are our taxes for?
5. Why are hunters left to guess about how to access public lands (from cheesy USFS maps) mostly surrounded by private land then are treated like criminals when they find a spot that is tight but legal.
6. Why are there no public places where hunters can target shoot? The cities and counties put on public events and festivals all the time and send public sanitation workers to clean up the mess. Why are shooters treated so differently? (Not advocating that we don't pick up after ourselves, just pointing out the unfair bias.)
7. Charge me for pig tags with your right hand and attempt to eradicate pigs with your left? What the hell is going on here?
8. Why are most county lakes closed off to duck hunting? Who is responsible for that decision?
9. Lions...there's tons of them, but the anti's think they're endangered. Its BS. We should be out hunting them right freaking now. How do we change that?
10. State trappers. Why is the state paying $100,000 of thousands of dollars in this county to trap yotes, lions, pigs, etc... when the private sector will do it for free. Can't some genius come up with a program to make that work. It could be like the retirees doing the volunteer police patrols. No reason we can't do that with hunters. Or is the state so loaded with cash that it can afford to pay for everything?
11. I can't have an unsheathed firearm in my vehicle..or can I? Which is it? Why?
12. Why does the DFG have the right to enter my house or vehicle without a search warrant? Isn't that covered in the constitution?
13. Whose the rocket scientist that decides 500 doe tags are all that's needed to balance the deer herd in the D16?
14. Why can't hunters use scents, lures or baits to hunt bears and pigs in this state. State trappers do?
15. Why all the broadhead restrictions? Don't they have anything better to do with their time...like catch poachers?
16. Shouldn't junior hunters have more special seasons to attract more to the sport?
I'm just saying....
TA