sadocf1
10-19-2002, 09:44 AM
Lets take a look at game farming so perhaps we can better understand the "ethics'' of sportsmen who "pay to shoot''. We all pay to shoot, I just paid $7.00 for doe tags so I can legally carry my rifle. If I shoot a buck- $7.50 more for seniors, $14.00 for those in between, to tag it. Us TBIZ natives spend our money wisely, bucks are not that plentiful here.
We see on TV "shoots'' on game bird farms here in Michigan-"sports'' pay to shoot pheasants that are flown over their "stands'. Here in North America we have lots of game farms, some fenced, some open range, where sportsmen and women come and "pay to shoot''. Many of the "hunts'' featured on outdoor TV programs are shot on game farms. The pictures of gigantic freak antlered bucks in all the outdoor mags are taken on game farms. The "doe in heat'' scent guaranteed to attract big bucks comes from game farms.
The majority of hunting clubs, hunting land owners, and deer hunters have been baiting and feeding deer in the past and will continue to bait (our regional biologist here in the TB IZ estimates at least 60% non-compliance of the baiting ban- the other 40% dont admit it). We winter feed to have more deer next year. The tonnage of bait put out in the woods helps fatten the deer for the winter. Are we not actually guilty of deer farming ?? Our deer are semi-domesticated, they spend at least 7 months of the year in or close to the farming areas where the best feed is. We have, for the last 50 odd years, fed deer in bad winters in order to have more deer than our shrinking habitat can support. We feed tame turkeys all winter so we can shoot "wild'' gobblers next spring. (over bait ?) When we introduce (plant) new or species of fish and game that are not present in our state are we not farming ?? Game farming is here to stay. Are game farms spreading CWD in Wisconsin ? A grand total of 2 positive CWD game farm animals have been found (those very recently) Compare this to the number of positive wild deer. Lets not continue to ignore the obvious.
We see on TV "shoots'' on game bird farms here in Michigan-"sports'' pay to shoot pheasants that are flown over their "stands'. Here in North America we have lots of game farms, some fenced, some open range, where sportsmen and women come and "pay to shoot''. Many of the "hunts'' featured on outdoor TV programs are shot on game farms. The pictures of gigantic freak antlered bucks in all the outdoor mags are taken on game farms. The "doe in heat'' scent guaranteed to attract big bucks comes from game farms.
The majority of hunting clubs, hunting land owners, and deer hunters have been baiting and feeding deer in the past and will continue to bait (our regional biologist here in the TB IZ estimates at least 60% non-compliance of the baiting ban- the other 40% dont admit it). We winter feed to have more deer next year. The tonnage of bait put out in the woods helps fatten the deer for the winter. Are we not actually guilty of deer farming ?? Our deer are semi-domesticated, they spend at least 7 months of the year in or close to the farming areas where the best feed is. We have, for the last 50 odd years, fed deer in bad winters in order to have more deer than our shrinking habitat can support. We feed tame turkeys all winter so we can shoot "wild'' gobblers next spring. (over bait ?) When we introduce (plant) new or species of fish and game that are not present in our state are we not farming ?? Game farming is here to stay. Are game farms spreading CWD in Wisconsin ? A grand total of 2 positive CWD game farm animals have been found (those very recently) Compare this to the number of positive wild deer. Lets not continue to ignore the obvious.