B.S. The biggest difference is that men no longer have the balls to take it off. Most of those that want the change are those that can't save their vacation days. They've used them up in July doing what "momma" wants. I saw it every year where I worked. I've seen it countless times right here where guys say "then I won't have to burn up my vacation on opening day". If they consider that to be "burning" up their vac. then it's not that important.
If the opener begins on a Saturday, it seems likely that more people will buy a tag and go hunting. That means more travel and everything that more travel means. All those who could not get time off during the week will be more likely to participate on a weekend opener and some of those would not have hunted at all that season if they could not hunt the opener. Unless you can balance that by reasoning that an equal or greater number of hunters would, for some reason, not travel and not hunt if the opener was not on the 15th, the tradition excuse is just silly sentiment.
I've known quite a few people who can't get the time off because someone with higher seniority at their job gets to. In other words, people put in for vacation and minimum staffing requirements of their employer overrule hunting the opener for the low seniority guy. This is especially likely with younger hunters.
I think being close to the dividing line for a split opener would promote travel across that line. I also think people are more likely to take a 2-5 hour trip after work on a friday night than they are to take vacation and then take a 2-5 hour trip after work on a monday night. When both of those are combined, I could see the price of land above the line (and therefore property tax revenue) going up. Regardless of whether that's the UP or the Zone 2/3 border, the state wins.
Yes it does, and the hunters of zone 2 lose.
You're basically taking the position that license sales and economic activity won't increase with a saturday opener because they didn't in one or two years out of 10. That's an incredibly small sample size. I'm not buying it. You're also ignoring the potential benefits that might come from having the stability of always having a saturday opener and a split opener. It seems to me that if people know they will likely be able to hunt the opener or even two openers, they will be more likely to become hunters and to continue hunting after starting college or beginning careers. As I said, I can't prove that, but I think this state's economy is dire enough to try things that cost little to implement, have low downside risk (is anybody really going to quit hunting if the opener isn't on the 15th?), and have the potential for increasing economic activity through getting people off their couches on the weekends.
Please explain.
Justin, Thank you for that hormonally inspired diatribe. You give new meaning to the word "wrong". :dizzy:
The state is not comprised solely of public land hunters and business owners who want to increase their Mon-Fri revenue. We're talking about a possible overall better economic picture for the entire state. Are you against that?
I made absolutely no reference to increasing revenue. What I said was a Saturday opener will increase OPPORTUNITY because in 2012 AD, people cant get off work willy nilly like they did 40 years ago working at Dodge Main. If we get more people hunting and sell a few more licenses--great!
Call it what you will, I speak from experience. I have never in 36 years had much of a problem getting the opener off. Most of the other hunters are out of vacation time by November. They could never figure out how I had a couple weeks left. It was because I didn't spend it at the beach or cottage in July. I worked straight through the summer. I made sure that my wife understood that nothing would interfere with my hunting, if it does it would be my choice. You are right though...It's all about priorities. I chose a lifestyle that would allow me to have the time to hunt, fish and trap. If you didn't, it was your choice.
I have the solution...don't do anything stupid to create overcrowding in the first place.
Do you automatically trust whatever Russ Mason says? Michigan bureaucrats are notoriously bad at understanding the big picture when it comes to economics and notoriously good at delivering self-serving pronouncements.
So, we maintain a system that, by design, works to keep people OUT of the woods? Isn't that what this subject all about..more for me, less for you. :dizzy:I have the solution...don't do anything stupid to create overcrowding in the first place.
