Much has been written on the means and methods to get kids hooked on fishing, and I’ve tested and tried the best of them. Honestly, it’s not that high of a mountain to climb to generate some lasting interest during warm summer days.

On the other hand, convincing a youngster like my 6-year-old son to go ice fishing, and then creating a positive experience so the next offer is greeted with more than a sigh or shrug of the shoulders, is often the opposite.

Should we really be shocked? The summer alternative involves splashing in the water, and catching fish, frogs or some other creature on a sunny afternoon when the biggest worry is sunburn or rain. Compare that to a few hours in sub-freezing temperatures, battling frozen fingers and toes, and you get a sense of the challenges inherent in getting kids interested in ice fishing.

But I’m living proof that it is possible, and it doesn’t mean investing thousands of dollars in expensive fish houses or gear. Actually, the key factors are about the same as for summer fishing. Read the situation, plan for the worst and hope for the best. Every instance is unique, but if you make the comfort and enjoyment if the youngest angler a priority, you stand a much better chance of having a successful day. And success, in my book, means that the youngster wants to go along the next time.

My son is 7 and it took me about four years to convince my wife that it was OK to simply take him out on a frozen lake, even with two feet of ice. The next step is planning for the elements.

Honestly, this does not have to include an ice shelter with accompanying furnace. Don’t plan the initial outing in the middle of an Alberta Clipper, and if a cold front does come along on the day of your planned outing, reevaluate and see if there’s another day that will work out in the future. Keep the youngster’s warmth at a premium.

No matter if it’s above freezing or below zero, pack extra socks, gloves and mittens. You’ll soon realize it’s easier to pack these extras than to keep a child from playing in water, snow, and ice, which is what kids do when the fish aren’t biting.

Another point is to put your own fishing desires as the last priority. While four lines per angler are allowed during winter, the goal is not to get as many lines as is legally allowed into the water. Seriously, if you and a young angler have a hot bite, will you have any chance to keep three lines running, let alone eight? I doubt it.

Do yourself a favor and rig up a just a couple of lines, and let the youngster have most of the action.

And while you’re at it, drill an extra hole for the young angler. Let them dump ice or snow balls in that hole and you don’t need to worry about fouling up the other lines.

Finally, prepare as if you won’t catch a fish. For me this is easily imagined. We usually bring a sled along, as many lakes and reservoirs have small hills somewhere along the shoreline. On one day my dad got plenty of smiles from my son simply by pulling him around on a shovel.

Perhaps the most important advice is that when your children are cold, get them warm. When they are ready to go, it’s time to start the vehicle. You don’t need to leave immediately, but give yourself a few more minutes to fish, have another snack, and pack your gear.

While our goal is always to catch fish, even if the fish don’t cooperate I’ve found my son is ready to get back out ice fishing.

A December 19th fundraising event for the Tony Dean’s Acres project has pushed the project well past its first-phase fundraising goal.Nearly $21,000 was raised in conjunction with a pheasant hunt, auction and dinner on December 19th, bringing the fund total to $118,000.The hunt was held at the Steve Halverson farm near Kennebec, SD, with Celebrity Huntmasters Ron Schara of Ron Schara Productions, and outdoors editor and columnist Dennis Anderson of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. The hunt was followed by a dinner and live and silent auction at the Ramkota River Centre in Pierre, featuring auctioneer Todd Schuetzle of Dakota Properties Real Estate of Pierre. Auction items were donated by the family of Tony Dean, conservation organizations, manufacturers, individuals, and South Dakota businesses.The amount raised exceeded the goal set by organizers, said John Cooper, co-chair of the Tony Dean’s Acres Steering Committee.”We were very pleased with the amount raised from this event,” said Cooper.  ”It’s amazing that we were able to generate this level of support when you consider the current economic climate and the time of year. It’s a real testament to the commitment that people and organizations have toward the types of conservation ideals that were expressed by Tony Dean.”The Tony Dean’s Acres Fund will be used to purchase a parcel of land in South Dakota for wildlife and public recreation opportunities, in memory of the well-known outdoor communicator who died in 2008. The Fund is managed by the South Dakota Parks and Wildlife Foundation, a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization. Four national conservation partners will match the money raised by the Tony Dean’s Acres Steering Committee.”Tony Dean wanted to make sure that future generations would have access to the same hunting and fishing opportunities that he enjoyed, and his wife Dar Dean is also very committed to that cause,” said Paul Lepisto, Steering Committee member and former producer/videographer for Tony Dean Outdoors.The December 19th event was the fourth fundraiser held for the project this year. An auction in Sioux Falls in September netted more than $25,000. A Tony Dean Festival held at Spring Creek north of Pierre in August, and a pheasant hunt at Sutton Bay last spring also raised significant amounts for the fund.  In addition, individuals, businesses, and organizations from across the country have sent in donations.”When we held our first fundraiser last March, our goal was to try to raise $100,000 by June of 2010,” said Lepisto. “But due to the overwhelming generosity of wildlife and conservation organizations, friends of Tony’s, and fans of his TV and radio shows, we’ve been able to not only surpass that goal six months ahead of schedule, but get a good start on the next step of fundraising.”Cooper indicated that the second phase of fundraising will be aimed at establishing a permanent funding mechanism for continuing and possibly expanding current outdoor youth education programs.”Tony Dean had a real dedication to youth outdoor education in South Dakota, so we are looking at opportunities to carry out that mission in connection with this project,” Cooper said. “We will continue to raise money through special events, including another pheasant hunt in March, so that we can enhance existing programs and possibly establish new programs geared toward educating youth about outdoor and conservation issues. Making sure that youth had knowledge of and access to hunting and fishing opportunities was near and dear to Tony’s heart, and we are committed to carrying out this project in his memory.”Contributions to the Tony Dean’s Acres Fund are tax deductible, and the Steering Committee encourages donors who are looking for 2009 tax benefits to consider a contribution before the end of the year.For more detailed information on the Tony Dean’s Acres Project, visit www.TonyDean.com<http://www.tonydean.com/> .

Earlier this week we examined the economic injection brought with non-resident license fee’s which are higher and other restrictions such as limiting the number of tags or number of day’s a visiting hunters are allocated are standard operating procedure. The philosophy by state legislatures and game managers is to provide a degree of preference for the resident hunters. I do realize direct license sales by non-residents per hunter would exceed those of residents, but officials are elected and appointed by resident citizens and in many instances these officials are hunters or are directly connected to local hunters through school, church, and other activities.
Indeed on the flip side the same small businesses which profit from visiting hunter money a few months out of the year, depend on their year round regulars when the influx of non-resident hunter activity dries up, the locals are the steady stream of revenue–a life line to year around availability of gas, snacks, goods and services. In fact even more comments begin to trickle in as free lance hunters  realize after a few trips they can save some money by hunting public land, not using a guide, packing shells, food and supplies from home and spend more time and less money in the same rural communities. I’ll admit there’s no right answer and as a small town advocate explain my personal thought’s how I understand any ‘new’ money brought into a local economy is a blessing. It truly is and I believe the local cafe owner who’s breakfast crowd is filled from September through November with short term visitors, but while the short term economic injection is welcome, years down the road these communities need 365 day family occupied homes, not a few weeks or even a month.

A full time resident family working, teaching Sunday school, coaching baseball adding a few kids to the elementary school and parents in the local Kiwanis club is a long term fix to a economic bleeding over the years, but what about the actual hunting you say? It’s just as complicated and Kansas is another current example where some residents have been saying the bottom is falling on trophy deer populations since the first non-resident season. But Kansas still produced some of the best trophy hunting in the nation and surveys show Kansas still has a good percentage of trophy bucks. If you look at registrations with Pope & Young and Boone & Crockett clubs those are still getting plenty of entries but critical resident hunters claim that’s only because they have more hunters and it won’t be long until the state’s trophy potential is hurt drastically. Again it depends who you ask.

Hunting access

As numbers of visiting deer hunters have increased, so has competition for prime hunting acreage as leasing annually becomes more prevalent where outfitters and hunters — from inside and outside Kansas — pay for access.

The fallout is  more lands are being purchased by hunters wanting to insure they have a place to go, and who can blame them? It’s simple supply and demand and when supply shrinks with rising demand the price increases for even marginal areas.There’s also justified concern the growing difficulty in finding a place to hunt, and increase of non-resident hunting, has lead to more trespassing and other enforcement issues. And as a former game warden I’ll concur commercialization in hunting has been spreading across the nation for decades and enforcement demands on agencies results in more funding of game law enforcement personnel.Kansas was one of the last states to be consumed and leasing was growing in popularity even before the first non-resident season. But now difficulty in accessing good deer lands is the most common complaints filed by hunters as Kansas lags behind in terms of acreage open as  public hunting lands, complicating the situation. Complaints of public area overcrowding by resident and non-resident hunters mount as less affluent or those unwilling to pay for access increase competition for remaining hunting opportunity.

In circles hunters establish working relationships with landowners and some have even traded labor for hunting. The trickle down continues as regular joe hunters end up saving money to buy rights, short-term access and even small acreages which solves their own problem, but further exacerbates the loss of accessible hunting areas. In worst case scenario’s, some have simply given up the sport rather than expend the energy or money needed to find good hunting.

A growing trend across the nation is to recruit new hunters and retain existing hunters. But it is an uphill battle in the face of access and competition for existing hunting. Exclusivity clauses remove even family members from hunting on some leased land. Am I an advocate for the growing trend? Not in the least. But I don’t fault a landowner for reaping the profits from leasing, especially in hard economic times. Make no mistake the next decade will be crucial as to if hunting as we know it survives or slides towards extinction.

As a former game warden and my current work as a biologist for the state game and fish department I’ll be transparent and point out my conflicts in any discussion of the outdoors. The worst possible scenario would paint me hypocritical  when my opinion is part of the story. I promise to  be upfront and always present readers with connections which may influence my philosophy in one way or another and this is one of those issues.

Any outdoors writer or hunter understands the polarizing issue of non-resident hunting and the economic, social and even biological impact on wildlife and  hunting. So let’s put this out in front from the beginning. I’m a hunter and have never bought a license as a non-resident and it’s been two decades passed between my last non-resident fishing. I’m not suggesting I’m right, just explaining my personal choice of enjoying the local hunting and fishing opportunities. Categorically I’d prefer residents be provided a degree of preference compared to catering to short term visitors. Treat the visitors with respect and welcome them, but don’t place their preference and needs above those residents who live the majorit of their time in a given home state.

Some assume this means I’m anti-resident without consideration for the visiting hunters and travelling anglers. But I grew up in rural communities across the state and have friends and family who make a living owning stores and working restaurants which absorb the economic stimulus hunters provide. With all my potential influences upfront, take a look at Kansas if you want to see a current example of the non-resident tug of war.

The money, and consternation, has only intensified since 615 out-of-staters visited to hunt in 1994. This year, more than 21,000 are expected as legislative mandate establishes permit levels to meet visitor demand, and the demand and permits have included two fold the past five years.  Southwick Associates research tracks  economic impact of hunting and fishing across the nation and relates hunters from out of state were responsible for adding more than $140 million to the Kansas economy in 2006.

Much of that money spreads through rural economies, many of which have been stressed for decades. Landowners often get $5 to $10 or more per acre to lease their lands for hunting. To some, hunting revenue is needed like rain for a crop and cattle sales. I’m not saying I agree, but it’s a fact and it’s hard to blame them.  If you could make an extra buck off your back yard– I would be hard pressed to convince you not to do the same. Maybe not the entire acreage, but saving a little for yourself or family is an option and millions are also spent paying local guides, bars, cafe’s, convenience stores and the ever popular after the hunt watering holes where big city money is planted wide and far. In terms of license sales visitors’ deer permits have become a major source of income for not all aspects of Wildlife and Parks. Last year, the more than $5 million in out-of-state deer permit sales made up over a quarter of Wildlife and Parks wildlife fee fund incomes. The numbers show about a 300-percent increase in the past five years. And it’s not like the current economy hasn’t impact state wildlife and fisheries agencies–like the rest of us a revenue source is never taken lightly.

Consider the sales of regular non-resident hunting licenses and it jumps to about 65 percent of wildlife revenue. The Walk In Hunting Area program has benefited greatly from non-resident funds, programs designed to educate and create more hunting opportunities have too and  since out-of-state hunters will pay over $300 for a permit–10 times the amount charged residents–deer permit fees haven’t gone up for Kansas hunters in several years.

But money is just one part of the equation. The impacts of wildlife and access from non-resident hunters isn’t as welcome. Check back later this week and we’ll examine the other facets of the visiting hunters.

Across the nation hunters are helping out food pantry’s and putting need high protein-low fat options on the kitchen table. Thank you!

COLUMBUS, OHIO - Ohio deer hunters have donated more than 95,500 pounds of venison to local food banks so far this deer season, according to Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.

The 95,500 pounds equals approximately 382,000 meals for needy Ohioans. To date, 1,910 deer have been donated with plenty of deer hunting opportunity left in the 2009-10 season. Last year at this time, 671 deer had been donated representing 33,550 pounds of venison.

Last year FHFH collected 54,800 pounds of venison from 1,096 deer through the entire season, from September 2008 to February 1, 2009.

“I applaud Ohio hunters for their generosity and continue to encourage them to donate what they can so Ohio’s food pantries will receive the nutritious red meat they so desperately need,” said David M. Graham, chief of the Division of Wildlife.

Hunters still have a weekend of deer-gun hunting, December 19-20, and eight weeks of archery hunting; the archery season remains open until February 7, 2010. The statewide muzzleloader deer-hunting season will be held January 9-12, 2010.

The Division of Wildlife collaborated with Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry (FHFH) in an effort to assist with the processing costs associated with donating venison to a food bank. A $100,000 subsidy grant was provided in two $50,000 allotments that are to be matched with funds generated or collected by FHFH. The division subsidized this year’s FHFH operation as an additional deer management tool, helping wildlife managers encourage hunters to kill more does.

Venison donated to food banks must be processed by a federal, state or locally inspected and insured meat processor that is participating with FHFH. Hunters wishing to donate their deer to a food bank are not required to pay for the processing of the venison as long as the program has funds available to cover the cost. There are presently 65 participating meat processors across the state. A list is provided at www.fhfh.org.

Currently there are 33 local chapters across the state with a need for more. Anyone interested in becoming a local program coordinator or a participating meat processor should visit the “Local FHFH” page at www.fhfh.org. The Web page includes a current list of coordinators, program names and the counties they serve.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources ensures a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR website at www.ohiodnr.com.

Access programs which promote hunting opportunities for all are part of the solution to slow the privatization of wildlife and increase in paid hunting. I wish a degree of confidence was evident the trend will subside, but there isn’t. I’ve written before on the complexities of access for hunting and the downward spiral–not only here–across North America.

The outdoornewsguy takes a closer look in Canada where paid-fee in exchange for hunting access is not allowed, and a government program which would subsidize landowners for habitat and access is on the table.

Hunters and environmentalists are concerned about a provincial government pilot project that will pay landowners to maintain wildlife habitat and allow hunting on their land.The three-year project is restricted to the southwest of the province, but there are fears that if expanded it could lead to “paid hunting” and the privatization of wildlife.But Alberta Sustainable Resource Development says it merely wants to encourage owners to take care of habitat on their land, and hopes to expand hunting opportunities in areas with more private than public land and have a way to reduce deer populations when they get too high.

It’s a little different twist to what most hunters in the United States are dealing with in terms of access issues. Many states have walk in hunting access programs and you could argue are raising the bid on hunting access fees with commercial outfitters. If a state is paying x then the guides would need to meet or exceed the payment which could be obtained by private hunting fees.

I applaud any entity for not waiting until access has shrunk and hunters are putting away their guns due to lack of feasible access, but it’ll be interesting to track how this issue of access in Canada is met where fee hunting is not legal.

here’s the full story from Edmonton Global

With the economy facing one of the largest downturns in recent history, it is surprising that participation in hunting and fishing is increasing.  According to several recent leading outdoor research firms, these increases may actually be the result of the economic downturn.

A new quarterly report issued by the American Sportfishing Association (ASA), Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (RBFF), and Southwick Associates found a 7.7 percent increase in the number of fishing licenses sold between January 1 and September 1, 2009 versus the same time last year.

According to Responsive Management, another leading research firm, hunting numbers also appear to be increasing.

“We won’t know for a few months exactly where we’re at as hunting license sales finish,” said Mark Damian Duda, Responsive Management executive director. “However, it looks as if we’re getting greater hunter participation over the last year too”

This raises the question as to why hunting and fishing numbers are increasing in a time when sportsmen’s resources are stretched thin due to national economic challenges.

The answer may be found in the results of a study conducted in 2008 by Responsive Management for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.  The study, funded by a Hunting Heritage Partnership grant from the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), looked at increases in hunting license sales in 1992, 1999 and 2004.  These license sale increases occurred despite hunting license sales trending down since 1982.

In an effort to understand why the downward trend was lessened in those years, Responsive Management looked at multiple variables such as average monthly temperature, consumer prices, median income, new housing starts, housing, population densities and population by age groups.

Of those variables reviewed, two were considered to be statistically relevant at the national level.  Both of these variables negatively impacted hunting numbers.  The first was the percentage of the population between the ages of 65 and 69.  As sportsmen age, they are less likely to get out into the field.  The second is the increase of new housing starts.  The reason for this correlation is unclear.  However, the results of a 2007 national survey by Responsive Management and the NSSF indicated that a majority of hunters tend to be employed in construction type jobs.

Additionally, two other surveys in 1995 and 2008 indicated that “work obligations” was a leading factor in hunters being unable to enter the field.  Combined, these results support the idea that during times when new construction takes off, sportsmen that are most likely to go into the field simply do not have enough time to do so.

Though there is a need for more study to accurately determine the impact of so many different factors, these survey results paint an interesting picture.  It appears possible that the time available to sportsmen to engage in the outdoors may increase during economic downturns.

“Certainly, we all want the economy to getting moving again,” said Bud Pidgeon, U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance president and CEO.  “However, if there was ever a silver lining in these otherwise tough times, it might be that we are having the chance to get back in the field.”

Whitetails Unlimited sent a letter Thursday to members of Wisconsin’s Natural Resources Board, opposing an expanded 16-day gun deer hunt in Wisconsin in 2010.”There is always tension between hunters and DNR regulators, and we understand that,” said Whitetails Unlimited President Jeff Schinkten. “But the results of the 2009 gun deer season show that hunter numbers were down in Wisconsin, and the number of bucks killed was at a 25-year low for the second straight year. Until we can get a handle on the true deer population in Wisconsin, we need to hold off on the 16-day gun season.”Schinkten also pointed out that car-deer accidents have had a dramatic and steady decline for the last five years, and a survey of WTU members showed a large gap between opinions of Wisconsin hunters and the opinions of DNR policymakers.”Whitetails Unlimited has been a strong partner with DNR agencies across the country, working on programs in support of regulated hunting,” said Schinkten. “That will not change. In fact, there is an agenda item for the next NRB meeting that is a donation from our Flambeau Chapter for habitat work in the Upper Chippewa Wildlife Management Area. However, we don’t want to see the number of hunters drop, and when those numbers drop in Wisconsin, where deer hunting is a passion, we get concerned. DNR policy can have a huge effect on hunter satisfaction, and we just want a common-sense approach to wildlife management.”

For those of us who like to spend as much time as possible on the outside of the window, November is a sort of early Christmas present. Hunting seasons for just about everything are open, and fall fishing can be just as hot as summer, but without humidity and mosquitoes.

While crunching across the prairie, working up a mild sweat in the heart of those great Indian summer days conjures a post-card kind of memory, turning the calendar from November to December doesn’t have to signal the end of great pheasant hunting.

Fact is, the opening weeks of pheasant season draw the heaviest hunting interest. As the weeks wear on, some rooster hunters call it a season. Others may view the close of deer season as the end of hunting and the beginning of ice fishing.

Which brings me to later-year rooster hunting. Some hunters who prefer less crowded fields, may in fact not hunt roosters at all until the close of deer season. Others view the close of deer season as a reason to get back out after pheasants, and still others keep going from beginning to end.

Working the odds on December pheasants

If you’ve never hunted roosters toward the end of the season, understand that these birds have been hunted for several weeks, and they’ll probably be a little jumpy compared to opening weekend. If CRP fields fill with snow, birds may take cover in slough bottoms or shelterbelts near a food source.

When choosing a shotgun, some veteran hunters who prefer a 20 gauge earlier in the season commonly switch to a 12 gauge and use shells with larger pellets because of the perception that late-season shot ranges are longer than those typically encountered in October.

Whether shot ranges change all that much from early to late is a good topic for coffee shop conversation. What is true, however, is that larger shot sizes are better for taking pheasants cleanly, and it doesn’t matter if it’s early or late.

Across the state, many national wildlife refuges are now open and available for limited upland game hunting including pheasants, grouse and partridge. They opened Nov. 26, which is usually after most migratory waterfowl have left the state.

Over the past decade U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service personnel have worked diligently to increase hunting opportunities after waterfowl migrations and seasons have passed. Each refuge has specific regulations, including open and closed areas. Don’t let the specific regulations deter you. Refuge staffs are more than happy to explain regulations and might even offer a tip or two along the way.

To learn more about late season NWR hunting opportunities, contact your local Fish and Wildlife Service office or search your states Game and Fish website. 

And similar to a warm October hunt, you’d be well served to bring a cooler along, but this time of year you’ll want to keep the birds from freezing. If you’ll be field dressing the birds, be sure to leave proper identification as required by law.

Pheasant, grouse and partridge seasons are open through January in many states, so there’s still plenty of time to get out there and enjoy what the late season offers.

There’s a point in time when our own actions and choices begin to influence policy changes from others but society has accepted the practice of shedding responsibility and redirecting at anyone other than yourself as being held accountable. Here’s a couple examples of what I’m trying to describe.

I was in a pickup truck helping a friend in a moose hunt when a foundation of gun safety was taken for granted and a 180 grain 7 mag bullet blew the glove compartment above my knees into smithereens and fortunately the only physical fall out was my ears rang for weeks. We’ll never, ever again let a loaded firearm be in or on a vehicle. Never.

Five years ago when stopping at the drive through about once each week I’d order 4 double cheeseburgers. Not just order them and take a couple for late in the day. I devoured every last bite, for lunch. My cholesterol was through the roof and I carried an extra  fifty pounds on my body  through the field hunting. That was then and now I feel light as a feather and can walk all day. I haven’t eaten four double cheeseburgers in years.

Was it the guns fault the dash was turned into a mix mash of plastic particles and twisted metal? No.

Was McDonalds responsible for my weight gain and high cholesterol? No, not one bit. It was my very own choice and destructive decisions which were to blame, not anyone else. And it took my own personal revelation to realize my choices were not producing positive results for myself or others near me. It’s the moment of personal revelation which can change. It wasn’t my wife or friends berating me into change. And it’s similar in terms of protecting the places and area’s we cherish. If we don’t care about our own health or our own wilderness area no one else will convince us otherwise.

Yes in this day and age we’re numbed to a lack of personal responsibility, shedding blame and misdirected anger, and what better example then a brewing debate over the use of off highway vehicles (OHV) outdoors. I’m not anti-OHV, not at all. I’ve used them for work, hunting,  fun and everything in between and like the loaded gun and double cheesburger, it’s each individual choice responsible for their proper or improper use. A gun is as safe as the user. One double cheeseburger won’t put me back into a health funk.  But reality in this debate is a camp divided between pro and anti OHV use.

In New York and Utah OHV issues continue to boil as OHV groups and government regulators debated the framework governing their use on public lands and during hunting seasons. Personally the arguement of public land use tug of war between hunters and OHV use is prioritized. First for the land use as hunting if the public property was aquired through hunter license fee’s or excise taxes. The OHV is a tool regulated with regards to it’s legal acceptance in the hunt. Similar to night vision or electronic communication, it’s falls into an ethical and fair chase or access issue into rough country. But the recreational use on hunter purchased or leased acres should not take a back seat to recreational OHV use and/or miss use. It’s paramount to understand the OHV as a tool regulated for the hunt and not as essential to the hunt. As easy as I make this issue out to be as a former game warden I have first hand understanding of the impact on hunting done by OHV users. Note I said the user, not the OHV itself.  Sometimes within the allowed framework of laws but outside the accepted ethical use by responsible users is generally where the issues begin to boil.

For many ATV groups, organizations and regulating agencies the years of consternation may not be overcome, but the key is continued dialogue. In recent dealings a New York congressman is working to close lands in Utah, without support from Utah.

Rep. Maurice Hinchey, Democrat from New York, is trying to by-pass the congressional debate of H.R. 1925, which would close over 9 million acres in Utah to OHVs. Since he failed miserably in trying to get ANY representative from Utah to back him in his land grab, he has resorted to asking Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to use his administrative powers to close those lands without debate and without approval from the very state that would be affected.

Here’s the full story
But choosing not to realize potential negative impacts can erode what created such a love for the wild, rough and tumble places in the first place as in Utah and other area’s over the course of time, a trickle down of impacts begin to change the dynamics of the fish, wildlife and habitat.

I remained quiet about this for years, but when a group of thoughtless riders ruined my own hunting experience, I had no choice but to think hard about what I’d been doing. It was time for me to change my habits and to speak out openly on behalf of reasonable and responsible off-road use.

For an entire morning, I’d tracked a herd of elk in an area that hadn’t faced significant pressure from aggressive ORV riding. It was the peak of the rut, and the bugling of bull elk echoed during a perfectly planned hunt. I knew that the long effort of following this herd was going to pay off.

But then, three all-terrain vehicle riders shattered the stillness, roaring into the area on an illegal trail and blasting
shotguns at a flock of grouse. The elk fled — and my hunt was over.
When the point is reached where habitat is damaged and wildlife habits and habitats are altered the repair and restoration may be impossible, but the point is to look in the mirror, acknowledge our own responsibility and take hold for the future of the wild places hang in the balance.

More from the Salt Lake City tribune right here