Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2002 13:14:44 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Gail Mackiernan Subject: Re: Sunday Hunting bill hearing In-Reply-To: <153.79bf177.297eed55@aol.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII More than 2/3 of the public lands in Maryland were acquired with general funds. About 90,000 acres represent lands acquired through hunters' funds, places like McKee's-Beshers. I guess most of the millions of Marylanders who enjoy outdoor recreation feel they should be able to get out one day a week in their own public lands without having to think about hunters. Hunters are not the only folks who work during the week. And many hunters oppose Sunday hunting because they, too, do other things outdoors. And they feel they are alienating allies in land and wildlife conservation. Non-consumptive wildlife recreation contributes 5-6x as much to the state's economy than does hunting, btw (USF&WS figures). As for controlling deer populations, adding a few days will not solve the problem -- what is needed is a more comprehensive approach, which could included greatly extending the season, upping the limit, making it "antlerless deer" only since the population of does control the rate of growth of the deer herd. I don't know many MOSers who oppose deer hunting (!!) but most DO oppose taking hunting-free Sundays away from the rest of us. There are also potentially serious impacts on some Christmas counts if the season is extended AND Sunday hunting allowed. Gail Mackiernan Finally, Sunday hunting combined with an extended firearms season will adversely impact many On Tue, 22 Jan 2002, Steve Huy wrote: > Would those public lands be wildlife management areas and managed hunting areas? I'm sure many of them are. I see a problem with not allowing hunters access to them. It is because of hunters that we have those lands available to us at all. > > We certainly are lucky to have hunting free Sundays, but the hunters also deserve access to the lands that were set aside for them. Many of those hunters work all week long and only have the weekends to get out. Cutting their potentially available hunting time in half will limit the deer harvest. > > Three Sundays is not bad. In that time we can visit lands where hunting is not allowed, like National Parks and State lands closed to hunting. Even private properties that do not allow hunting. > > I would like to see the deer populations decreased so our forests can return to a healthier status. You can always reschedule your counts, but we can't renew the overbrowsed undergrowth in time for the return of breeding birds that are declining due to the destruction of their habitat. > > Humans are the only predator we have left to manage the deer population. Let that management happen! > > I have always supported the birding community when dealing with hunting groups and talking to hunters (I meet many hunters at my owl banding station and I feel they are far more sincere in their interest than most birders). I think both groups would benefit greatly from cooperation in both lobbying and financial strength to promote conservation and protect our wildlands. Once hunting goes there will be no need for those popular hunting areas that we love to bird and they will soon be paved and covered with houses. > > I'm shocked that any part of MOS would take on such a self serving opinion. Perhaps you should put your energies into meeting with those hunting groups and working on a compromise. Communicate with them and show them that you are not out to simply end their activities and I think you'll create a good partnership. > > I may be wrong, but I would guess that MOS has made no such attempt to work with hunting groups. And look at what that's done for you. Better start now before hunting is extended to ALL Sundays. > > Steve Huy > Middletown, MD > > ======================================================================= > To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com > with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey > ======================================================================= > ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================