Editorial

Don't let a few bad hunters spoil it for everybody

Friday, November 19, 2010

It's always a few bad apples that give the rest of the basket a bad name.

Hunters are no exception; while the vast majority are responsible outdoorspeople, there are always a few who poach, trespass, abandon hunting dogs and generally act irresponsibly.

We remember one case where a flock of tame geese were shot and left in a pile during duck season. A landowner near Max reported several deer carcasses skinned and left to rot in the borrow pit alongside a county road. He reported seeing a white Oklahoma pickup truck in the area a short time earlier.

Many other reports, during the current deer season, have been received of deer being skinned and abandoned irresponsibly in the Southwest Nebraska countryside.

The Kearney ABC station recently recounted a report of hunters washing and cleaning their deer in a carwash.

As we said earlier, such cases are the exception rather than the rule. The vast majority of hunters are good stewards of the land, and appreciate the chance to get out on a bright autumn afternoon to pursue game.

Their fees collected through the Pittman-Robertson act, as a tax on sporting goods, as well as donations to the National Wild Turkey Federation, Pheasants Forever, Ducks Unlimited and other groups go directly into creating habitat that not only increases wildlife, but allows non-hunters to enjoy millions of acres of songbirds, fauna and wildlife at no charge.

But for those who do not want to be responsible, fines for wanton waste of wildlife range up to $15,000 or more.

If you are a hunter, act responsibly. Obey regulations and when you are a guest on someone's property, treat it with respect.

If you see someone violating the rules, don't look the other way. Get a license number and/or description and call Nebraska Wildlife Crimestoppers at (800) 742-7627 to report it -- you may even receive a cash reward.

Being a responsible outdoorsperson will not only help preserve a wonderful opportunity today, it will keep it available for generations to come.

Comments
View 1 comment
Note: The nature of the Internet makes it impractical for our staff to review every comment. Please note that those who post comments on this website may do so using a screen name, which may or may not reflect a website user's actual name. Readers should be careful not to assign comments to real people who may have names similar to screen names. Refrain from obscenity in your comments, and to keep discussions civil, don't say anything in a way your grandmother would be ashamed to read.
  • *

    Amen!!

    We have the same problems in KS, mostly with out of state pheasant hunters. (Usually Colorado)

    We were eating dinner today and heard shots behind the house in our trees so I jumped up and rode the 4 wheeler around to the back side and there were three hunters on clearly posted land, near the house, hunting. We heard 5 shots and they only had one bird so they must be wing shooting challenged.

    We allow people to hunt but we get pretty upset when they hunt and don't ask. Surprisingly the law was out within 15 minutes. The violators were smart enough to wait for the law rather than have the law chase them down.

    I kind of hated to ruin their day but that seems to be the only way they learn. This sure wasn't the first time we have had problems like that.

    A week ago, prior to the opening of our season in KS, we had 4 hunters getting ready to walk up the canyon to our house hunting pheasants. The Nebraska season was on but we live three miles into Kansas. Guess they couldn't find enough birds in Nebraska. They were from Kearney.

    As a landowner to hunters, ask before you hunt.

    -- Posted by ksfarmer on Fri, Nov 19, 2010, at 7:55 PM
Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: