Come Together!

These days, our hunting opportunities are dwindling, and our rights are under assault. Let's present a united front!

Several weeks ago I learned of a meeting to be held not far from my home, open to all hunters. This was a meeting to discuss present conditions regarding hunting in the state of Florida, hosted by the Florida Hunting Coalition (FHC) (see edit note below). The man in charge was Stan Clavet, a hunter and outdoor writer concerned with the future of hunting in general, and particularly in Florida. The contents of that meeting aren't the subject of this article, but I wanted to tell you how I came to join the FHC, for I did so at that meeting.

A couple of weeks later, I received an Email from Stan alerting FHC members that the Florida Office of Greenways & Trails (OGT) had announced the very sudden closing (to hunting) of an area that had been open to hunting for almost a decade. This announcement came about four weeks prior to the opening of archery season, and was not widely circulated. Stan asked that all members who could attend the meeting that had been scheduled to "gather public input" please do so. This was land I had never hunted, but I believe that any closure will affect all hunters in the long run.

At the meeting, it didn't take long to find that although the OGT was represented, they weren't taking much in the way of input. Every answer to hunters' questions seemed to be, "I don't know." When pressed about the reason for the meeting, we were told that the purpose was to answer our questions, for the decision to close the land had already been made. The OGT's representative promised to pass on our concerns to his superiors, and the issue was to be discussed in the upcoming Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) meeting. We hunters left the OGT meeting feeling like we'd made an appearance, let our feelings be known, and had been shut out.

Shortly after the FWC meeting, which Mr. Clavet (of the FHC) attended, I was pleased to receive an Email from Stan telling me that the decision to close the OGT lands had been reversed. Shortly thereafter, I received a phone call from none other than the same OGT representative who had run their public meeting, telling me of the decision to continue to allow hunting. Needless to say, I was both gratified and surprised by this... but I remain more gratified than anything else. The main reason for the reversal was our showing at the OGT meeting, and our representation at the FWC meeting by Stan.

Why do I bother telling you folks about a closure of one remote chunk of public hunting land that was reversed? Because the lesson is simple and everlasting: United we stand, divided we fall. Had we "rolled over" and not made any noise about the closure, that land would be closed to hunting today. Tomorrow morning I will be heading out to hunt it for the first time, with a friend who also attended the meeting. I feel like we've earned our chance to hunt that land, just as we've earned it for any other hunter who does so.

Hunters, join a local hunting organization, and attend their functions. When they ask you to show up at crucial meetings, do it. When they ask you to Email or phone your representatives in government, local or otherwise, do it. If they're not asking you to do these things, then either your organization is not doing its job, or things are mighty rosy where you live. It doesn't take a lot to make a victory, but you have to show that you care about hunting and its future. I don't think more than thirty hunters showed up at the OGT meeting, but in that case it was enough to make them reconsider. And we'll continue to strive for more participation from hunters when the next challenge rolls around, because it will... there's no doubt about that.

Look around you, fellow American hunters. I'll bet you'll see a decline in hunting, and in young folks getting started hunting, and the people around you becoming less and less in touch with the real world (as opposed to the Disney-esque fantasy world where animals talk and have feelings). As a people, we Americans are trending steadily away from our roots, and we have to stand together against the propaganda of those who believe that animals have the same rights as your son or daughter (or any human).

If you don't think you have the time to be pro-active in the fight to preserve our hunting heritage, consider this... just think of all the free time you'll have once your hunting privileges and your guns have been taken away from you due to your complacency. And don't just fight for your style of hunting... deer hunters must stand with bird hunters, who must stand with 'coon hunters, et cetera. Without it, our way of life is doomed.

Russ Chastain

One Year ago this week: 09/28/99 - Reunited with Ambi - A review of Ambi's (now made by KNJ) great holsters & whatnot.

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