Posted on Sun, Mar. 24, 2002
40 solutions to the hunting access dilemma
What a little brainstorming can do
Richard Monson, a Valley City, N.D., farmer and hunter, went
door-to-door with some friends to solicit hunters' ideas about
improving hunting opportunities In North Dakota.
The group's suggestions:
1. Acquire more public hunting land, even if it means a modest fee
increase.
2. Cap nonresident hunter numbers at 10,000 upland and 15,000
waterfowl.
3. Cap the number of outfitters/guides through a license system and
require them to pass a state certification.
4. License outfitters/guides at a fee of $1,000 per outfitter and $250
per guide, with the money going to the Private Land Open to
Sportsmen program (PLOTS).
5. Require that outfitters report how much land they lease as part of
their license requirement.
6. Plant food plots on PLOTS land for pheasants.
7. Wildlife clubs should start leasing land and turning it over to the
state Game and Fish Department for PLOTS.
8. Guided hunters/outfitters should stay off all public land.
9. Increase the Habitat Stamp by $5 for all.
10. Hold the money collected from fee increases in a dedicated fund
that cannot be used for anything other than habitat
acquisition/improvement. Make sure this fund can't be raided by the
Legislature, as lawmakers did to finance the state radio network
years ago.
11. Raise nonresident license fees to the same level as Montana and
South Dakota, with the increase dedicated to more PLOTS.
12. Raise nonresident fishing license fees, as described in the
preceding suggestion.
13. Set up a "tourism tax" dedicated to more PLOTS. Tourism
businesses benefit from hunters and should help pay.
14. Only a few people have signed up for the Coverlock program,
which also helps improve habitat and access. Have Game and Fish
Department people go door to door in the pheasant belt to talk
directly to landowners. Same thing with PLOTS.
15. Tourism and economic development departments need to
advertise to the public that resident hunting spends the biggest
dollars in the state.
16. Set up a toll-free number in Bismarck that you can call if you
know of someone who might sign up for PLOTS or Coverlocks. There
is no contact person now.
17. Farm Bureau and Farmers Union organizations should form a pool
of members who are willing to let resident hunters have access
when they are squeezed out by lease hunting.
18. No corporate-lease hunting, like no corporate farming.
19. No depredation assistance if land is posted.
20. New Conservation Reserve Program contracts would pay the
landowner more for offering public access, less for no access - and
then put that land right into PLOTS. That way, the land is closed in
the off-hunting season.
The cost would be the same as it is now. This should be part of an
economic development program for rural communities in North
Dakota. That way, Congress could get it into the CRP law for the
state.
21. In the pheasant belt: Currently, some landowners charge access
fees and give that money to charities (local schools, churches, and so
on). Instead, put that land into PLOTS and let the state Game and
Fish Department write the check to the charity instead.
22. Don't buy land for habitat. Instead, lease it so the taxes go to
the county.
23. Wildlife protection areas and similar ground are already
government owned but have poor grass cover for pheasants. Spray
out the broom grass; reseed with switch grass or dense nesting
cover.
Then it would be good for ducks and pheasants.
24. Burn off CRP every few years so clover comes back.
25. Set up a mini-PLOTS program. Identify small water drainages in
field land, and have farmers seed dense nesting cover 100 feet on
each side for mini-PLOTS.
PLOTS don't have to be 160 acres of CRP. Or call this
mini-Coverlocks.
26. All legislative committee hearings on hunting issues should be
held Saturday or at night, so working people can attend.
27. The current Game and Fish Department advisory board is a sham.
Strengthen it. Make sure all members are active hunters and
fishermen.
28. Elect advisory board people from the advisory meetings. Don't
appoint them.
29. Make sure the advisory board holds elections. They don't do that
now.
30. Publish advisory board minutes in North Dakota Outdoors, with
upcoming agendas.
31. All major Game and Fish Department decisions are presented at
spring and fall advisory meetings before they are enacted, so
hunters can have input first.
32. The governor, Game and Fish and Tourism departments should
publicly encourage landowners through an advertising campaign to
remove posters after deer season, if they will allow hunting access.
33. Conduct an advertising campaign by the state to educate
landowners that thousands of roosters are going to waste by not
hunting them.
34. State Game and Fish officers should have an aggressive effort to
get their free posters - Walking Hunters Welcome, Ask First, and so
on - out to the public. Wildlife clubs could distribute them. I saw only
one of these posters this year. That is a miserable performance by
both wildlife clubs and the state.
Wardens should carry a case of free signs to give away.
35. The state should give away free posters reading, "Open after
Dec. 1 if you ask." And make an effort to get them to the public,
especially in the pheasant belt.
36. The best way to keep deer out of hay is to thin them before they
get there.
37. Conduct an advertising campaign aimed at increasing landowner
access through education that resident hunting is good for local
economy.
38. Residents should harvest more giant geese. They are too thick in
the fields, causing crop damage.
39. Interview the State Association of Directors of Tax Equalization to
determine the effect of nonresident hunter land purchases.
40. Interview the state association to determine the effect of
nonresident hunter land purchases pertaining to tax assestments of
adjoining land.
40 solutions to the hunting access dilemma
What a little brainstorming can do
Richard Monson, a Valley City, N.D., farmer and hunter, went
door-to-door with some friends to solicit hunters' ideas about
improving hunting opportunities In North Dakota.
The group's suggestions:
1. Acquire more public hunting land, even if it means a modest fee
increase.
2. Cap nonresident hunter numbers at 10,000 upland and 15,000
waterfowl.
3. Cap the number of outfitters/guides through a license system and
require them to pass a state certification.
4. License outfitters/guides at a fee of $1,000 per outfitter and $250
per guide, with the money going to the Private Land Open to
Sportsmen program (PLOTS).
5. Require that outfitters report how much land they lease as part of
their license requirement.
6. Plant food plots on PLOTS land for pheasants.
7. Wildlife clubs should start leasing land and turning it over to the
state Game and Fish Department for PLOTS.
8. Guided hunters/outfitters should stay off all public land.
9. Increase the Habitat Stamp by $5 for all.
10. Hold the money collected from fee increases in a dedicated fund
that cannot be used for anything other than habitat
acquisition/improvement. Make sure this fund can't be raided by the
Legislature, as lawmakers did to finance the state radio network
years ago.
11. Raise nonresident license fees to the same level as Montana and
South Dakota, with the increase dedicated to more PLOTS.
12. Raise nonresident fishing license fees, as described in the
preceding suggestion.
13. Set up a "tourism tax" dedicated to more PLOTS. Tourism
businesses benefit from hunters and should help pay.
14. Only a few people have signed up for the Coverlock program,
which also helps improve habitat and access. Have Game and Fish
Department people go door to door in the pheasant belt to talk
directly to landowners. Same thing with PLOTS.
15. Tourism and economic development departments need to
advertise to the public that resident hunting spends the biggest
dollars in the state.
16. Set up a toll-free number in Bismarck that you can call if you
know of someone who might sign up for PLOTS or Coverlocks. There
is no contact person now.
17. Farm Bureau and Farmers Union organizations should form a pool
of members who are willing to let resident hunters have access
when they are squeezed out by lease hunting.
18. No corporate-lease hunting, like no corporate farming.
19. No depredation assistance if land is posted.
20. New Conservation Reserve Program contracts would pay the
landowner more for offering public access, less for no access - and
then put that land right into PLOTS. That way, the land is closed in
the off-hunting season.
The cost would be the same as it is now. This should be part of an
economic development program for rural communities in North
Dakota. That way, Congress could get it into the CRP law for the
state.
21. In the pheasant belt: Currently, some landowners charge access
fees and give that money to charities (local schools, churches, and so
on). Instead, put that land into PLOTS and let the state Game and
Fish Department write the check to the charity instead.
22. Don't buy land for habitat. Instead, lease it so the taxes go to
the county.
23. Wildlife protection areas and similar ground are already
government owned but have poor grass cover for pheasants. Spray
out the broom grass; reseed with switch grass or dense nesting
cover.
Then it would be good for ducks and pheasants.
24. Burn off CRP every few years so clover comes back.
25. Set up a mini-PLOTS program. Identify small water drainages in
field land, and have farmers seed dense nesting cover 100 feet on
each side for mini-PLOTS.
PLOTS don't have to be 160 acres of CRP. Or call this
mini-Coverlocks.
26. All legislative committee hearings on hunting issues should be
held Saturday or at night, so working people can attend.
27. The current Game and Fish Department advisory board is a sham.
Strengthen it. Make sure all members are active hunters and
fishermen.
28. Elect advisory board people from the advisory meetings. Don't
appoint them.
29. Make sure the advisory board holds elections. They don't do that
now.
30. Publish advisory board minutes in North Dakota Outdoors, with
upcoming agendas.
31. All major Game and Fish Department decisions are presented at
spring and fall advisory meetings before they are enacted, so
hunters can have input first.
32. The governor, Game and Fish and Tourism departments should
publicly encourage landowners through an advertising campaign to
remove posters after deer season, if they will allow hunting access.
33. Conduct an advertising campaign by the state to educate
landowners that thousands of roosters are going to waste by not
hunting them.
34. State Game and Fish officers should have an aggressive effort to
get their free posters - Walking Hunters Welcome, Ask First, and so
on - out to the public. Wildlife clubs could distribute them. I saw only
one of these posters this year. That is a miserable performance by
both wildlife clubs and the state.
Wardens should carry a case of free signs to give away.
35. The state should give away free posters reading, "Open after
Dec. 1 if you ask." And make an effort to get them to the public,
especially in the pheasant belt.
36. The best way to keep deer out of hay is to thin them before they
get there.
37. Conduct an advertising campaign aimed at increasing landowner
access through education that resident hunting is good for local
economy.
38. Residents should harvest more giant geese. They are too thick in
the fields, causing crop damage.
39. Interview the State Association of Directors of Tax Equalization to
determine the effect of nonresident hunter land purchases.
40. Interview the state association to determine the effect of
nonresident hunter land purchases pertaining to tax assestments of
adjoining land.
