[nodakoutdoors.com]

I just made it home in time to watch WDAY's news on the event. WDAY was way off in what went on, but oh well.

The meeting was excellent. I don't even know where to start or where to end. There was some very vocal discussions and Mr. Hildebrandt was not the most popular guy this evening, or anyone on his panel. To put is simply, they got roasted.

Big Eddy, if you're reading this...you made for the most interesting 3 minutes of speech and debate than I've witnessed in years. Way to speak up! :thumb: He had recovered minutes from a sesssion where they're considering putting the Game & Fish under the Commerce Dept. and let it out to the public about what they're trying to do. When the gentlemen from the advisory panel got up and said it was a lie, you could here "BULL$H*T" being yelled from the other side of town. It was good to see so many people as passionate about the future of sportsman as MOST of the people in that room.

There were so many insights and humor as well. Curt Wells, as always, did a wonderful speech....and funny as hell. He did put up an idea that does make sense...and that is automating the licenses like MN does. That could help keep better records and keep people from screwing the system(in particular, buying extra licenses).

I could go on and on...but I know a lot of the guys here were there so you can add more if you'd like.

They're scheduling another advisory meeting in Cass County in the end of April into June sometime. If you missed this one....YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS THE NEXT ONE!

 

[GooseBuster3]

The meeting was very resourceful to me. There were many people there to. Although Decoyer and I were the only teenagers there, we need to get more youth hunters in this whole ordeal, because it is our future

 

[Eric Hustad]

I thought the meeting went very well and was a good exchange of ideas. Ed showed the passion all of us are feeling on this issue and Curt Wells was a voice of reason and calmness. WDAY said the meeting was about pheasants, but I saw it as a meeting of access and falling quality of hunting in the state. The board took a lot of heat but I also think they showed guts being up there and giving everyone a fair chance to be heard. My one thought during all this is where is our Govenor?? Last night seemed like sheep going to slaughter over the Gov's mess. I think the meeting was a step in the right direction. I agree that Hoeven woke a sleeping giant with this. Rep. Al Carlson made a very good point: GET INVOLVED!! call you representative, pitch some ideas, just get involved somehow. Rep. Carlson has been trying to get bills passed and there just isn't the support. I hope there is now.

 

[prairie hunter]

One reason ND is seeing a decline in resident waterfowl hunters is recruitment. Where are the ND youth.

Growing up in ND I hunted every weekend day I could. Stormy October day, my dad would pull us from school and we would be out hunting geese.

I hunt with family and friends when I hunt in ND. It is easy to get kids to go hunting sometimes, but it is difficult to get them to go hunting often. Too many other activities.

By nephews and nieces hunt, but very few of their friends hunt. This is a smaller, rural town full of hunting adults. Many parents say their kids do not have an interest.

Some on my relatives say the anti-hunting sentiment is prevalent in the schools and some kids are embarassed to talk about hunting.

High school kids can no longer have the pick up full of guns and decoys parked in the school parking lot - ready for an after school hunt. They would likely be expelled or arrested for having guns on school property.

Have you noticed that many ND high school boy's football games are on Saturdays. I do since I usually attend one or two each fall when I am back home hunting. When I was growing up school activities were not held on the weekends (with the exception of play offs). Boys and girls should be hunting. Friday night should be for football.

By the way we often find hot duck spots for Sunday morning from farmers watching their boys playing football. a tip ??

 

[nodakoutdoors.com]

I think you're missing the point that everyone in ND is trying to make, especially at the meeting.

One gentlemen said it best, "We want non-residents to come here, we just can't take all of you".

There has to be a limit. With the trend the last few years we'll be over 40K in 2 years and that's going to leave too many permanent scars on land access in the future.

We want non-residents to be able to enjoy their vacation, but we need to protect the way of life here as well.

 

[GooseBuster3]

Chris I totally agree with you. Do I need to say more?