[Dick Monson]

Just got a call from a guy who should know. The number of outfitters/guides jumped to 420+ from a little over 300 last year. Apparently there is also a land rush to lease right now, with the thinking these boys will be grandfathered in. It just gets better all the time.

 

[prairie hunter]

I believe it. Matches what the SD outifitter said in the GF Herald article by Dokken.

There wasn't much guided hunting when I started, but now it seems like it's springing up all around; she said.

http://www.nodakoutdoors.com/members/ph ... php?t=1167

So how do you stop the copy cats without further empowering the guides already in business ?

 

[Ron Gilmore]

By getting in touch with your elected reps. I may sound like a broken record but this is all related to access. The governing body of the state has shown a good track record of listening to the people that put them in office. so let's give them a earful, mailbox full, e-mail full, control the # of guides, the acres that they can lease, resind the licence if they have had criminal game violations make sure that person cannot work in the guideing outfitting business ever again in this state.

 

[Matt Jones]

hardwaterman is right, now is the time that we especially need to be contacting our representatives. The senate natural resource committee will be hearing the Hunter Pressure Concept waterfowl bill on the morning of 1/23 and the house natural resource committee will be hearing the Nelson Plan on the morning of 1/24...so it's pretty important you let your reps hear from you ASAP if you haven't already contacted them and let them know you'd like to see their support on the HPC. If your reps are on these committee's then it makes it that much more important that you contact them RIGHT AWAY!!!

 

[MACBARN]

we wereat the hearing 1050 yesterday.we all should support hb1050 as it reads.Guides also support this bill but want some changes. ie.do not support a cap,we must have a cap. Game and fish must not may revoke guide liesence for vioalations,etc. Rep Nelson appointed Rep Porter,DeKrey and Hunskor to a sub committe. They need your input.Know is the time boys sb

 

[KEN W]

I knoiw Rep. Hunskor very well.What do I need to tell him.

 

[rap]

so what did the turnout at the hearing look like?

 

[MACBARN]

Ken, We had lunch with Bob yesterday.He said that he had an open mind but did not have much of an understanding of the situation.We told himas much as we could at lunchbut, he needs to understand that with out a cap on the no of guides this bill will do very little to help the acces proublem. with out a cap on guides and the amount of land under there controal this will escalate to the point that the guides will controal all of the best of the best. please do what you can and get all of your friend to talk to Bob. Feel free to cal me 2521586 office. Dick monson.dan Bueidi or Keven Hayer ar all up to spead on hb1050. I will also ask that you and ALL of your hunting friends be in Bis.next Thursday Sandy Barnes THANKS hpc will be heard

 

[KEN W]

OK...I'll try to talk to him.He is a really nice guy but I know he will be hearing from the Bottineau Shootout boys and Bottineau business people who want no caps.

 

[Ron Gilmore]

Conversation with a couple of business owner in the Cando area and was surprised to hear that they are againist caps on non-res hunters but a cap on guides and the amount of land that they control would be benifical to the economy. I am not changing my position on non res caps just relaying a point of view that I think may help in getting support on this issue.

Both of them said that the dollars spent in the area was down, this was not from lack of hunters but that alot of the people where traveling outside of the area to find places to freelance hunt which caused them to spend less time in and around cando. No place to hunt, no reason to stick around the area buy gas, eat at the diner, have a beer at the bar, stay at the hotel, etc.. We need to make sure that access for all is better for the economy than letting only a small amount of people use the resource. I think that these people had a hard time believing what was happeniong because they wanted to stick it to the hunters from Fargo Grand Forks etc. thanks to the retoric that was being spewed out last summer and fall.

This will make alot of sense to people if it it laided out so that the tourism dept and the other business people understand that to many guides and outfitters will be just as bad for business as a drought or hail storm would be. Access is the key to all of this and controling limits on guides is the way to go.

 

[Dick Monson]

rap-the outfitters outnumbered us big time, but were split pro and con. Mike Donahue, lobbist for NDWF and Harold Neimeyer, lobbist for Cass County WF, stepped up for us. Another lick on me, I waited for Mike to sit down, and chairman John Nelson dropped the gavel on "for" testimony. You get an education when you go to Bismarck. I hope you can be there Thursday for HPC-we need young guys just like you.

Hardwaterman-said it all along-the outfitters will drive business right out of the small towns eventually, and it will take a long time to come back. The backlash of the wallet.

 

[rap]

well out of my emails to the HNRC and the SNRC, the only person i have gotten a reply from so far is hunskor. he said he noted my thoughts and would print my email for use in processing these bills... it's nice he took the time to reply to someone not even in his district, hopefully some of the other legislators are just slow on their email and i'll get some more replies!

 

[frosty]

Just a reminder to those of you communicating with your legislators. Some of these people are not very up-to-date on computer knowledge and do not even check their email. A phone message is received and heard by your legislators.

 

[Dick Monson]

frosty-right you are-its a big leap for some of us old folks-a call is good too. Visited with a legislator after HB 1050 was heard, and he said he reced about 40 emails. Boys, there is pile of us on the etree, we have to step it up.