A lick on me, Craig Bihrle interviewed Gov. Hoven in the "North Dakota Outdoors" magazine, Nov. 2001 issue, page 7.
Bihrle: "Do issues related to hunting, fishing, and resource management generate a lot of citizen input to your office?"
Hoven:"Yes. And Dean Hildebrand does a good job. We redirect most of the input to him because that's his job. I belive in empowering people to do their job, and I think he does a good job. But yes, I get lot of people who come in, legilators, mayors, businessmen, hunters.....
I listen to them, but I encourage them to talk to our Game and Fish people. We have experts over there, doing an outstanding job. Those are the folks who need to hear from our citizens. And I have confidence that they will do a good job."
This interview was done at the same time that Gov. Hoven was cooking up pheasantgate and trying to palm it off as a plan from North Dakota Game and Fish.
At the Jamestown, Steele, and Kindred advisory meetings Dean said the NDGF dept would champion the Hunter Pressure Concept in the next session.
Word on the street is that at the conclusion of the advisory meeting circuit, Hoven called Dean in for a "consultation". After that meeting there will be NO input from NGDF allowed as positive testimony on HPC at the committee hearings in the 2003 session.
I sincerely hope this information is wrong. The proof is going to be demonstrated at the committee hearings.