AmmoLand.com

Sportsmen calls needed to stop outrageous proposal.

U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance

Columbus, OH --(Ammoland.com)- House Bill 855, introduced by Delegate Joseph R. Yost (R-Blacksburg), would classify all Virginia game animals and furbearers as nuisance animals.

Doing so would allow these animals to be killed year round without limits and with no regard to population levels.

The bill strips the oversight and control of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries to set essential season dates and bag limits to ensure game populations remain sustainable and healthy. By classifying all game and furbearing animals as “nuisance” animals, the bill allows species of animals that cause any damage to agricultural crops, ornamental or shade trees, wildlife, livestock, or any other property to be killed any time during the year.

“When talking about bad legislation for wildlife conservation and sportsmen, it doesn’t get much worse than this bill. This move would effectively end wildlife conservation in Virginia as we know it. ” said Evan Heusinkveld, U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance director of state services.

“Virginia sportsmen and women are the backbone of conservation, not to mention they generate nearly one billion dollars for the state’s economy each year. This bill could decimate game and furbearer populations while the wildlife management professionals are powerless to do anything about it.”

House Bill 855 would apply to the long list of game and furbearers that are hunted in the state, including deer, turkey, and bear.

The bill was referred to the House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources.

Take Action! Virginia sportsmen should contact their state delegates TODAY and urge them to oppose House Bill 855. Tell them the bill would destroy the state’s wildlife conservation efforts and ruin hunting and trapping in the state. To find your state delegate’s contact information, visit www.ussportsmen.org/LAC.

About:
The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance is a national association of sportsmen and sportsmen’s organizations that protects the rights of hunters, anglers and trappers in the courts, legislatures, at the ballot, in Congress and through public education programs. Visit www.ussportsmen.org.

Filed under: Conservation News, Hunting News by Ammoland No Comments »

Ready, Set, Trap - Trapping is Here to Stay

U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance

Columbus, OH --(Ammoland.com)- Trapping continues to be a hot topic in some regions, and a target for anti-trapping organizations everywhere.

The robust fur markets in some regions of the country today are proof that trapping is here to stay for a long, long time. Trapping is definitely an important hobby, outdoors pursuit, and vital tool for wildlife managers.

If you need more reason to get outdoors, or want to improve the odds of survival for some popular and huntable animal species like rabbits, waterfowl, or wild turkeys, then take up trapping.

Traps can also help take and control problem species, like beavers, that inflict millions of dollars of damage to property or crops each year. These damages range from ruined timber, to flooded crops, to holes dug in dikes and dams.

Then there’s the growing problem of missing pets—with coyotes being the culprits.

For example, one damage control specialist in Illinois recently reported that he had requests to trap and check the stomach contents of coyotes that were thought to have eaten pet dogs and prized cats in one region. In one case a coyote apparently ate a cat that was wearing a custom diamond encrusted collar.

There’s also the “smelly” issue of skunks. Anyone who has ever had a dog sprayed by a skunk wants trapping of the black and white creatures to begin immediately! It is also a fact that trapping helps prevent rabies and other threats to public health and safety brought on by a sharp rise in furbearer populations.

These include diseases spread by —or contracted by— foxes and raccoons. There are far more of these nuisance critters out in the fields and forests than the average citizen realizes. All you need to do to get a fractional estimate of the local population is look on and along the highways for road kill animals. You’ll probably see lots of raccoons, some foxes and a few coyotes, and in some places beavers, and the occasional bobcat. Raccoons have become very common in some areas and have caused homeowner problems by raiding bird feeders, trash cans, and pet food dishes.

The good news is that trapping supplies today are generally inexpensive and so are many resident trapping licenses. Fur prices, however, remain generally low partly because of the weak economy. With high gas prices on top of those, there may be critters and opportunities for you and for your traps.

For more information on trapping, visit the Fur Takers of America at www.furtakersofamerica.com.

About:
The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance is a national association of sportsmen and sportsmen’s organizations that protects the rights of hunters, anglers and trappers in the courts, legislatures, at the ballot, in Congress and through public education programs. Visit www.ussportsmen.org.

Filed under: Hunting News by Ammoland No Comments »