There’s a lot of unrest in the outdoors world these days, and numerous topics need to be addressed head-on by sportsmen and women everywhere. We cannot be complacent on any topic that compromises our natural resources (first), and our cherished hunting traditions (second). Here are three of them that have been in the news lately, and my views on where we should collectively stand on them:
1. Hunters everywhere should be allowed to hunt on Sundays.
How, in 2021, there are still more than 10 states that have some sort of law against hunting on Sundays is puzzling. Recent news out of one of those states, Pennsylvania, shows some signs of movement, as hunters there will be allowed to go afield three Sundays this fall. That’s not enough. Most proponents say it’s not a religious thing.
They claim it’s more linked to hunting pressure and nonconsumptive activities. In this so-called land of the free, that’s completely unacceptable.
READ MORE: 75 Dumb Hunting Regulations
2. Crossbows belong in all general archery seasons.
Crossbows shoot broadhead-tipped arrows (stop already with the “bolts” argument), and they aren’t terribly effective beyond 50 yards. They are certainly no better than the best modern compounds. And, they are recruiting and retaining more hunters than any other tool out there (firearms included).
READ MORE: Crossbow Hunting is Here to Stay
3. Wolves must be managed as game animals.
This notion that the gray wolf is somehow sacred, prettier, more mysterious and more worthy than any other mammal in North America is ludicrous. The gray wolf is not endangered — it hasn’t been in more than 40 years — and, in fact, is now causing irreparable harm in Upper Great Lakes and Western states. We owe it to the species, the environment and all stakeholders to manage this resource no differently than we manage deer, elk, pronghorn, black bears and every other big-game animal in this country. I wholeheartedly believe Aldo Leopold would say the same thing if he were here today … sans all the “fierce, green fire” rewritten history and romanticism that’s crept into our homogenized society.
READ MORE: Putting Wolves Back on Endangered List is Wrong