The American Beagler Forum

Dear Virginia Hunting Dog Owner:

Last month's election is behind us and sportsmen made only minimal political gains; the state’s budget is still stressed and animal rightist, anti-hunting lobbyists are better organized than ever before, but the Old Dominion's sportsmen have reason to celebrate!

On Monday this week, Delegates Scott Lingamfelter (R) of Woodbridge and James Shuler (D) of Blacksburg announced the formation of a House Legislative Sportsmen's Caucus. A similar Senate announcement is expected shortly. This new legislative caucus's creation rivals the importance of the "right to hunt and fish" constitutional initiative of 2000, since it organizes our supporters and increases their influence. The stated mission statement of the Virginia Sportsmen’s Caucus is as follows:

To preserve and promote the traditional rights of Virginia’s citizens to hunt, fish and pursue outdoor activities;
To ensure that Virginia’s sportsmen have reasonable access to public lands to enjoy outdoor pursuits;
To protect the investment of sportsmen in wildlife and fisheries management by safeguarding the integrity of user fee trust funds and license revenue;
To support efforts to enhance multiple use habitat management for wildlife and fisheries;
To recognize the importance of hunting, fishing and other outdoor activities to Virginia’s economy and support the maintenance and growth of outdoor related industries and activities.

There are three federal sportsmen advocacy groups that always do a commendable lobbying job. Those groups are the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (IAFWA), a trade association of 50 state F&W Departments, the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation (CSF).


The strength of the CSF lies in its sponsorship of the legislative Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus (CSC), a bipartisan, bicameral group of Washington politicians who are interested in preserving and nurturing our outdoor traditions. See http://www.sportsmenslink.org/ The CSC is one of the capitol's most effective caucuses and its membership includes over 60% of the House and the Senate. The CSC-CSF relationship is a supportive, mutually reinforcing one, as the Foundation's members represent U.S. sportsmen's groups and vendors who are most concerned over attacks on hunting rights, as well as interested in preserving lands and habitat to exercise those rights.


In the last two years, the CSF has expanded its scope to foster state organizations that largely mirror the Washington organizations. Such sportsmen's groups currently operate in 14 states. See http://www.sportsmenslink.org/programs/caucus.asp NRA, SCI, DU, National Wild Turkey Federation, Ruffled Grouse Society and similar groups typically belong to such caucus supporting foundations. I anticipate that the Virginia Hunting Dog Owners' Association will be part of our state's foundation and active in its work.

It's crucial that all sportsmen recognize that a Virginia Sportsmen's Foundation is a unique and important opportunity to coalesce into a truly effective force to preserve and extend our outdoor heritage. Rather than having a temporary, ad hoc or narrow focus, such a Foundation will represent all of the state's sportsmen, in an enduring corporation, with bylaws, a board of directors, officers, resources, dues and a budget. Such an organizational structure insures that the Foundation will be accountable to both the legislative caucus and sportsmen, providing informed consensus input on outdoor-related laws and regulations, while also promoting our future hunting and fishing opportunities.


This formal Foundation isn't designed to get involved in every issue, or take sides in disputes between members, say for example, concealed carry restrictions, or game regulation differences. State sportsmen's groups may continue to lobby individually, as they've always done, but you can't begin to imagine the potential of this cooperative effort in promoting our general welfare. All dog and hunt club officers should budget to support our participation in this effort starting in January. More details will follow. In addition, every Virginia sportsman and sportswoman should contact his or her legislators and request that they join the Virginia Sportsmen's Caucus. We're about to enter an exciting new chapter in Virginia's sporting history. Let's make the most of this legacy creating opportunity. Thank you

this could be good news or it could be bad news depending on what comes of it..... if it is manned by folks that really care about the future of hunting and fishing and are also pro-opportunity then it could become a driving force for future generations. If however the members become sounding boards for Indiana's Department of Natural Resources like some of our state organizations have that sit on the FWCC then we have gained one more cement block to drag us down...... i quess the proof of the pudding will be in the eating.... hope we make a good batch.

and after reading the post again i see that the members that will be involved are some of the same groups that are members of the Fish and Wildlife Advisory Committee... so Indiana Already has such and organization. The problem is it has no weight to it.... Fish and Wildlife only feeds the members what it wants to... though i feel Glen Salmon is attempting to improve that..... Glen Lange the states cheif biologists favorite line.... "Fish and Wildlife respectfully disagrees with you". Is your states new committee going to have any teeth. because without it your not going to make a tinkers darn worth of differance.

Jack Hyden
Indiana Beaglers Alliance.

Jack,
Given where things stand for Indiana sportsmen with their state legislature and INDNR, I see the downside as dogmen and others not taking advantage of this opportunity. You're not alone in this regard. Get aboard. It will take work, study and organization, but the payoff far exceeds anything you might achieve individually. Further, you always preserve the right to go it alone, but you're far better inside the room, at the table, than outside guessing and wondering.

im just trying to figure the differance between what you are talking about and the Fish and Wildlife Advisory Committee that Indiana now has. the groups you named such as pheasants forever, quail unlimited, wild turkey federation and others are on the FWCC committee....show me the differance and how its going to benifit the sportsmen and woman of the state of Indiana and i will jump on it with both feet. An organization that will bring all the sporting groups together, help build a bond between them, and reign in on the monopoly that IDNR has on decisons affecting the sportsmen and women is sorely needed.

I have come to know the legislators on the senate natural resource commitee very well. Indiana sportsmen have some real good supporters on that committee. So where do we go from here...?

Jack

It's quite simple. Reread my post. This is a complementary relationship between politicians and organized sportsmen voters on matters of mutual concern. The wildlife department of most states is likely to benefit from such an arrangement vis a vis budget and policy/program support. Some states more than others. This isn't a melange a trios or a top down autocracy, i.e. the wildlife professionals may offer advice, but the legislators largely make the decisions, supported by sportsmen, and wildlife departments implement them.

jackrabbit wrote:im just trying to figure the differance between what you are talking about and the Fish and Wildlife Advisory Committee that Indiana now has. the groups you named such as pheasants forever, quail unlimited, wild turkey federation and others are on the FWCC committee....show me the differance and how its going to benifit the sportsmen and woman of the state of Indiana and i will jump on it with both feet. An organization that will bring all the sporting groups together, help build a bond between them, and reign in on the monopoly that IDNR has on decisons affecting the sportsmen and women is sorely needed.

I have come to know the legislators on the senate natural resource commitee very well. Indiana sportsmen have some real good supporters on that committee. So where do we go from here...?

Jack

It will take work, study and organization, ...
Have you read the referenced sites? That would be a good place to start.

and will dig into them deeper. i am a bit dense, however, and sometimes need more than a couple websites to understand completely whats being said..... i will also contact the groups to get futher info, and i do see how it could help sportsmen and women all over the country. the difficulty still seems to be getting the majoriety of sportsmen to care about the needs and desires of other sportsmen and woman. once that hurdle is crossed the sky would be the limit.

the Indiana Beaglers Alliance is pro-opportunity so it would be fool hardy not to look seriously at type of sportsman/legislator union.