1 00:00:02,840 --> 00:00:06,840 Speaker 1: From Mediators World News headquarters in Bozeman, Montana. This is 2 00:00:06,920 --> 00:00:11,360 Speaker 1: Cal's weekend review, presented by Steel Steel products are available 3 00:00:11,400 --> 00:00:15,160 Speaker 1: only at authorized dealers. For more, go to Steel Dealers 4 00:00:15,320 --> 00:00:22,239 Speaker 1: dot com. Now here's your host, Ryan cal Callahan. The 5 00:00:22,320 --> 00:00:26,479 Speaker 1: Columbian Congressional Court declared on May second that sport fishing 6 00:00:26,560 --> 00:00:30,640 Speaker 1: is now unconstitutional in the South American country. The court 7 00:00:30,680 --> 00:00:34,000 Speaker 1: admitted that there is no consensus as to whether fish 8 00:00:34,080 --> 00:00:38,040 Speaker 1: are sentient beings, but stated that even in the absence 9 00:00:38,080 --> 00:00:41,880 Speaker 1: of scientific certainty, the precautionary principle and the risk of 10 00:00:41,960 --> 00:00:46,040 Speaker 1: damage to the environment make the ban necessary. If this 11 00:00:46,080 --> 00:00:48,200 Speaker 1: makes any sense to you, I'll sell you a bridge 12 00:00:48,200 --> 00:00:51,320 Speaker 1: in Brooklyn, and I think you're gonna like it. Here's 13 00:00:51,320 --> 00:00:54,040 Speaker 1: another mind numbing part of this ruling. The court only 14 00:00:54,120 --> 00:00:57,320 Speaker 1: banned sport fishing, which is defined as catch and release. 15 00:00:57,400 --> 00:01:01,600 Speaker 1: As Maggie Hudlow, a fantastic report and journalist here at 16 00:01:02,080 --> 00:01:04,840 Speaker 1: Meat Eater points out in a great article at the 17 00:01:04,840 --> 00:01:07,840 Speaker 1: meat eater dot com, this means that fishing with meshes, 18 00:01:07,959 --> 00:01:11,640 Speaker 1: drag nets, and dynamite is all still legal. If the 19 00:01:11,680 --> 00:01:15,240 Speaker 1: court wanted to protect fisheries, it would presumably target fishing 20 00:01:15,240 --> 00:01:20,600 Speaker 1: practices that actually hurt those ecosystems. Blast fishing, for example, 21 00:01:20,880 --> 00:01:23,920 Speaker 1: or fishing with dynamite, has been practiced in the country 22 00:01:23,959 --> 00:01:27,400 Speaker 1: for decades and dreamed about by fourteen year old young 23 00:01:27,440 --> 00:01:31,120 Speaker 1: men for twice as long. I love a good explosion, 24 00:01:31,319 --> 00:01:33,880 Speaker 1: for example, but I don't need a PhD or a 25 00:01:33,880 --> 00:01:36,160 Speaker 1: lot of greed to know that using dynamite to kill 26 00:01:36,240 --> 00:01:39,560 Speaker 1: and harvest fish is far more damaging to the environment 27 00:01:39,640 --> 00:01:43,080 Speaker 1: than catching release. The same goes for net fishing. Net 28 00:01:43,080 --> 00:01:46,400 Speaker 1: fishing can be done sustainably, but it is more indiscriminate. 29 00:01:46,959 --> 00:01:50,880 Speaker 1: Bycatch is unavoidable. Bycatch would be catching fish outside of 30 00:01:50,880 --> 00:01:54,600 Speaker 1: your target species, and many fish are injured and ultimately wasted. 31 00:01:55,080 --> 00:01:58,320 Speaker 1: These types of fishing are all still legal in Colombia. 32 00:01:58,680 --> 00:02:02,240 Speaker 1: What's more, if recreational anglers want to continue pursuing their hobby, 33 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:04,920 Speaker 1: they're going to have to kill everything they catch. According 34 00:02:04,960 --> 00:02:08,160 Speaker 1: to the Columbian courts, this will help protect the environment 35 00:02:08,320 --> 00:02:11,320 Speaker 1: and keep fish from feeling pain. In this case, the 36 00:02:11,360 --> 00:02:16,240 Speaker 1: court isn't apparently interested in protecting the environment. Instead, it 37 00:02:16,280 --> 00:02:19,400 Speaker 1: appears to be convinced by the animal rights crowd. These 38 00:02:19,440 --> 00:02:22,040 Speaker 1: folks argue that catch and release fishing is cruel and 39 00:02:22,080 --> 00:02:25,760 Speaker 1: that catching release, angling and anglers are motivated by nothing 40 00:02:25,800 --> 00:02:29,760 Speaker 1: other than a desire to inflict pain. The problem, of course, 41 00:02:29,919 --> 00:02:32,560 Speaker 1: is that we don't actually know whether fish even feel pain. 42 00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:37,400 Speaker 1: Numerous studies have been concluded, but none have inconclusive. Even 43 00:02:37,440 --> 00:02:40,840 Speaker 1: if fish do feel pain over released fish live to 44 00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:44,959 Speaker 1: swim another day when handled and released properly. Columbia isn't 45 00:02:44,960 --> 00:02:47,840 Speaker 1: the only country to band catching release. Germany has had 46 00:02:47,840 --> 00:02:51,160 Speaker 1: a similar band since the nineties. In Switzerland prohibits releasing 47 00:02:51,200 --> 00:02:54,040 Speaker 1: non native fish and fish that are unlikely to survive. 48 00:02:54,480 --> 00:02:57,280 Speaker 1: Costa Rica tried to ban sport fishing, but they backed 49 00:02:57,320 --> 00:03:01,120 Speaker 1: off after politicians and judges realized that a recreational fishing 50 00:03:01,120 --> 00:03:04,640 Speaker 1: industry brings in about two fifty million dollars every year. 51 00:03:05,160 --> 00:03:09,079 Speaker 1: Money talks, I guess, or in this case, swims. Hopefully 52 00:03:09,120 --> 00:03:12,000 Speaker 1: Columbian officials will have the same awakening. The sport fishing 53 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:15,280 Speaker 1: band won't be finalized for another year. Until then, pro 54 00:03:15,440 --> 00:03:18,800 Speaker 1: fishing groups will be filing lawsuits arguing that the ruling 55 00:03:18,840 --> 00:03:23,440 Speaker 1: harms the environment as well as the economy. Now, I 56 00:03:23,440 --> 00:03:26,079 Speaker 1: have said before on this podcast that we anglers all 57 00:03:26,120 --> 00:03:29,280 Speaker 1: may have a serious day of reckoning. When aliens in 58 00:03:29,320 --> 00:03:32,120 Speaker 1: the form of earthworms come down to Earth looking for 59 00:03:32,160 --> 00:03:35,720 Speaker 1: their relatives on this planet. Anyone who has ever corkscrewed 60 00:03:35,720 --> 00:03:38,560 Speaker 1: a nightcrawler around a slow death hook knows exactly what 61 00:03:38,600 --> 00:03:43,720 Speaker 1: I'm talking about. Semantics, formal or cognitive. Do we know 62 00:03:44,120 --> 00:03:47,480 Speaker 1: if fish do or do not feel pain? Maybe not, 63 00:03:48,120 --> 00:03:50,920 Speaker 1: But if you are into catching fish, you know for 64 00:03:50,960 --> 00:03:55,200 Speaker 1: absolute certain they do not like being caught. They recognize 65 00:03:55,320 --> 00:03:58,800 Speaker 1: on whatever level that whatever is happening to them is 66 00:03:58,840 --> 00:04:03,000 Speaker 1: against their will and against their biological plan for instance, 67 00:04:03,320 --> 00:04:06,600 Speaker 1: and possibly related. Just pay attention, Hang on there with 68 00:04:06,640 --> 00:04:10,920 Speaker 1: me for a minute. My dog snort, well, snort a kiss. 69 00:04:10,960 --> 00:04:14,600 Speaker 1: A pampered domestic animal has no worries in the world 70 00:04:14,720 --> 00:04:17,760 Speaker 1: and goes through her day as if she owns the world. 71 00:04:18,200 --> 00:04:20,839 Speaker 1: It's a fun thing to watch an animal with confidence. 72 00:04:21,360 --> 00:04:24,880 Speaker 1: But she recently hurt her toe, and when she does 73 00:04:24,920 --> 00:04:29,000 Speaker 1: something to aggravate that wound, she yelps and shivers and 74 00:04:29,080 --> 00:04:34,120 Speaker 1: looks to me for support. Is she feeling pain? Who cares? 75 00:04:34,800 --> 00:04:40,279 Speaker 1: That dog? I believe senses her frailty, recognizes that she 76 00:04:40,400 --> 00:04:43,840 Speaker 1: is no longer invincible and that death is a real thing. 77 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:48,720 Speaker 1: She recognizes her own mortality. She conceives of the end, 78 00:04:49,480 --> 00:04:53,200 Speaker 1: and that is a sad thing to witness. These are 79 00:04:53,240 --> 00:04:56,000 Speaker 1: just fun things to think about, fish or tasty. I'm 80 00:04:56,000 --> 00:04:59,400 Speaker 1: gonna continue to pursue them at times, even with worms 81 00:04:59,400 --> 00:05:02,400 Speaker 1: on a corks grew barbed hook, but I will at 82 00:05:02,400 --> 00:05:05,200 Speaker 1: the same time do my most to take care of 83 00:05:05,240 --> 00:05:08,000 Speaker 1: the resource so it can feed me and others. Again, 84 00:05:09,120 --> 00:05:11,599 Speaker 1: this week, we have a ton to talk about, so 85 00:05:11,640 --> 00:05:14,520 Speaker 1: we're gonna get right into it. With the exception of 86 00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:18,040 Speaker 1: this statement, I was in Boise last week attending part 87 00:05:18,080 --> 00:05:21,080 Speaker 1: of the Idaho Fishing Game in Service Training school, and 88 00:05:21,120 --> 00:05:26,200 Speaker 1: I quite embarrassingly forgot to thank everyone in that state 89 00:05:26,240 --> 00:05:29,920 Speaker 1: agency for the work they do on behalf of wildlife, habitat, 90 00:05:30,040 --> 00:05:33,560 Speaker 1: access and recreation. Keep up the good work. I know 91 00:05:33,640 --> 00:05:36,919 Speaker 1: it can be thankless at times, but I sure appreciate you, 92 00:05:37,279 --> 00:05:39,640 Speaker 1: and I hope to see you again. Thanks for having 93 00:05:39,680 --> 00:05:43,680 Speaker 1: me this week. We've got the poaching desk. We've got 94 00:05:43,800 --> 00:05:48,320 Speaker 1: you palm and a lawyer posed as a hunter. Moving 95 00:05:48,400 --> 00:05:52,640 Speaker 1: on to the law enforcement desk. It's been a busy 96 00:05:52,680 --> 00:05:55,599 Speaker 1: month over at the poaching desk. We're not even politicians 97 00:05:55,600 --> 00:05:58,159 Speaker 1: and reality TV stars can escape the long arm of 98 00:05:58,160 --> 00:06:01,320 Speaker 1: the law. One of those politicians is Utah State Rep. 99 00:06:01,480 --> 00:06:05,960 Speaker 1: Travis Siegmiller. Sigmiller recently resigned his seat in the legislature 100 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:08,640 Speaker 1: after he was charged in April with the illegally taking 101 00:06:08,720 --> 00:06:12,960 Speaker 1: protected wildlife wild Trust passing. The lawmaker allegedly killed a 102 00:06:12,960 --> 00:06:16,080 Speaker 1: white tailed dough with a shotgun in a residential neighborhood 103 00:06:16,120 --> 00:06:19,480 Speaker 1: back in August. According to Deserret News, he possessed a 104 00:06:19,600 --> 00:06:22,600 Speaker 1: valid license and the hunting season was open, but he 105 00:06:22,680 --> 00:06:25,440 Speaker 1: did not have permission to hunt on the property. It 106 00:06:25,560 --> 00:06:27,880 Speaker 1: is also illegal to hunt within six d feet of 107 00:06:27,920 --> 00:06:31,159 Speaker 1: a house or dwelling, which Sigmiller did When confronted by 108 00:06:31,240 --> 00:06:34,560 Speaker 1: a resident of the neighborhood, He allegedly claimed he was 109 00:06:34,640 --> 00:06:36,520 Speaker 1: out of work and needed the meat for his family. 110 00:06:36,839 --> 00:06:39,640 Speaker 1: He also said he had secured permission from the property owner. 111 00:06:40,080 --> 00:06:42,320 Speaker 1: By the time the police arrived, he had already dragged 112 00:06:42,360 --> 00:06:45,320 Speaker 1: the dough into his car and left. He pleaded no 113 00:06:45,480 --> 00:06:48,000 Speaker 1: contest at his hearing, but it looks like his political 114 00:06:48,120 --> 00:06:53,280 Speaker 1: career like that dough won't survive the incident. D T. J. 115 00:06:53,800 --> 00:06:56,320 Speaker 1: Donald Trump Jr. Has also gotten mixed up with an 116 00:06:56,360 --> 00:06:59,280 Speaker 1: illegal bear baiting incident from a two thousand eighteen hunt 117 00:06:59,320 --> 00:07:04,080 Speaker 1: in Utah. The former president's namesake hasn't been accused of wrongdoing. Instead, 118 00:07:04,160 --> 00:07:07,560 Speaker 1: prosecutors are alleging that Trump Junior's guide, a fellon named 119 00:07:07,600 --> 00:07:10,440 Speaker 1: Wade Lemon, instructed his scouts to bait a site with 120 00:07:10,520 --> 00:07:13,880 Speaker 1: the black bear's favorite snacks, including grain, oil and pastries. 121 00:07:14,240 --> 00:07:17,200 Speaker 1: The site was bated without Trump Junior's knowledge, according to 122 00:07:17,240 --> 00:07:19,560 Speaker 1: the Salt Lake Tribune, but he did kill a bear 123 00:07:19,840 --> 00:07:23,080 Speaker 1: at or near that spot during the hunt. For his part, 124 00:07:23,320 --> 00:07:25,760 Speaker 1: Lemon has been charged with a felony and could face 125 00:07:25,880 --> 00:07:28,600 Speaker 1: up to five years in prison. The Salt Lake Tribune 126 00:07:28,720 --> 00:07:31,920 Speaker 1: also reports that Lemon has been investigated a total of 127 00:07:32,040 --> 00:07:34,480 Speaker 1: eight times by the Utah d n R. This is 128 00:07:34,560 --> 00:07:37,560 Speaker 1: the first time he's been charged with a felony. So 129 00:07:37,720 --> 00:07:41,280 Speaker 1: why does Donald Trump Junior's name keep popping up, Well, 130 00:07:41,600 --> 00:07:44,080 Speaker 1: I'll tell you it probably wouldn't make headlines if it 131 00:07:44,120 --> 00:07:49,760 Speaker 1: didn't moving from politics to reality TV, which, as it happens, 132 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:53,440 Speaker 1: isn't much of a move these days. Celebrity hunter Blaine 133 00:07:53,440 --> 00:07:56,520 Speaker 1: Anthony has been charged with violating the Lacy Act after 134 00:07:56,640 --> 00:07:59,480 Speaker 1: he illegally killed the black bear in Alaska. Light about 135 00:07:59,520 --> 00:08:02,120 Speaker 1: the incident and used footage of the hunt on his show. 136 00:08:02,240 --> 00:08:05,520 Speaker 1: Anthony produces a program called The Bear Whisper and runs 137 00:08:05,560 --> 00:08:10,000 Speaker 1: a production company creatively named Nature Productions. In May have seventeen, 138 00:08:10,200 --> 00:08:13,880 Speaker 1: Anthony allegedly shout a black bear in Keyni Fjords National Park, 139 00:08:14,080 --> 00:08:18,160 Speaker 1: where hunting is illegal. Then, according to a criminal complaint 140 00:08:18,240 --> 00:08:21,160 Speaker 1: obtained by The Daily Beast, he claimed on his declaration 141 00:08:21,280 --> 00:08:23,720 Speaker 1: papers that he killed the bear at a legal spot 142 00:08:23,880 --> 00:08:27,239 Speaker 1: nineteen miles away. Footage of that hunt, along with another 143 00:08:27,360 --> 00:08:31,520 Speaker 1: illegal kill, where aired on The Bear Whisperer. Anthony is 144 00:08:31,560 --> 00:08:33,640 Speaker 1: facing up to one year in prison and a one 145 00:08:33,720 --> 00:08:37,600 Speaker 1: hundred thousand dollar fine for the misdemeanor. As of this taping, 146 00:08:37,800 --> 00:08:42,560 Speaker 1: he has not commented on the charges. Here's another violation 147 00:08:42,840 --> 00:08:45,839 Speaker 1: of the Lacey accent in by listener Jason Maddox. A 148 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:48,679 Speaker 1: Georgia man is headed to prison after being convicted of 149 00:08:48,800 --> 00:08:52,280 Speaker 1: illegally netting thousands of turtles in Georgia and shipping them 150 00:08:52,360 --> 00:08:56,200 Speaker 1: to California. Nathan Horton made over one hundred and fifty 151 00:08:56,280 --> 00:08:59,640 Speaker 1: thousand dollars between two thousand fifteen and two thousand seventeen. 152 00:09:00,040 --> 00:09:02,800 Speaker 1: Prosecutors said the turtles were destined for Asia, where they 153 00:09:02,840 --> 00:09:06,360 Speaker 1: can be sold for a substantial profit. Horton pleaded guilty 154 00:09:06,440 --> 00:09:08,480 Speaker 1: to his charges in December of last year and was 155 00:09:08,559 --> 00:09:10,880 Speaker 1: sentenced in May to one year and one day in 156 00:09:10,960 --> 00:09:14,240 Speaker 1: prison three years of supervised release in order to pay 157 00:09:14,280 --> 00:09:18,640 Speaker 1: a fine of ten thousand dollars. That poaching case is 158 00:09:18,679 --> 00:09:21,199 Speaker 1: all wrapped up, but this one is just getting started. 159 00:09:21,559 --> 00:09:24,840 Speaker 1: Wildlife officials in British Columbia are asking for the public's 160 00:09:24,840 --> 00:09:27,920 Speaker 1: help and finding the person who killed two cougar kittens, 161 00:09:28,200 --> 00:09:31,000 Speaker 1: dismembered them, and dumped them on a forest service road 162 00:09:31,080 --> 00:09:34,400 Speaker 1: on Vancouver Island. It is illegal in British Columbia to 163 00:09:34,480 --> 00:09:37,719 Speaker 1: kill cougar kittens or cougars in a family unit. The 164 00:09:37,800 --> 00:09:40,920 Speaker 1: individual who violated this law shot both kittens and cut 165 00:09:40,960 --> 00:09:43,280 Speaker 1: off their heads and paused before leaving them on the 166 00:09:43,360 --> 00:09:46,880 Speaker 1: side of the road. Officials haven't speculated on what motivated 167 00:09:46,920 --> 00:09:50,079 Speaker 1: the poacher or announced any suspects. If you live on 168 00:09:50,200 --> 00:09:53,240 Speaker 1: Vancouver Island and here's someone bragging at the bar about 169 00:09:53,280 --> 00:09:56,480 Speaker 1: his new cougar paw key chain, give the BC Conservation 170 00:09:56,559 --> 00:09:59,480 Speaker 1: Office a call. I don't know why anyone would brag 171 00:09:59,480 --> 00:10:01,880 Speaker 1: about having the pause of cougar kittens, but I also 172 00:10:01,960 --> 00:10:04,319 Speaker 1: don't know why anyone would cut them off in the 173 00:10:04,400 --> 00:10:07,719 Speaker 1: first place. In any case, keep your ears peeled, b 174 00:10:07,920 --> 00:10:12,360 Speaker 1: s ears last one for you to Georgia men have 175 00:10:12,440 --> 00:10:15,880 Speaker 1: been charged with poaching an alligator out of season near Augusta. 176 00:10:16,360 --> 00:10:19,199 Speaker 1: The suspects were caught red handed when a concerned citizen 177 00:10:19,320 --> 00:10:21,640 Speaker 1: contacted the Georgia d n R and said that two 178 00:10:21,720 --> 00:10:24,120 Speaker 1: men had shot an alligator and we're attempting to load 179 00:10:24,160 --> 00:10:26,400 Speaker 1: it into a truck. Only one of the men was 180 00:10:26,440 --> 00:10:28,480 Speaker 1: still at the scene when the authorities arrived, but they 181 00:10:28,520 --> 00:10:31,320 Speaker 1: found enough evidence to charge both of them. To add 182 00:10:31,360 --> 00:10:34,000 Speaker 1: insult to injury, the poachers broke the back window of 183 00:10:34,040 --> 00:10:35,960 Speaker 1: their truck in the hurry to load the ten foot 184 00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:39,280 Speaker 1: gator into the bed. Quick side note on gators. The 185 00:10:39,320 --> 00:10:41,640 Speaker 1: story of the American alligator is one of the coolest 186 00:10:41,679 --> 00:10:44,880 Speaker 1: in conservation history. Animals don't often make it off the 187 00:10:44,960 --> 00:10:48,199 Speaker 1: endangered species list, and those that do rarely develop a 188 00:10:48,280 --> 00:10:52,680 Speaker 1: huntable population, but in the last fifty years, American alligators 189 00:10:52,760 --> 00:10:55,720 Speaker 1: have done both. Gators were placed on the endangered species 190 00:10:55,760 --> 00:10:58,760 Speaker 1: list in seven but thanks to the efforts of hunters 191 00:10:58,800 --> 00:11:01,959 Speaker 1: and conservationists, the species became one of the first success 192 00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:06,240 Speaker 1: stories of the Endangered Species Act. Today, gator populations have 193 00:11:06,400 --> 00:11:09,120 Speaker 1: recovered to the point that states throughout the southeast, including 194 00:11:09,200 --> 00:11:13,000 Speaker 1: Texas and North Carolina, offer hunting tags. So, if you 195 00:11:13,040 --> 00:11:15,880 Speaker 1: ask me, those two gator poachers deserve whatever they have 196 00:11:16,080 --> 00:11:23,400 Speaker 1: coming to them. Moving on, Utah Representative sieg Miller wasn't 197 00:11:23,440 --> 00:11:26,000 Speaker 1: the only politician who found himself in hot water this 198 00:11:26,120 --> 00:11:30,280 Speaker 1: week after a hunting related incident in Illinois, congressional candidate 199 00:11:30,400 --> 00:11:33,480 Speaker 1: named Jesse Rising got called out by local media for 200 00:11:33,640 --> 00:11:37,640 Speaker 1: faking a hunting scene in a recent campaign video. Recing 201 00:11:37,840 --> 00:11:40,640 Speaker 1: holds degrees from both Yale and Harvard Law School and 202 00:11:40,760 --> 00:11:43,440 Speaker 1: worked as a lawyer for a high powered corporate law firm. 203 00:11:43,920 --> 00:11:47,280 Speaker 1: Now he's running for Congress in Illinois thirteenth District, and 204 00:11:47,360 --> 00:11:50,040 Speaker 1: he's doing his very very best to appear to voters 205 00:11:50,240 --> 00:11:53,199 Speaker 1: like anything but an Ivy League educated, hot shot lawyer. 206 00:11:53,760 --> 00:11:56,880 Speaker 1: In his most recent campaign video, Recing can be seen 207 00:11:56,960 --> 00:11:59,800 Speaker 1: decked out in camo and hunter's orange while holding a shotgun. 208 00:12:00,440 --> 00:12:03,800 Speaker 1: Elsewhere on his campaign website, he proclaims his support for 209 00:12:03,880 --> 00:12:06,760 Speaker 1: the Second Amendment using an image from the same photo shoot. 210 00:12:07,160 --> 00:12:10,079 Speaker 1: And that's exactly what this hunt turned out to be. 211 00:12:10,679 --> 00:12:14,360 Speaker 1: A photo shoot. In a stunning display of journalistic ingenuity. 212 00:12:14,600 --> 00:12:17,800 Speaker 1: Local reporters sent a Freedom of Information Act request at 213 00:12:17,840 --> 00:12:20,320 Speaker 1: the Illinois d n R. They wanted to know whether 214 00:12:20,400 --> 00:12:23,280 Speaker 1: Reesing possessed a current hunting license in the state. The 215 00:12:23,360 --> 00:12:25,920 Speaker 1: d n R said that Reesing doesn't have a hunting license, 216 00:12:26,160 --> 00:12:29,000 Speaker 1: and when asked about his contradiction, Reesing admitted that he 217 00:12:29,080 --> 00:12:32,480 Speaker 1: hadn't hunted since he was a kid. Reesing told the outlet, 218 00:12:32,880 --> 00:12:35,080 Speaker 1: we were out doing some pheasant hunting with the crew. 219 00:12:35,440 --> 00:12:38,040 Speaker 1: I didn't actually go out that day, but we got 220 00:12:38,080 --> 00:12:40,800 Speaker 1: the photos and that's what they are. This is only 221 00:12:40,880 --> 00:12:43,040 Speaker 1: making the Weekend Review because this is a fun trend 222 00:12:43,120 --> 00:12:46,280 Speaker 1: to follow. Reesing isn't the first politician to pretend to 223 00:12:46,320 --> 00:12:49,040 Speaker 1: be a dedicated hunter and a misguided attempt to appeal 224 00:12:49,120 --> 00:12:53,000 Speaker 1: to rural voters. In two thousand four, then Massachusetts Senator 225 00:12:53,120 --> 00:12:56,920 Speaker 1: John Kerry orchestrated a staged goose hunt in Ohio. Carry 226 00:12:57,040 --> 00:12:59,400 Speaker 1: also happens to be a Yale graduate, but when he 227 00:12:59,480 --> 00:13:01,719 Speaker 1: walked in to an Ohio grocery store to get a 228 00:13:01,760 --> 00:13:05,200 Speaker 1: hunting license, he reportedly said, and I'm quoting here, can 229 00:13:05,240 --> 00:13:07,720 Speaker 1: I get me a hunting license? I don't know if 230 00:13:07,760 --> 00:13:10,240 Speaker 1: he tried a rural Ohio accent as well, But in 231 00:13:10,320 --> 00:13:13,480 Speaker 1: any case, things went downhill from there. I guess it's 232 00:13:13,520 --> 00:13:16,800 Speaker 1: good that carry at least had a hunting license. And 233 00:13:16,920 --> 00:13:20,000 Speaker 1: who can forget Mitt Romney's claims of being a lifelong hunter. 234 00:13:20,520 --> 00:13:23,400 Speaker 1: Romney made the claim during a campaign stop in oh seven. 235 00:13:23,720 --> 00:13:26,719 Speaker 1: The next day, is campaign issued a statement clarifying that 236 00:13:26,840 --> 00:13:30,440 Speaker 1: the former Massachusetts governor had in fact been hunting twice. 237 00:13:31,000 --> 00:13:34,040 Speaker 1: The day after that, Romney contradicted his own campaign and 238 00:13:34,080 --> 00:13:36,920 Speaker 1: claimed to have hunted rodents and rabbits since he was 239 00:13:37,000 --> 00:13:39,520 Speaker 1: fifteen years old. But that didn't sit well with the 240 00:13:39,559 --> 00:13:43,880 Speaker 1: intrepid journalists over the Associated Press. They asked wildlife officials 241 00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:46,800 Speaker 1: whether they had records of Romney's hunting licenses in the 242 00:13:46,880 --> 00:13:50,160 Speaker 1: states he had lived. Apparently, Romney had never owned a 243 00:13:50,240 --> 00:13:54,120 Speaker 1: license in Michigan, Massachusetts, or New Hampshire, Utah. Officials said 244 00:13:54,160 --> 00:13:57,520 Speaker 1: they were not permitted to release those records. Romney claimed 245 00:13:57,520 --> 00:14:01,960 Speaker 1: he never hunted anywhere he needed a license, obviously, Um, 246 00:14:02,520 --> 00:14:06,560 Speaker 1: what do they say? Mimicry is the closest form of flattery, 247 00:14:06,720 --> 00:14:10,240 Speaker 1: something along those lines. So as a sportsman, you know, 248 00:14:10,559 --> 00:14:13,080 Speaker 1: we kind of blush when these folks try to appeal 249 00:14:13,160 --> 00:14:16,920 Speaker 1: to us. This hard. But at the same time, these 250 00:14:17,000 --> 00:14:19,720 Speaker 1: sons of guns better be representing us when they make 251 00:14:19,760 --> 00:14:22,760 Speaker 1: an into office. And often, even though they try to 252 00:14:22,880 --> 00:14:26,280 Speaker 1: represent themselves as hunters in the public eye, what they 253 00:14:26,360 --> 00:14:29,720 Speaker 1: need to do is represent hunters and hunting at the 254 00:14:29,840 --> 00:14:33,680 Speaker 1: ballot box. To give you an idea of how important 255 00:14:33,960 --> 00:14:39,040 Speaker 1: politicians think the hunting vote is. Recing the dude from 256 00:14:39,080 --> 00:14:42,880 Speaker 1: Illinois that started this article injured his neck playing football 257 00:14:42,960 --> 00:14:46,560 Speaker 1: for Yale. He recovered from that injury then founded a 258 00:14:46,640 --> 00:14:50,120 Speaker 1: nonprofit to help veterans get through college. He said he 259 00:14:50,160 --> 00:14:53,040 Speaker 1: grew up hunting, but his injury keeps him from raising 260 00:14:53,040 --> 00:14:58,600 Speaker 1: a shotgun. Hunters, like most folks, appreciate authenticity. If politicians 261 00:14:58,720 --> 00:15:01,920 Speaker 1: want to appeal to the in community, running out, buying 262 00:15:01,960 --> 00:15:04,040 Speaker 1: some orange and holding up a shotgun isn't the way 263 00:15:04,120 --> 00:15:08,200 Speaker 1: to do it. Again, be receptive when hunters pick up 264 00:15:08,240 --> 00:15:12,560 Speaker 1: the phone or email you and ask you to represent 265 00:15:12,880 --> 00:15:16,560 Speaker 1: hunters and hunting by doing your job at the legislature 266 00:15:16,880 --> 00:15:19,880 Speaker 1: or state house or whatever level of government you're in. 267 00:15:21,320 --> 00:15:26,400 Speaker 1: Moving on to the turtle desk, it seems politicians aren't 268 00:15:26,440 --> 00:15:30,400 Speaker 1: the only clueless critters wandering aimlessly across the universe. According 269 00:15:30,480 --> 00:15:33,120 Speaker 1: to a new study hawks bill sea turtles don't really 270 00:15:33,200 --> 00:15:36,520 Speaker 1: know where they're going. A team of scientists use GPS 271 00:15:36,560 --> 00:15:39,200 Speaker 1: technology to track twenty two of these turtles along their 272 00:15:39,280 --> 00:15:42,240 Speaker 1: route from the nesting grounds in the Chagos Archipelago to 273 00:15:42,400 --> 00:15:46,240 Speaker 1: foraging sites elsewhere in the Indian Ocean. The turtles eventually 274 00:15:46,320 --> 00:15:49,520 Speaker 1: reached their final destination, but they didn't exactly take the 275 00:15:49,600 --> 00:15:53,200 Speaker 1: shortest route. The team watched as turtles traveled along paths 276 00:15:53,320 --> 00:15:57,440 Speaker 1: the study described as circuitous. According to the Old Thesaurus, 277 00:15:57,720 --> 00:16:03,240 Speaker 1: synonyms for circuitous include roundabout, indirect winding, and meandering. The 278 00:16:03,320 --> 00:16:05,840 Speaker 1: straight line distance to the foraging sites was about one 279 00:16:05,920 --> 00:16:10,320 Speaker 1: hundred and seventy six kilometers. Most turtles traveled twice that distance, 280 00:16:10,520 --> 00:16:13,040 Speaker 1: and one poor turtle traveled one thousand, three hundred and 281 00:16:13,120 --> 00:16:16,760 Speaker 1: six kilometers, over seven times the distance, before winding up 282 00:16:16,800 --> 00:16:19,520 Speaker 1: where it wanted to be. But don't judge these hawk 283 00:16:19,600 --> 00:16:22,520 Speaker 1: bills too harshly. If I stuck you on a tiny 284 00:16:22,640 --> 00:16:25,000 Speaker 1: archipelago in the Indian Ocean and ask you to find 285 00:16:25,040 --> 00:16:28,040 Speaker 1: another group of tiny islands somewhere to the west, you'd 286 00:16:28,080 --> 00:16:31,760 Speaker 1: have a hard time to Sea turtles famously travel thousands 287 00:16:31,800 --> 00:16:34,120 Speaker 1: of miles in the open ocean from their nesting grounds 288 00:16:34,160 --> 00:16:37,200 Speaker 1: to their feeding grounds and back. Scientists believe they do 289 00:16:37,320 --> 00:16:40,160 Speaker 1: this by imprinting on the magnetic field of their birth 290 00:16:40,240 --> 00:16:44,120 Speaker 1: area and navigating based on changes in the Earth's magnetic field. 291 00:16:44,600 --> 00:16:47,800 Speaker 1: Green turtles, for example, have been tracked traveling from that 292 00:16:47,920 --> 00:16:51,760 Speaker 1: same archipelago to the mainland of Africa, almost five thousand 293 00:16:51,840 --> 00:16:55,960 Speaker 1: kilometers away. It's an amazing ability, but this study suggests 294 00:16:56,080 --> 00:16:59,760 Speaker 1: that their GPS system isn't what you'd call precise. It's 295 00:16:59,800 --> 00:17:02,680 Speaker 1: one thing to hit a continent the size of Africa, 296 00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:05,480 Speaker 1: it's another thing to find a tiny island in the 297 00:17:05,520 --> 00:17:08,560 Speaker 1: middle of the ocean. The researchers on this study believe 298 00:17:08,600 --> 00:17:11,640 Speaker 1: that the turtles navigation system can tell them when they've 299 00:17:11,680 --> 00:17:14,520 Speaker 1: gone way off course, but their margin of error can 300 00:17:14,560 --> 00:17:18,160 Speaker 1: be several hundred kilometers. Once they finally get close enough 301 00:17:18,200 --> 00:17:20,600 Speaker 1: to an island, they can smell it or look for 302 00:17:20,760 --> 00:17:24,399 Speaker 1: landmarks they recognize. Hawksbill turtles can be found in the 303 00:17:24,480 --> 00:17:28,280 Speaker 1: tropical and subtropical waters of all the world's major oceans, 304 00:17:28,600 --> 00:17:31,440 Speaker 1: but in the US waters they were listed as endangered 305 00:17:31,520 --> 00:17:35,080 Speaker 1: under the Endangered Species Act in vent They face threats 306 00:17:35,119 --> 00:17:38,280 Speaker 1: from fishing by catch and habitat degradation, but they're most 307 00:17:38,359 --> 00:17:42,399 Speaker 1: threatened by illegal poaching. Their beautiful shell is prized by 308 00:17:42,480 --> 00:17:47,119 Speaker 1: craftspeople to create jewelry and trinkets, and this poaching is 309 00:17:47,240 --> 00:17:51,119 Speaker 1: largely what nearly drove the species to extinction. So the 310 00:17:51,200 --> 00:17:53,359 Speaker 1: next time you feel a little lost in an unfamiliar 311 00:17:53,440 --> 00:17:55,920 Speaker 1: part of the world, be glad you aren't wandering through 312 00:17:55,960 --> 00:17:58,639 Speaker 1: millions of miles of open ocean trying to keep your 313 00:17:58,640 --> 00:18:02,880 Speaker 1: species from going extinct. Little perspective for you. On top 314 00:18:02,920 --> 00:18:06,120 Speaker 1: of that, if you know anyone who lives on an 315 00:18:06,160 --> 00:18:09,399 Speaker 1: island and you've ever tried to, let's say, plan a 316 00:18:09,480 --> 00:18:13,320 Speaker 1: trip with those people, this could be the same affliction 317 00:18:13,840 --> 00:18:19,280 Speaker 1: the whole island time phenomenon. Perhaps human islanders run off 318 00:18:19,359 --> 00:18:22,240 Speaker 1: of the Earth's magnetic field as well, and also have 319 00:18:22,359 --> 00:18:26,680 Speaker 1: a giant margin of error those two things aside. Once again, 320 00:18:27,080 --> 00:18:30,760 Speaker 1: if you find a beautiful exotic trinket on the Internet 321 00:18:31,160 --> 00:18:34,920 Speaker 1: or in some hobby shop booth somewhere, maybe think twice 322 00:18:34,920 --> 00:18:38,600 Speaker 1: about buying it. At the very least, inquire what type 323 00:18:38,600 --> 00:18:42,720 Speaker 1: of turtle that fancy set of earrings came from. Moving 324 00:18:42,800 --> 00:18:46,679 Speaker 1: on for the first time in over a century, river 325 00:18:46,800 --> 00:18:50,240 Speaker 1: otters around the Detroit River. That's right, These furry semi 326 00:18:50,320 --> 00:18:53,840 Speaker 1: aquatic mammals have moved back to Motown. The biologists say 327 00:18:53,880 --> 00:18:56,560 Speaker 1: it's a great sign for the overall health of the ecosystem. 328 00:18:56,920 --> 00:18:59,480 Speaker 1: River otters were extirpated from the Detroit River in the 329 00:18:59,600 --> 00:19:03,040 Speaker 1: nineteen century thanks to development, the fur trade, and river pollution. 330 00:19:03,480 --> 00:19:06,959 Speaker 1: Monroe County historian Gerald P. Wikes told Great Lakes Now 331 00:19:07,200 --> 00:19:09,399 Speaker 1: that he can't find any record of otters in the 332 00:19:09,480 --> 00:19:13,440 Speaker 1: area pass that early nineteen hundreds. Quick side note, Extinction 333 00:19:13,720 --> 00:19:16,440 Speaker 1: is the term used when an animal no longer exists 334 00:19:16,520 --> 00:19:20,479 Speaker 1: anywhere on Earth. Extirpation is what happens when an animal 335 00:19:20,600 --> 00:19:24,960 Speaker 1: no longer exists in a particular area. For example, house 336 00:19:25,080 --> 00:19:28,760 Speaker 1: mice may never be extinct, but with a cleverly laid 337 00:19:28,840 --> 00:19:32,240 Speaker 1: trap line, you may be able to extirpate them from 338 00:19:32,320 --> 00:19:35,680 Speaker 1: the walls of your apartment. River otters started making a 339 00:19:35,760 --> 00:19:38,159 Speaker 1: comeback in the Detroit area in the nineteen eighties when 340 00:19:38,200 --> 00:19:41,560 Speaker 1: the Ohio Department of Natural Resources reintroduced otters to rivers 341 00:19:41,600 --> 00:19:45,320 Speaker 1: and streams in eastern Ohio. Those populations slowly moved west, 342 00:19:45,480 --> 00:19:47,680 Speaker 1: and by the early two thousands they could be found 343 00:19:47,720 --> 00:19:51,000 Speaker 1: near Toledo. If you're a little fuzzy on your Midwest geography. 344 00:19:51,080 --> 00:19:54,359 Speaker 1: Toledo is only about sixty miles south of Detroit. The 345 00:19:54,520 --> 00:19:58,280 Speaker 1: Michigan Department of Natural Resources fur bearer specialist Adam Bump 346 00:19:58,480 --> 00:20:01,040 Speaker 1: told the Detroit News that otters are known for being 347 00:20:01,080 --> 00:20:04,879 Speaker 1: playful because there's such damn good hunters with web feet 348 00:20:04,960 --> 00:20:08,040 Speaker 1: and a sleek, streamlined body. Otters are tailor made to 349 00:20:08,080 --> 00:20:11,480 Speaker 1: hunt fish, crayfish, and other aquatic critters. They're so good, 350 00:20:11,680 --> 00:20:14,399 Speaker 1: in fact, that unlike many other wild animals, they have 351 00:20:14,560 --> 00:20:17,159 Speaker 1: enough free time to mess around. It's kind of like 352 00:20:17,280 --> 00:20:20,360 Speaker 1: tagging out on opening day of archery in Idaho. Tag 353 00:20:20,520 --> 00:20:22,840 Speaker 1: less on August thirty one puts the in front of 354 00:20:22,880 --> 00:20:25,280 Speaker 1: college football down at the bar. Get to see how 355 00:20:25,359 --> 00:20:30,920 Speaker 1: the other half lives. Moving on. A few weeks ago, 356 00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:33,680 Speaker 1: I mentioned a lawsuit being brought by a group of 357 00:20:33,840 --> 00:20:38,879 Speaker 1: Montana landowners against the state's wildlife management officials. Today I 358 00:20:39,000 --> 00:20:42,240 Speaker 1: have more assorted details. Trust me, this is going to 359 00:20:42,280 --> 00:20:45,399 Speaker 1: be an ongoing segment. The suit is being brought by 360 00:20:45,440 --> 00:20:49,480 Speaker 1: an outfit called United Property Owners of Montana or you Palm. 361 00:20:49,920 --> 00:20:53,200 Speaker 1: They're calling on Montana's wildlife management bodies to kill or 362 00:20:53,320 --> 00:20:57,480 Speaker 1: relocate fifty elk, mostly in the eastern portions of the state. 363 00:20:57,960 --> 00:21:00,800 Speaker 1: This is a relatively small group of land owners, judging 364 00:21:00,840 --> 00:21:04,360 Speaker 1: by their most recent tax filings, but the lawsuit has 365 00:21:04,400 --> 00:21:07,920 Speaker 1: garnered lots of media attention. In the suit, you Palm 366 00:21:08,240 --> 00:21:10,720 Speaker 1: argues that the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission and the 367 00:21:10,760 --> 00:21:14,440 Speaker 1: Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks are legally obligated 368 00:21:14,480 --> 00:21:18,120 Speaker 1: to reduce elk herds to population objectives. While some elk 369 00:21:18,160 --> 00:21:21,600 Speaker 1: management units have too few elk, you Palm claims that 370 00:21:21,720 --> 00:21:25,520 Speaker 1: fifty nine of the nine units are overpopulated. They want 371 00:21:25,600 --> 00:21:28,120 Speaker 1: these elk herds called because they claim that the elk 372 00:21:28,200 --> 00:21:32,320 Speaker 1: are damaging property. You Palm doesn't describe this damage in detail, 373 00:21:32,600 --> 00:21:35,239 Speaker 1: but that's sort of besides the point. They base their 374 00:21:35,320 --> 00:21:37,760 Speaker 1: argument on a portion of Montana law passed in two 375 00:21:37,800 --> 00:21:40,960 Speaker 1: thousand three that requires the Fish and Wildlife Commission to 376 00:21:41,040 --> 00:21:44,159 Speaker 1: set population limits and then aim for those limits when 377 00:21:44,240 --> 00:21:47,800 Speaker 1: setting harvest and permit regulations. They're asking the court to 378 00:21:47,840 --> 00:21:50,359 Speaker 1: give the Commission and the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks 379 00:21:50,680 --> 00:21:53,800 Speaker 1: ninety days to develop a plan to remove, harvest, or 380 00:21:53,880 --> 00:21:58,200 Speaker 1: eliminate fifty elk as quickly as possible. For some perspective, 381 00:21:58,359 --> 00:22:00,359 Speaker 1: the total elk herd in the state is about one 382 00:22:00,880 --> 00:22:04,240 Speaker 1: forty animals. This isn't the first time that landowners have 383 00:22:04,440 --> 00:22:07,359 Speaker 1: raised this issue. When they do the Montana Fish, Wildlife 384 00:22:07,400 --> 00:22:10,640 Speaker 1: and Parks is a pretty simple solution. Let public land 385 00:22:10,760 --> 00:22:14,240 Speaker 1: hunters solve the problem. Rather than spend millions of taxpayer 386 00:22:14,320 --> 00:22:19,000 Speaker 1: dollars killing or relocating elk, state wildlife officials encourage landowners 387 00:22:19,119 --> 00:22:21,720 Speaker 1: to simply allow the public to hunt on their property. 388 00:22:22,200 --> 00:22:24,359 Speaker 1: You Palm admits that this has been the advice of 389 00:22:24,440 --> 00:22:27,000 Speaker 1: wildlife officials, but they make it sound like they're being 390 00:22:27,080 --> 00:22:30,639 Speaker 1: held hostage. They accused the Commission and f w P 391 00:22:31,040 --> 00:22:33,960 Speaker 1: of refusing to help them unless they allow public hunting. 392 00:22:34,320 --> 00:22:37,080 Speaker 1: But in their own lawsuit, you Palm cites a portion 393 00:22:37,160 --> 00:22:40,399 Speaker 1: of Montana code that says a landowner may only destroy 394 00:22:40,520 --> 00:22:46,960 Speaker 1: elk causing property damage after the landowner allows unrestricted public hunting. Unsurprisingly, 395 00:22:47,200 --> 00:22:51,119 Speaker 1: they argue that this law is unconstitutional. In case you 396 00:22:51,240 --> 00:22:54,679 Speaker 1: needed any more evidence of u Palm's biases, here's how 397 00:22:54,840 --> 00:22:59,960 Speaker 1: they characterize public land hunters. Quote. When defendants say public hunt, 398 00:23:00,080 --> 00:23:03,480 Speaker 1: than they require landowners to throw their property wide open 399 00:23:03,560 --> 00:23:07,680 Speaker 1: to strangers, including dangerous and reckless hunters or people with 400 00:23:07,760 --> 00:23:12,680 Speaker 1: a reputation for damaging private property. End quote. Last I checked, 401 00:23:12,880 --> 00:23:15,959 Speaker 1: there are a lot of laws on the books prohibiting 402 00:23:16,040 --> 00:23:20,240 Speaker 1: reckless hunting, and if anyone damages property, landowners can call 403 00:23:20,320 --> 00:23:24,160 Speaker 1: the police. Believe it or not, the lawsuit goes downhill 404 00:23:24,280 --> 00:23:27,520 Speaker 1: from here. In addition to forcing Montana Wildlife officials to 405 00:23:27,640 --> 00:23:30,920 Speaker 1: kill fifty elk, you Palm also asked the court to 406 00:23:30,960 --> 00:23:34,480 Speaker 1: strike down to other laws they don't like. First, they 407 00:23:34,560 --> 00:23:37,600 Speaker 1: want the court to revert all wildlife policy to the 408 00:23:37,720 --> 00:23:41,520 Speaker 1: state legislature. Montana log gives the Fish and Game Commission 409 00:23:41,560 --> 00:23:44,840 Speaker 1: the authority to manage wildlife, but you Palm believes that 410 00:23:45,040 --> 00:23:48,320 Speaker 1: only the legislature may set policy for the state of Montana, 411 00:23:48,760 --> 00:23:53,840 Speaker 1: and the statute represents an unconstitutional delegation of the legislative 412 00:23:53,880 --> 00:23:57,600 Speaker 1: power to the Commission. In other words, rather than letting 413 00:23:57,680 --> 00:24:02,119 Speaker 1: scientists and biologists manage wildlife populations, they want politicians in 414 00:24:02,160 --> 00:24:06,280 Speaker 1: the legislature making those decisions. You Palm also doesn't like 415 00:24:06,400 --> 00:24:09,160 Speaker 1: that the Fish and Game Commission is required to encourage 416 00:24:09,200 --> 00:24:12,680 Speaker 1: sport hunting when crafting their policies. They argue that the 417 00:24:12,800 --> 00:24:16,439 Speaker 1: legislature has never given the Commission permission to encourage sport hunting, 418 00:24:16,600 --> 00:24:19,200 Speaker 1: and they want the court to declare that the Commission 419 00:24:19,280 --> 00:24:23,400 Speaker 1: may no longer consider this factor when setting elk management regulations. 420 00:24:23,880 --> 00:24:28,000 Speaker 1: If successful, this lawsuit would up end Montana's well established 421 00:24:28,000 --> 00:24:31,879 Speaker 1: wildlife management model. As in most states, the legislature has 422 00:24:31,920 --> 00:24:36,000 Speaker 1: given wildlife agencies and commissions the authority to manage game species. 423 00:24:36,440 --> 00:24:39,720 Speaker 1: These biologists are supposed to make decisions based on science, 424 00:24:39,880 --> 00:24:42,600 Speaker 1: and they have the flexibility to respond to complex and 425 00:24:42,720 --> 00:24:46,600 Speaker 1: evolving ecosystems. If the elk herd is in trouble, we 426 00:24:46,720 --> 00:24:49,760 Speaker 1: can't rely on political animals to make good decisions for 427 00:24:49,840 --> 00:24:52,920 Speaker 1: the health of that resource in a timely manner. If 428 00:24:52,960 --> 00:24:57,119 Speaker 1: you follow politics at all, I'm sure you know why. Unfortunately, 429 00:24:57,400 --> 00:25:00,440 Speaker 1: Montana isn't the only state in this con stent tug 430 00:25:00,520 --> 00:25:04,800 Speaker 1: of war between the legislature and wildlife departments. In Michigan, 431 00:25:04,880 --> 00:25:08,520 Speaker 1: for example, HB five seven four zero would create a 432 00:25:08,640 --> 00:25:12,400 Speaker 1: new seven day license option for seniors. HP five nine 433 00:25:12,480 --> 00:25:15,240 Speaker 1: zero two would legalize the use of single bite bait 434 00:25:15,359 --> 00:25:17,639 Speaker 1: for deer and elk hunting. You don't have to have 435 00:25:17,720 --> 00:25:20,159 Speaker 1: an opinion on either of those proposals to know that 436 00:25:20,280 --> 00:25:23,560 Speaker 1: these sorts of policy changes are best left to Michigan's 437 00:25:23,640 --> 00:25:27,440 Speaker 1: Natural Resource Commission. I don't know what's motivating the sponsor 438 00:25:27,520 --> 00:25:30,480 Speaker 1: of those two bills, but I'm skeptical that its sounds science. 439 00:25:31,119 --> 00:25:33,600 Speaker 1: Thank you to listener Rafe Petty for sending that one in. 440 00:25:35,480 --> 00:25:39,000 Speaker 1: In Pennsylvania, the legislature kept the States Game Commission from 441 00:25:39,040 --> 00:25:41,960 Speaker 1: tweaking seasons and bag limits for two thousand twenty two 442 00:25:42,000 --> 00:25:45,040 Speaker 1: and two thousand twenty three. The General Assembly passed a 443 00:25:45,119 --> 00:25:47,960 Speaker 1: bill adding a ninth commissioner, but the Senate failed to 444 00:25:48,000 --> 00:25:51,040 Speaker 1: fill enough vacancies on the commission to reach a quorum. 445 00:25:51,359 --> 00:25:54,320 Speaker 1: Without a quorum, the Commission couldn't legally meet, so they 446 00:25:54,400 --> 00:25:57,280 Speaker 1: had to adopt last year's seasons and bag limits for 447 00:25:57,400 --> 00:26:00,760 Speaker 1: this year's hunting season. Thanks to listener Tracy Held for 448 00:26:00,840 --> 00:26:04,920 Speaker 1: calling that to our attention. In two thousand twenty one, 449 00:26:05,119 --> 00:26:08,879 Speaker 1: the Idaho legislature infamously passed a bill aimed at decreasing 450 00:26:08,920 --> 00:26:11,640 Speaker 1: the wolf population. The bill allowed hunters to use any 451 00:26:11,720 --> 00:26:15,680 Speaker 1: means of take to target wolves, including baiting, night vision scopes, snares, 452 00:26:15,800 --> 00:26:18,400 Speaker 1: and poison, and also removed the limit on the number 453 00:26:18,440 --> 00:26:20,520 Speaker 1: of wolf tags that could be purchased in the state. 454 00:26:20,960 --> 00:26:23,920 Speaker 1: It was promoted by the Agriculture and Livestock Community, but 455 00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:26,480 Speaker 1: opposed by the Idaho Department of Fishing, Game and Phishing 456 00:26:26,520 --> 00:26:29,640 Speaker 1: Game Commission. They said that while they shared the legislature's 457 00:26:29,680 --> 00:26:32,560 Speaker 1: desire to lower the wolf population, they objected to the 458 00:26:32,720 --> 00:26:36,240 Speaker 1: legislature setting seasons and means of take. I could go on, 459 00:26:36,760 --> 00:26:40,880 Speaker 1: but you get the idea. When legislatures start setting wildlife regulations, 460 00:26:41,119 --> 00:26:44,600 Speaker 1: you start seeing policies aimed at pleasing special interest groups. 461 00:26:45,000 --> 00:26:48,320 Speaker 1: Wildlife departments and commissions aren't perfect, but they're in the 462 00:26:48,440 --> 00:26:52,080 Speaker 1: best position to manage the resources we all share. If 463 00:26:52,119 --> 00:26:54,760 Speaker 1: you want to help fight this lawsuit, support one of 464 00:26:54,840 --> 00:26:59,000 Speaker 1: the organizations in the coalition that is opposing it. These 465 00:26:59,119 --> 00:27:02,520 Speaker 1: include the Montana Chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, hell 466 00:27:02,600 --> 00:27:05,800 Speaker 1: Gate Hunters and Anglers, Helena Hunters and Anglers, Public Land 467 00:27:05,840 --> 00:27:10,520 Speaker 1: Water Access Association, and the Montana Bow Hunters Association. Please 468 00:27:10,640 --> 00:27:15,960 Speaker 1: stand up and support the proper management of wildlife. That's 469 00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:17,879 Speaker 1: all I've got for you this week. Thank you so 470 00:27:18,040 --> 00:27:20,840 Speaker 1: much for listening. As per usual, I want to know 471 00:27:20,920 --> 00:27:22,840 Speaker 1: what's going on in your neck the woods, so please 472 00:27:23,000 --> 00:27:25,760 Speaker 1: right in to a s k C a L that's 473 00:27:25,840 --> 00:27:29,359 Speaker 1: asked cal at the Meat Eater Dot com. And as 474 00:27:29,440 --> 00:27:33,000 Speaker 1: we head into a rainy, snowy Memorial Day weekend here 475 00:27:33,000 --> 00:27:35,040 Speaker 1: in Montana, you may think that you want to just 476 00:27:35,119 --> 00:27:37,560 Speaker 1: stick around home and work on the old farm step. 477 00:27:38,119 --> 00:27:41,880 Speaker 1: If so, go to www. Dot steel Dealers dot com 478 00:27:42,160 --> 00:27:45,360 Speaker 1: and find a local, knowledgeable steel dealer near you. They're 479 00:27:45,400 --> 00:27:46,920 Speaker 1: gonna get you set up with what you need and 480 00:27:46,960 --> 00:27:49,520 Speaker 1: they won't send you home with what you don't. Thanks again, 481 00:27:49,560 --> 00:27:50,600 Speaker 1: and I'll talk to you next week.