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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Hunters Reap Benefits Of Management

Rich Landers Staff Writer

From hunters pursuing elk at the tree line of the Rocky Mountains to those hunting marsh hens in Southeast coastal swamps, this season is shaping up as one of best in recent history.

“The season,” is a loosely applied term for that time of year when hunters take to the woods and fields, usually from fall through winter.

The rest of the year is for planning and preparation for the season.

There are bumper crops of waterfowl, upland birds, small game, turkeys and big game, according to the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, a Washington-based association of state, provincial and federal game management agencies from the United States and Canada.

The reason for the bounty of wildlife is good weather combined with nearly 60 years of professional game management paid for by hunters, the group said.

The Newton, Conn.-based National Shooting Sports Foundation agreed.

“I think the most overlooked wildlife and sportfishing restoration programs are those by the federal government,” NSSF spokesman Chris Chaffin said. “I don’t think many people really understand how much of the work those programs are responsible for.”

Under the two principal programs, known as the Dingell-Johnson program and the Pitman Robertson program, hunters and fishermen pay federal taxes on their hunting and fishing gear. Washington then sends the money to the states on a matching funds basis for projects to enhance habitat and improve hunting, fishing and boating opportunities for the public.

A third version of the program, which seeks to collect taxes on equipment used by birdwatchers and other nonconsumptive users, is working its way through Congress. The idea is to collect money for programs to help nongame animals, such as songbirds.

In addition, private groups such as Ducks Unlimited, Quail Unlimited and the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep have raised millions of dollars for their programs.

Here is the shooting sports foundation’s assessment of this fall’s hunting opportunities:

Waterfowl: Expect one of the best fall migrations in 20 years thanks to good weather, private contributions to restore and improve wetlands and the federal Conservation Reserve Program, which provided millions of acres of nesting habitat.

Pheasant-Grouse: A banner year for all upland game birds, due in large part to CRP. “Game bird populations, especially pheasants have doubled, tripled and quadrupled in some areas since the start of CRP,” said Joe Duggan of Pheasants Forever.

Turkey: The population is 4.2 million birds, up from 1.3 million in 1973 when the National Wild Turkey Federation formed and began financing restocking programs, said NWTF’s Robert Abernathy. Thirty-eight states have fall seaons, and hunting should be excellent. There are spring or fall seasons in 49 states.

White-tailed Deer: Herds in 40 states are increasing or stable, and in other states they are being trimmed because there are too many deer. Seasons are long and bag limits are liberal, up to one buck a day in some Southern states.

Elk: The population of this huge North American deer has doubled since 1975, according to Tom Toman of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. There now are herds in 24 states and five Canadian provinces. Hunting is the best this century.

Pronghorn: Several hard winters have hurt the populations in Wyoming and a few other states, but the animals are recovering under conservative management - meaning shorter seasons and smaller bag limits.

, DataTimes