Also from the article
"The state changed its license structure a few years ago, selling a combination hunting and fishing license. Those sales are tallied as both hunting and fishing license sales."

Plus..his opening position was on a Deer hunting survey...not total licenses sold

Or maybe 49'er made up the #'s for the sake of a 5 page discussion. Most keyboards have all the numerical keys needed....Welcome back

They are totally separate surveys.

And, there exists a VERY real possibility that NEITHER is very accurate!

Ok, so I need to check my facts

It doesn't suprise me to see there are less deer hunters. The cost of leasing land or joining a club is higher than it has ever been. Add that to the cost of fuel, the economy etc, that would give reason as to the steep decline over the last couple of years. Add that with all the QDM bullshat out there now and bam, less hunters.

I have seen a HUGE increase in duck hunters and hog hunters for some reason, though....

I stopped duck hunting because of the number of NEW duck hunters. It's gotten to the level of insanity on public waters. The new crowd has no idea about the ethics of duck hunting courtesy.

Can't believe none o' y'all have stated the real reason:

Goberment interferes, DCNR is crooked, CAB is crooked, Commissioner(s) is crooked and they've all sent the hunters down the highway toward hell in a handbasket, which is why hunters be leavin' hunting.

I would say that an easy way to explain the difference is that one accounts for all the people like me who don't EVER buy a license because we bought a lifetime license sometime in the past.The other don't? That would explain a steady decline in license sales over several years if we are not counted since every lifetime sold would be one less sold the years after and that is guaranteed.

Have you read the report to see if I made the numbers up?

Anyone with any sense can read the report for themselves and see that you are the one making stuff up, not me.

Staying up past your bed time making you cranky?

I wonder what caused the drop off in Turkey Hunting?

Turkey
2010-2011 ..... 61,100
2011-2012 ..... 49,600

Snipe Hunters
2010-2011 ..... 300
2011-2012 ..... 100

Oh the horror at the woodcock what will be over running the State in the near future.
2010-2011 ..... 625
2011-2012 ..... 30

2011-2012
This year, survey forms were mailed to a stratified random sample of 8,930 drawn from the 249,686 Alabama hunting licensees. Of the 8,930 survey forms mailed, 720 were returned undeliverable. A total of 3,097 completed survey forms were returned (34.7%) (37.7% of those delivered). A sample is used because it is not practical to contact all hunters each year.

2010-2011
This year, survey forms were mailed to a stratified random sample of 8,559 drawn from the 255,771 Alabama hunting licensees. Of the 8,559 survey forms mailed, 656 were returned undeliverable. A total of 3,668 completed survey forms were returned (42.9%) (46.4% of those delivered). A sample is used because it is not practical to contact all hunters each year.

I think if you read the report you will see a drop across the board in hunters/hunting.

2010-2011 Survey

2011-2012 Survey

Bottom line is that you can guess all you want on why the drop in hunters but unless you go out there and interview them on why they aren't hunting then you are just guessin in the wind.

Kudzu,


That's the best answer I've seen posted.

I don't think you will see that happen under the current administration because I don't think they really care. If it ever happens, it will probably be too late to reverse the trend.

I approached the commissioner after a CAB meeting not long after he took office to address some concerns I had. He stated, "What's that got to do with you?", then turned his back to me and walked away.

Let's change gears here and examine a couple of other reports that were published by the DCNR on their website:

Alabama Extended Deer Season Committee Report December 2011

Alabama Baiting Committee Report December 2011


These two reports showed up on the DCNR website after legislation on both topics was proposed during the legislative session of 2011. The bills that were proposed did not pass, but bills that do not pass the first year are usually brought back up for consideration the following year if there is enough public interest shown in the matters involved to warrant it. Bills proposing changes affecting both matters are currently pending in the legislature.

I asked the commissioner the names of the members of the committees involved in these "studies" and the authors of the reports of the committees. He refused to give them to me and refered my subseqent requests to his lawyer. His lawyer, William Gunter, gave me his word that no public funds were used to pay the members of theses committees, so my request did not fall under the requirements for disclosure under the Open Meetings Act.

A journalist that I wrote to for advice on this matter said he was told that some of the DCNR's biologists were involved in the studies, but they volunteered their time and were not paid.



1. Was it unreasonable for me to ask who conducted these studies that will likely be used to influence our legislators in their decisions?

2. Do you believe these two reports are accurate and reliable sources of information that were compiled as an unprejudiced guide to our legislators in making their decisions on the proposed bills before them?

If they accurately reflect the majority of the people's wishes and support nothing that is a KNOWN detriment to wildlife, I don't think there should have to be a biological reason to 'ALLOW' me to do something/anything. Laws and Regulations take away privileges and Rights.

Can you give me one good reason that it is against the Law to run dogs during Spring turkey season on your own property in the daytime?

There is only 1 reason....that is that the noise of them barking may disturb SOMEONE (not the turkeys....they will breed anyway) on another property.

But, it is the Law and I go by it. I also think it accurately represents the sentiments of the majority of turkey hunters.....not biologists.

Danny, there's a signicant reason I don't call the commissioner's rules "the law".

They are not the result of careful consideration that is given to bills that become law and are then required to be approved by our governor after going tru the long process that is outlined in our state's constitution. They are rules that have been given "the force and effect of law", some of which have no legislative or public involvement.

Our constitution forbids it, and clearly states that the result will be exactly what we now have: "a government of men and not of laws" (see: Constitution of Alabama 1901, Section 43)


The legislature did not forbid you to run your dogs during turkey season by Law. The commissioner's rule forbidding you from running your dogs during turkey season assumes powers of the legislature that he is forbidden from assuming as an agent of the executive branch of government. The commissioner's constitutional oath of office (Section 279)requires him to vow to support our constitutions. He is only authorized to enforce the laws our legislature writes.

Here's the bill that went throught the legislative process found in our constitution to become law:



Here's what the third branch of our government, the judicial branch, has said about what has happened here:



Ex parte Jones Mfg. Co., Inc., 589 So. 2d 208 - Ala: Supreme Court 1991

The commissioner is not a biologist ... he's a lawyer. He knows his rule is wrong.

i dont doult that money and a ageing population are the two biggest thing .

How about hunters dying off that were raised to actually hunt instead of sitting in a wooden box playing games and texting friends while waiting for a deer to show up to eat grass so it can be used for easy shooting? I don't imagine the new style "hunting" would be very much fun or challenging for long. I would lose interest fast if that was how I learned to hunt.

Almost as easy as using dogs.

That tells me exactly how many times you have ever actually been on organized dog drives.

NOT MANY!!!