An Outdoorsman’s Journal – 2-9-2016

by Mark Walters

An Outdoorsman’s Thought

Hello friends,

I am about to write a column that is based on my beliefs, which have come from 26-years of spending one heck of a lot of time in Wisconsin’s great outdoors. What I am about to write will seem controversial but is fact based and though it may be the cause of some upcoming stress in my life, I am proud that I have the spine to touch on these subjects.

I heard a couple days ago that three more of the 23 elk, that were released last summer in Jackson County, were killed by wolves in January. As of February 1st there are 17-elk left in the Jackson County Forest.

Back in the early 90’s I spent time with Adrian Wydeven in the Park Falls area. Adrian was the WDNR’s top man on Wisconsin’s wolf recovery program. I have the utmost respect for Adrian and, at the time, I observed some really awesome work in the forests and marshes and he taught me a lot about the grey wolf, about what it would take for them to recover to a sustainable population throughout what was considered wolf habitat.

I was 100-percent for the return of this majestic animal. Fast-forward at least 20-years to this week. A technicality ended Wisconsin’s three wolf hunting and trapping seasons and put the grey wolf back on the Endangered List.

Folks, this column appears in 63-papers every week in Wisconsin. I have thousands of friends because of this job. The communication is simply overwhelming but on the other hand really cool from my outdoor brothers and sisters.

Landowners throughout wolf territory, especially those that enjoy hunting whitetail deer are simply sick of a terrorist, whose population is left unchecked in their forest, that gets to kill the deer on the property that they paid for and then pay annual property taxes on.

No one is saying that wolf should not be allowed to exist in Wisconsin, but the lack of a legal way to manage the wolf population is a sham, a lie as we used to call it in the military, disinformation.

Good people are trying to get a managed harvest back. It is disinformation to say that the grey wolf is not thriving in Wisconsin. I challenge anyone against a managed harvest to spend three days in the bush with me and tell me that wolf numbers are down.

TRIBAL NIGHT HUNTING for whitetail deer became legal this past fall and can take place on public land in the Ceded Territory. The last season ran from November 1st until January 4th.

Deer recovery, safety and shooting does where wolves and hard winters made it illegal for most hunters to harvest does are all big on my list of this ridiculously poor decision by Federal Judge Barbara Crabb.

I lived in northern Wisconsin for years and now live in northern Juneau County. When my neighbors or myself hear a shot at night we think poacher.

Barbara Crabb is the same judge that ruled back in the 80’s on spearfishing for walleye. Over 20-years ago I did a column on this subject observing two spear fishermen while in their boat. I had an agreement with the WDNR and the Lac du Flambeau tribe that I would remain unbiased and I kept that agreement. About all I can say on that subject is that treaty was signed in 1854. Killing walleye on the spawning bed, with a spotlight and trolling motor is whole lot different then spearing them out of a canoe with a torch.

Hillary Clinton has a very good chance of becoming the Democratic nominee for President. I have been listening to her speeches on gun control. Today, I looked up some of her proposals on gun control. In just about every speech she is talking about making it legal to sue gun manufacturers when a firearm is used in a criminal offense.

My friends, most people are not paying attention to this part of the gun control conversation. We are all thinking it will end with background checks and help in the mental health area.

When Remington or Colt are sued because someone used one of their “tools” to rob a store or shoot someone they will eventually be put out of business and the anti-gun lobby will not have to do a thing about the 2nd Amendment.

In every speech, where I am hearing about the statistics on gun violence, half of the numbers displayed are adding suicide. Take away the three major cities where half of our actual gun violence takes place and the anti-gun story is greatly reduced.

Hillary Clinton talks in length about the evil NRA. Well I looked up the NRA today and there are over 5 million of us in the NRA. I am a good person, I probably do more volunteering in a year then Hillary Clinton.

I know we cannot whitewash the mass shootings, just like we cannot take away Bengazi or the Clinton email story.

Just in case you are thinking that I am just portraying an anti-Democrat stance you are mistaken. I voted for Bill Clinton his first time around.

Thousands upon thousands of people read this column every week. Become informed, fact check what I just wrote and then talk to the people in your life and vote with knowledge and your conscience this spring and fall. Sunset

P.S. You see all of the commercials from lawyers trying to sue pharmaceutical companies and accident victims. If Hillary Clinton gets her way these lawyers will be on your TV screen doing her work for her and our gun rights will be gone.

THIS WEEK’S COLUMN IS SPONSORED BY: Hiawatha National Bank.