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The current north American model of hunting has been designed around a time when there were not lgrizzlies or large packs of wolves roaming the countryside.
The things we need more of are more quality hunters, more quality habitat, and more access to those areas.
More Apex predators is not one of the things we need more of.
The Model includes seven foundational principles:
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1) wildlife resources are a public trust to be managed by governments for the benefit of all citizens;
2) unregulated commercial markets for wild game that decimate wildlife populations are eliminated;
3) allocation is by law, meaning that laws are developed by citizens and enforced by government agencies to regulate the proper use and management of wildlife;
4) opportunity for all, which means that every citizen has the freedom to view, hunt and fish, regardless of social or economic status;
5) wild game populations cannot be killed casually, but only for a legitimate purpose as defined by law;
6) wildlife will be considered an international resource because wildlife migrates across political boundaries; and
7) science is the proper basis for wildlife policy and management, not opinion or conjecture, in order to sustain wildlife populations. These principles were assembled and framed as the "North American Model of Wildlife Conservation" long after they were implemented; the Model is essentially a modern description of why conservation efforts in the 20th century were so successful. These principles are important because they led to the creation of a number of mechanisms and institutions that, combined, are largely responsible for the remarkable diversity and abundance of wildlife that we have today.
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I don't see poaching as a fundamental principle here, nor for that matter anything that is anti-predator. The ESA is an important law, fundamentally I think it works well; yes I think the continuous litigation over favorite species is ridiculous. I do think that while groups like CBD have taken it too far, states + USFWS have opened them up to litigation by not following the law. If agencies would dot the I's and cross the T's we would have a much easier time delisting wolves and grizzlies.
IMHO guys who poach grizzlies are just as likely to poach elk, muleys, or sheep. They don't give a shit about the law.
Not that it matters, but I applied for a WY GB tag when they were going to have a hunt, I will apply again when hunts open in various states, and I applied in AK to hunt brown bear this fall.
1. Boone and Crocket Club
