NR Upland Seasons (LC3901)

[Ben Lamb]

Another misdirection, I've been training on wild birds for the last couple of decades. For the most part, I train on one ranch, where I have permission. If you overpressure the birds, they leave an area. That leaves me, the trainer, with no birds for my dogs to work.

Sharptails that I train on from the third week of July, until mid September, hold well for dogs, past the opening date.

None of this will change my situation, but it is largely a solution in search of a problem. It is not too much unlike blaming immigrants for all of our country's problems.

I appreciate your post, but I think it's unfair to say that these bills were solutions in search of problems. The folks who brought those bills forward saw the need, and saw it on public lands which you've said you don't utilize for this. The Legislature concurred in almost unanimous fashion on both bills.

 

[BirdManMike]

Ok, I am following. The agency can limit numbers of dogs in the future once they have an idea of numbers, etc. Makes sense. Also nice that it applies on both private and public lands, unlike 514. Reads as though the license is needed by all, but only non-residents are to be limited?

Montana's game bird season really is early. Many years, the young birds are 2/3 size with feathers still in the blood and flying rather poorly for the opener. Definitely see the appeal for non-residents to be afield in early September since its so easy.

 

[406dn]

I appreciate your post, but I think it's unfair to say that these bills were solutions in search of problems. The folks who brought those bills forward saw the need, and saw it on public lands which you've said you don't utilize for this. The Legislature concurred in almost unanimous fashion on both bills.

If you read my post, I said for the most part. I do use public land also. Earlier law changes put limits on when training on public land could occur. I don't have a big problem with the start date, but the ending date is unnecessarily early.

So, I don't train in the spring on public land, as much as before the changes.

99.9% of the population has no knowledge base concerning this activity. There are roughly a dozen resident Montanans that do this sort of thing. Everyone knows everyone. There are only a thousand or so in the country, I suspect. It is a tiny sub culture that is mostly under the radar.

It does not surprise me that it passed overwhelmingly. None of them really know anything about it, and were told it was a problem. So, they solved the problem and moved on. Pretty easy to do when so few people really get hurt by what they have done.

The world will still spin, and I respect your knowledge and efforts on wildlife's behalf. I still feel you did not need to paint the dog trainers in such a unfavorable light.

 

[BirdManMike]

One more question.

Can the dog trainers who are training large strings of dogs still train their dogs on public land the first 10 days of the season?

 

[brockel]

It was that way around here for a while. Grouse opener wasn’t busy but pheasant season was ridiculous. Now the grouse hunting is getting busy too.

And so it begins. Lots of dog box trailers rolling through town last couple days. Wife’s not loving the cocker spaniel going nuts at home because he’s hearing gunshots outside and thinks he needs to find the birds while I’m working

 

[brockel]

First pickup must not have got enough this morning because they are double dipping this evening.