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There is no doubt that it was those who hunt and fish that were entirely responsible for the saving of most of our game species in the beginning of the 20th century. Market hunters and poachers were decimating many game species in the 1800s and on into the 1900s.
In some places like Kansas, deer were so scarce that a legal deer hunting season did not begin until the 1960s! The last wild passenger pigeon was shot in Potter, Kan., by a local farmer who claimed that it was a hawk. You do know that Potter, Kan., is just up the road to the west of 7-73 Highway before you get to Atchison.
In the 1930s, hunters and the shooting sports industry urged Congress to act before it was too late for wildlife species. Congress acted by extending the life of a 10 percent tax on ammunition and firearms used for sport hunting and earmarked the funds to be distributed to the states for wildlife restoration.
In 1937, President Roosevelt signed the act, now called the Pittman-Robertson Act, for the purpose of distributing money to the states based on the number of hunting licenses they sell to pay for wildlife related programs on a 75-25 percent match.
In 1950, fishermen and the fishing sports industry convinced Congress to pass the Dingell-Johnson Act which does the same for sport fishing. The money is distributed to the states based on the number of fishing license sales.
Locally, we benefit from these programs by participating in the Kansas Communities Fisheries Assistance Program by which the state stocks catchable size fish in local lakes like Merritt and Smith Lakes on Fort Leavenworth. In this way, it is the people who fish and hunt that pay for the service so that in a sense it is a user fee and most of us who hunt and fish are very glad to do it.
Recently, the governor has let it be known that he plans to remove the Kansas policy that has allowed seniors to hunt and fish without buying a license. I am totally in favor of his policy and I suggest that you inform your representatives that you also favor this change so that Kansas can continue to participate fully in the federal programs that support and enhance hunting and fishing in Kansas.
For every person who hunts and fishes for free, they are hitting Kansas with a double whammy. First, they deny the state the license fee and second they deny the state the benefits from the federal programs that support hunting and fishing. Sportsmen fought hard in the early part of the last century to pay their own way and we need to continue to do so. Seniors should not feel an entitlement to a federal program. I have no doubt that the license fee is the least cost in hunting and fishing. Persons who claim that they cannot afford the license should not be able to afford a box of shells or to buy a fishing pole, let alone a season of bait, or even the fuel costs to get to the field and back.
Please let your state representatives know that you support the concept of every sportsman paying their full share so that all Kansas sportsmen can continue to enjoy the sport. Some facts for this article were taken from the most recent Kansas Wildlife Federation newsletter.
Matt Nowak lives in Lansing and works as a natural resources manager.
There is no doubt that it was those who hunt and fish that were entirely responsible for the saving of most of our game species in the beginning of the 20th century. Market hunters and poachers were decimating many game species in the 1800s and on into the 1900s.
In some places like Kansas, deer were so scarce that a legal deer hunting season did not begin until the 1960s! The last wild passenger pigeon was shot in Potter, Kan., by a local farmer who claimed that it was a hawk. You do know that Potter, Kan., is just up the road to the west of 7-73 Highway before you get to Atchison.
In the 1930s, hunters and the shooting sports industry urged Congress to act before it was too late for wildlife species. Congress acted by extending the life of a 10 percent tax on ammunition and firearms used for sport hunting and earmarked the funds to be distributed to the states for wildlife restoration.
In 1937, President Roosevelt signed the act, now called the Pittman-Robertson Act, for the purpose of distributing money to the states based on the number of hunting licenses they sell to pay for wildlife related programs on a 75-25 percent match.
In 1950, fishermen and the fishing sports industry convinced Congress to pass the Dingell-Johnson Act which does the same for sport fishing. The money is distributed to the states based on the number of fishing license sales.
Locally, we benefit from these programs by participating in the Kansas Communities Fisheries Assistance Program by which the state stocks catchable size fish in local lakes like Merritt and Smith Lakes on Fort Leavenworth. In this way, it is the people who fish and hunt that pay for the service so that in a sense it is a user fee and most of us who hunt and fish are very glad to do it.
Recently, the governor has let it be known that he plans to remove the Kansas policy that has allowed seniors to hunt and fish without buying a license. I am totally in favor of his policy and I suggest that you inform your representatives that you also favor this change so that Kansas can continue to participate fully in the federal programs that support and enhance hunting and fishing in Kansas.
For every person who hunts and fishes for free, they are hitting Kansas with a double whammy. First, they deny the state the license fee and second they deny the state the benefits from the federal programs that support hunting and fishing. Sportsmen fought hard in the early part of the last century to pay their own way and we need to continue to do so. Seniors should not feel an entitlement to a federal program. I have no doubt that the license fee is the least cost in hunting and fishing. Persons who claim that they cannot afford the license should not be able to afford a box of shells or to buy a fishing pole, let alone a season of bait, or even the fuel costs to get to the field and back.
Please let your state representatives know that you support the concept of every sportsman paying their full share so that all Kansas sportsmen can continue to enjoy the sport. Some facts for this article were taken from the most recent Kansas Wildlife Federation newsletter.
Matt Nowak lives in Lansing and works as a natural resources manager.
