Compromise?

[Chucker]

After reading the post on trapperman about Dave Hastings editorial I started thinking about what he said here:

we, more and more often, find people in decision-making positions who feel that one must strike a compromise with the intruding camel. Lord help us all if we have completely lost our sense of right and wrong in a spirit of compromise and camaraderie.

How very true this is..Even when we win we lose....
Take Minnesota and Maine for example..We seem to have won the lawsuits there (at least for now)at least trappers can still trap in the lynx areas,,But to do that WE had to compromise....

Now im not saying it was not a wise thing to do, but we still lost a little in both states,Even though we won we paid a price,even if it was a small price...
The antis are killing us with death by a thousand cuts..They constantly chip away at our rights with more regulations and less freedom to do what we want.
Its happening all over from sea to shining sea.we are slowly losing our right to trap.
I agree with Dave that the camel is in the tent and hes kicking the daylights out of us..We are constantly haveing to defend our cause both in court as well as in public perception.
To top that all off were not gaining enough new trappers to offset the loss of all the oldtimers who are dieing off.

And to top all that off a mink was worth more a hundred years ago then it is today.
Were in trouble and i think its becoming very clear to almost all of us.
Dave does do a great job for FTA and im glad hes there.

Are we witnessing the end of fur trapping in the next 20 or so years?Will it all be ADC only? I certainly hope not but we may just compromise our way into history,Chuck

[bobwendt]

exactly.

[collins]

Glad you like the post and it made you think. Dave's Editorial's are always worth a read. Agree 100% with what you've said.

Kind of funny, you could pass the editorial to 10 different trappers...... maybe 1 gets it.

[garman]

As I posted on dobbins...in the 1930's europe compromised with Hitler, gave him more and more of the land Germany Deserved!! We see how that worked. NO COMPROMISE

[seldom]

Are we witnessing the end of fur trapping in the next 20 or so years?Will it all be ADC only? I certainly hope not but we may just compromise our way into history,Chuck

Absolutely!

The other day I posted a specific paragraph from Dave's editorial on the MI Trappers and Predator Callers board. Here in MI I certainly believe we are compromising our way into history!

Kind of funny, you could pass the editorial to 10 different trappers...... maybe 1 gets it.

That should scare the bejesus out of everybody!

[garman]

Somewhere along the line in alot of trappers views it is a bad thing to make money off of trapping and we all should share, BUT those same trappers and writing articles, making lures, etc. LOL funny thing hypocrisy

[Steve Gappa]

agree- but keep in mind that in many cases, the very organizations we think are going to protect us, betray us.

Quite honestly, while I'd love to be 18 again for so many reasons, I'd hate to be an 18 year old with todays trapping future to look forward to unless things change dramactically.

We are the minority- a very very minor minority in the world- how we can survive without compromise, is beyond me. Where do we draw the line?

Wish I knew.................

[mtcbrlatrap]

My personal feeling is that if there needs to be change or change is going to happen that using science and research conducted and gathered by agency and other sources is the best way to go. Now during that discussion based on science there will be considerable social, economic and political pressure to sway the outcomes and that is not always good. I do however personally believe that making decisions at that level is better than through the legislature or the judicial system. The forces and masses are against minority rights when it comes to trapping and hunting in most state houses and the court systems.
We have just recently defeated wildlife management bills that started in the legislature and did not go through the Wisconsin Conservation congress or our Wildlife Federation. These bills would have maid major changes in our seasons and laws that a majority of hunters had indicated they did not want, yet had made significant progress in the legislative system.
Those against trapping and hunting know the demographics our nation and want to use the political and judicial system to advocate their values as the majority of citizens do not participate in consumptive use of wildlife or domesticated animals.

Bryce

[deanchapel]

When is the last time you seen a trapping organization sue to regain trapping rights? We are always on the defense rather than offense. We need to be suing the city, county, state and federal government to re-instate lost trapping rights or equipment usage. The facts are on our side. The ARA's only have emotion on theirs ( and a lot of money). If you forever remain on the defensive, you'll lose it all a little bit at a time.

[ohiyotee]

in reality why should anyone care to save it, there aren't any kids of any great number that give a rats %^^%$^% . I already wasted enough time and money trying to do the right thing and preserve something that most people hate. it could end here tomorrow and i say so be it let the yuppies suffer and pay me hard cash to do there killing for them. all in all that would be a better system.

[robertw]

Dave Hastings does one heck of a good job for ALL of us as trappers!!! I always enjoy his editorials.

[trappincoyotes39]

The artical is in truth what is happening....................

We have less and less recruitment each decade and we are up against antis with millions and millions to spend!!!!! The key is not fur trapping at all!!!!!! The public can be shown the scientific benefits trapping offers, keep on that sound bite!!!!! Look at the reasearch that has been done and it shows the 2 groups the public thinks won't give you the truth are the anti crowd and the trapping orgs, as they both have something at stake other than the scientific needs, they rely on reasearch and Game depts to give them more of a non bias approach when it comes to trapping, hence the IAFWA getting more and more involved, you know the same group who heads up the BMP process?

Some areas of the US due to legal action or other conciderations will have to adapt as we move forward, no one will be immune just some areas of this country will always be better off than others when it comes to legislatio against an acitivty that the population deems as needed and benefical to the people of that state.

Unless the fur market has a prolonged period a "decade or a little more" of robust pricing the numbers of trappers will certainly not grow and keep following a decline, when you factor in all cost associated with trapping going up and up and the price of fur it will never be what it once was, just a fact. Hunting is facing the same issues as trappers, they still have far,far more numbers and far greater pockets of cash. Yet many more pay to hunt property, more cost in ammo,guns,gas,trucks,dogs,decoys,calls, etc, etc. It will just take far more time to effect hunting versus trapping. They have pittman/robertson funding so all states will have an eye out for the hunting community, trapping should have done this years ago durring the hay days based on the science of what trappers and trapping offer the general public and would legitamise trapping far greater in many peoples eye's as well.

If some don't want to compramise the outcome could/would be alot worse and easy to say NO hold the line, but until your faced with the facts of NO trapping or switching practices tough to critise those that make the compramises I would think?

There have been some positives, some areas have tools they couldn't use a decade ago, others have less anti trapping pressure in their states, some may indeed get trapping back, but each state faces different pressures.

[wbg]

There is no compromising with an enemy that wishes for nothing short of your total destruction. As evidenced here in Maine, a new law suite is initiated before the ink is dry on the last ''settlement''. Can't compromise with fanatics.