Urgent Unified Hunter Support Needed

[DEEF]

I live in CA. Born here. Grew up here. Californians have been forced into some of the most freedom restricting, money wasting, dependent making laws which have effected wildlife quality and hunting. Anti-hunters have found a cozy place here. They've targeted our management policies and they continue to develop strength in the efficacy of restricting hunting. An assembly bill AB 1254 just passed with massive support! This bill will prohibit bobcat hunting for 5 years. And the language informing the post management period suggests that bobcat season will be conditionally allowed and not necessarily put back into place: "Upon appropriation of funds by the Legislature for purposes of this section, commencing January 1, 2025, the commission may open a bobcat hunting season in any area determined by the commission to require a hunt".

Even if you don't live in CA, the language of this bill is a toxic infestation upon our hunting right and can easily be mimicked by other states.

Let's make a unified call to our respective Senators encouraging them to oppose the bill with this argument:

AB 1254 is a $5M unfunded mandate to develop a management plan. We don't need another unfunded mandate to assess the current population size of bobcats.


BHA member J.R. Young, states, "In my personal opinion, the strongest argument is that this is a $5M unfunded mandate to develop a management plan. If we can ban trapping using cost as a key argument, then this should be a slam dunk.....the department has long been frustrated with these mandates from the legislature."

 

[Soj51hopeful]

I am fortunate to live in a rural area where my elected officials vote NO on these crummy things. My assemblyman voted no and my senator will vote no. But they are way outnumbered.

 

[KClark]

I am fortunate to live in a rural area where my elected officials vote NO on these crummy things. My assemblyman voted no and my senator will vote no. But they are way outnumbered.

 

[DEEF]

Wow! I didn't realize how unbalanced our State is!

 

[DEEF]

Hello Senator,

I write to request that you vote NO on AB 1254. This bill is an unfunded mandate which will force California Department of Fish and Wildlife to expend an estimated $2,500,000 over the next 5 years to manage bobcats with State resources. Not only will it create an unwarranted expense, this bill will create an eco-system disruption that will further effect the wide array of prey animals which bobcats readily feed upon. If bobcat populations go un-checked by hunting the California quail and cottontail populations will decline. In the last decade, the two main wildlife management tools which have helped to maintain a balanced ratio of bobcats to prey animals, became prohibited. Trapping provided the greatest harvest amounts and hound hunting was second. With trapping removed alone, approximately 2000 less bobcats will be harvested relative to 2017. As a hunter, I have seen increasing amounts of bobcat tracks and scat in our National Forests and BLM lands. I live in a rural area and frequently see them hunting in grasslands and on my porch. CA bobcats are not a threatened or endangered species. Although an updated management study to determine the current bobcat population size would be helpful, these type of management decisions need to be conducted by biologists and scientists entrusted by our State to provide accurate information. This bill will undercut our proven management process and unreasonably redirect Management funds from more pressing matters. A data driven study should be the first step before changing any management policy. Please stand by our proven management policy and encourage your fellow Senators to vote No on AB1254. Thank you for your work, Dustin

 

[DEEF]

I am fortunate to live in a rural area where my elected officials vote NO on these crummy things. My assemblyman voted no and my senator will vote no. But they are way outnumbered.

That's great you have good representation. I do encourage you to contact your Senator though. Just give them a pat on the back for a great job and let them know you support their encouragement to fellow Senators to vote no on AB 1254. We need a collective buzz of solidarity regarding all hunting issues no matter what State is at hand. I think a collective participation is one way to accomplish a greater felt presence.

 

[OXN939]

You guys need to work on that "5 different states" thing.

 

[DEEF]

You can email CA Senator Feinstein Here: https://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact
You can email CA Senator Harris Here: https://www.harris.senate.gov/contact
Bill Monning: https://sd17.senate.ca.gov/contact-us

Find Address

 

[87TT]

A) Feinstein is a US senator and isn't involved with this
B) it's going to pass
C) who cares, shoot them anyway and keep quiet about it.
All hunting in CA will be gone soon as most of the people who vote are idiots and don't care. Heck they voted to make possession of Meth and heroin a misdemeanor and possession and theft of a gun under $950.00 a misdemeanor, all you get is a ticket.

 

[DEEF]

A) Feinstein is a US senator and isn't involved with this

B) it's going to pass

C) who cares, shoot them anyway and keep quiet about it.

All hunting in CA will be gone soon as most of the people who vote are idiots and don't care. Heck they voted to make possession of Meth and heroin a misdemeanor and possession and theft of a gun under $950.00 a misdemeanor, all you get is a ticket.

Which Senator is?


I respect your determination at management, but unfortunately we have to be more vocal and involved with the political process. And, I encourage you to polish your hunter representation. Although I understand your remark, this would create a shit show quote for Anti-hunters to celebrate. It's not a good look. If hunting becomes prohibited in CA, every other state will follow; but, if by some Texas-like-stronghold inoculates other states against such malicious attack, hunting regulations will see more restrictive and limiting policies . A unified hunter solidarity should have zero tolerance and raise a commanding unified voice against such absurd legislation.

 

[String&stick]

All hunters need to unite on these issues, I live in Nebraska and we have a constitutional right to hunt, and to utilize hunting as the first and primary method for control of animal species. . . That being said our state representation shifts farther to Omaha ever year. After the census they estimate that 28 or 29 of our states 49 representatives will reside in our two largest cities. . .

They will have opportunities in the future to do whatever the urban senators want to do.

I don't live in California, but I'll take 20-30 min and send a generic email to as many of their state senators as I can. I doubt they will check my IP address, and trace my location. And even if they do, I dont care, they will receive my info. I've called several representatives in other states before to let them know my tourism dollars mean something and I don't like a certain bill.

Hunters need to band together!

 

[Okhotnik]

Good on you for at least trying

Where’s supposedly pro hunting BHA on this issue?

 

[87TT]

Once again, Feinstein and Harris are US senators and not state senators and therefore have nothing to do with the bill. Only STATE senators vote on it.
Bobcat used to be a varmint with no season or bag limit in CA. Then came the plight of the snow leopards. The USFW lumped all spotted cats in as endangered including bobcats. That forced the states to track how many were taken so CA created tags for them. It was a mess because they were lazy and didn't want to work to hard at it, so you had to buy the tags at F&G offices only. Now they think there is a chance to do away with all that and not have to deal with it.
I wish you luck.

 

[ndbuck09]

ya'll need to split from California asap! Make NorCal great again!

 

[longbarrel]

As long as people live there and pay taxes there, the far left pols will vote the way they want and give free stuff to the illegals. The new gas tax to fix the roads--nope, it didn't go to the roads, it was hijacked by the legislature. Next they will pass a law making the "undocumented" legal, and then citizens who will vote reliably for the left, to get even more free stuff.

 

[ramont]

Sorry but I believe that state politics needs to stay within that state, I don't live in California so I don't have any right pushing my opinion on Californians.

It's rather obvious that the OP has no clue about how our political system works (not understanding that his state legislators are the people that he needs to contact) and that's why the left has won that state. It's way too late to change anything in California but those of us who live in other states can use it as an example of what happens when sit on our butts watching football and drinking beer all night rather than getting involved in our local politics.

 

[CelticClamper]

Sorry but I believe that state politics needs to stay within that state, I don't live in California so I don't have any right pushing my opinion on Californians.

It's rather obvious that the OP has no clue about how our political system works (not understanding that his state legislators are the people that he needs to contact) and that's why the left has won that state. It's way too late to change anything in California but those of us who live in other states can use it as an example of what happens when sit on our butts watching football and drinking beer all night rather than getting involved in our local politics.

While I do agree with not pushing an outsider's opinion on certain topics, other topics do sometimes need outside help. Do realize that along with losing our right to hunt, comes no nonresident hunts also. And as this spreads to other states, especially ones that like to follow CA, people will start to feel the effects of their lack of interest. So next will be WA, CO, OR..... you may not feel that you should press your opinion, but your fellow outdoorsman are asking for your help.

 

[DEEF]

Sorry but I believe that state politics needs to stay within that state, I don't live in California so I don't have any right pushing my opinion on Californians.

It's rather obvious that the OP has no clue about how our political system works (not understanding that his state legislators are the people that he needs to contact) and that's why the left has won that state. It's way too late to change anything in California but those of us who live in other states can use it as an example of what happens when sit on our butts watching football and drinking beer all night rather than getting involved in our local politics.

No, nothing is "Too Late". Legislation is not absolute and it can and will change if our collective hunting voice unites. Apathetic comments and comments denoting a lack of ambition and collective support to challenge ideas that threaten our hunting rights no longer have a place in our culture. Your statement about my understanding of how our political system works is slightly correct; however, it is irrelevant to my call to action. Additionally, making assumptions about why fellow hunters have become silent and/or uninvolved with the legislative process is irrelevant to the absolutely necessary attitude and action change this OP encourages.

Irregardless of a historical pattern of legislation or any predictability-assumption of change, I encourage you to make educative contributions to your fellow hunters so they perhaps like you, will be armed with tools to make actionable inputs that protect our hunting rights.

The call to action is the intent of this OP and it is not intended to elicit more bemoaning and apathetic comments about the mess of legislation in the State of California. Arguably, apathetic comments and comments denoting a fallacy of unchangeability perpetuate the existing success of anti-hunting inputs and have no benefice to our hunting rights and culture.

I encourage you to replace your assumptive attitude and ideas about potential for change to more eductative comments and collective affirming of attitudes that resist any legislative actions which threaten Hunting Rights everywhere in the world.

If anyone thinks that their State legislation is isolated to their State and will not have any direct influence over other legislative districts, they need to change their systemic understanding and awareness of the actionable intentions the Anti-hunting advocates have been force feeding our culture and legislators.

I admonish fellow hunters to change their notion of "your State", to a collective support and positive affirmation of hunting rights throughout the US and abroad. The presence of any legislation to restrict and limit hunting methods should be met with a collective voice of opposition—even if you do not hunt or reside in that particular State.

 

[DEEF]

Once again, Feinstein and Harris are US senators and not state senators and therefore have nothing to do with the bill. Only STATE senators vote on it.
Bobcat used to be a varmint with no season or bag limit in CA. Then came the plight of the snow leopards. The USFW lumped all spotted cats in as endangered including bobcats. That forced the states to track how many were taken so CA created tags for them. It was a mess because they were lazy and didn't want to work to hard at it, so you had to buy the tags at F&G offices only. Now they think there is a chance to do away with all that and not have to deal with it.
I wish you luck.

I looked up Lynx Rufus on the USFW site and found no reference to your claim of the association of endangered spotted cats with bobcats.

Nonetheless, irregardless of previous tag purchasing processes, you can buy a Bobcat tage online now.
Irregardless of their place of residence, all hunters should attempt to develop and unify a collective voice toward legislators.

Also, since you missed the opportunity to educate a fellow hunter, I'll go ahead and fill in for you. You can contact CA legislators here: http://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/

Even if you don't reside in CA, I encourage you to let a legislator know that you oppose AB 1254 and all other unfunded mandates which prohibit the hunting of historically and currently healthy population of all wild game animals.

 

[Kootenay Hunter]

A) Most politicians will only pay attention to concerns of constituents, so Cali hunters, let 'er rip. This is important, as the loudest voice often gets heard....apathy is not the approach to take.
B) This may come as a shock, but hunting is not a right, unless written into law as such (laws can still change) but a privilege, allowed to perpetuate by your fellow citizens. It's called a 'social licence' and every one of us are an ambassador to hunting and should conduct themselves as such.
C) Politics has no place in Wildlife Management and when emotion trumps science, you end up with situations like we did in BC with the Griz hunt, shutdown by a bunch of ignorant city dwelling folks voting to save smoky the bear.
D) Irregardless is not a word, you just say regardless