WTF, WDFW?

TicTokCroc

Sunkist and Sudafed
Forum Supporter
77% sounds about right. Think cage free eggs, small farm specialty meat. The Steve Rinella lite* end of the spectrum was into hunting for the organic free range meat. The PETA camp is a small percentage they are just loud and somehow have all the free time to weasel their way into positions of power.
 

charles sullivan

Life of the Party
Forum Supporter
Little bit dramatic maybe? Even I have ducked down in the brush when a really sketchy old pickup has approached on some remote gravel back roads but I think your ok at Cabelas.
Whether something is dramatic is a matter of judgement. You judge it as you see fit. That judgement has nothing to do with the point of the experience that I shared.

The message that was recieved by them was clear. They understood that they were not welcome in the group of people that were in the store.

I think that it is good to understand how the message that you communicate is recieved.
 

wanderingrichard

Life of the Party
Little bit dramatic maybe? Even I have ducked down in the brush when a really sketchy old pickup has approached on some remote gravel back roads but I think your ok at Cabelas.
Maybe we should do a "Bumper Stickers at Cabelas" thread similar to those "Freaks of Walmart" websites that pop up all the time.

TBH, there are some that take bumper stickers to a fine, rebellious, line, and some state majorly implied threats, which I think is what the Sullivans may have reacted to. And ya know, that's their right to excercise caution.
 

TicTokCroc

Sunkist and Sudafed
Forum Supporter
Maybe we should do a "Bumper Stickers at Cabelas" thread similar to those "Freaks of Walmart" websites that pop up all the time.

TBH, there are some that take bumper stickers to a fine, rebellious, line, and some state majorly implied threats, which I think is what the Sullivans may have reacted to. And ya know, that's their right to excercise caution.
I seriously have never seen a bumper sticker that threatened rebellion or made me fear for my safety.
Maybe we should do a bumper sticker prisoner swap.
I will take my 2A bumper sticker off if someone else removes their eARTh sticker. I will also trade my snek flag for any coexist bumper sticker. That should make the parking lot more inclusive.
I actually don't have any stickers on my car...
If we are going to keep our hunting and fishing rights I think the mouth breathing yokels are going to have to join with the more refined sportsmen. If we're scared of bumper stickers I doubt that's going to happen.
 

Peyton00

Life of the Party
Forum Supporter
My favorite bumper sticker from the douche bag ignorant idiots is the.....

"Fuck off were full" stickers.

It's a classy way to let all the grownups know we got a childish knucklehead behind the wheel of this oversized truck.
And if they looked closer they would also see the side step needed for the wee-man to make the leap into the cab.
 

TicTokCroc

Sunkist and Sudafed
Forum Supporter
My favorite bumper sticker from the douche bag ignorant idiots is the.....

"Fuck off were full" stickers.

It's a classy way to let all the grownups know we got a childish knucklehead behind the wheel of this oversized truck.
And if they looked closer they would also see the side step needed for the wee-man to make the leap into the cab.
I like the various microbrew and cannabis shop stickers. Nothing like letting the police know what car to do a dui test on :LOL:
 

charles sullivan

Life of the Party
Forum Supporter
This thread is starting to wander a bit again. Button it up to subject on hand. Second warning.
My bad. Poor communication on my part.

My thought is not being taken as I had hoped. I should practice what I preach and find a more effective way to communicate it.
 

Zak

Legend
Forum Supporter
Howdy Zak,

Yep, WA ST BHA is super active, and doing great work. As a matter of fact our WA ST board was one of the first groups to sound the alarm about this animal rights consortium that we feel are trying to undermine the North American Model of Conservation.

Also, we were at the head of the table trying to defend the spring bear season in Washington. Ultimately, as others have mentioned the commission went fully against the departments science based recs and voted away from science and went with feelings

BHA as a whole seeks to be "the voice for the wild public lands, waters and wildlife". There are chapters in 48 states and 3 Canadian provinces..also we have clubs in 26 colleges and 23 military installations with our Armed Forces Initiative.

We do a ton of on the ground habitat improvement, public land and water cleanups as well. Additionally we work on big picture issues like Recovering America's wildlife act, Land and Water Conservation Fund and a ton of stuff from regional, state and national level

If you ever have a question, feel free to hit me up!
Thanks for the informative reply!
 

Coach Potter

Life of the Party
Howdy Zak,

Yep, WA ST BHA is super active, and doing great work. As a matter of fact our WA ST board was one of the first groups to sound the alarm about this animal rights consortium that we feel are trying to undermine the North American Model of Conservation.

Also, we were at the head of the table trying to defend the spring bear season in Washington. Ultimately, as others have mentioned the commission went fully against the departments science based recs and voted away from science and went with feelings

BHA as a whole seeks to be "the voice for the wild public lands, waters and wildlife". There are chapters in 48 states and 3 Canadian provinces..also we have clubs in 26 colleges and 23 military installations with our Armed Forces Initiative.

We do a ton of on the ground habitat improvement, public land and water cleanups as well. Additionally we work on big picture issues like Recovering America's wildlife act, Land and Water Conservation Fund and a ton of stuff from regional, state and national level

If you ever have a question, feel free to hit me up!
Thanks for that!
 

Salmo_g

Legend
Forum Supporter
The WDFW commission went against the WDFW biologists 100% by vote. That's exactly what happened. Hence why I make statements they are a rogue radical group. They shouldn't exist. Why pay for a department that gets overruled by a citizen commission group?
We have a citizen fish and wildlife commission for the same kind of reasons we have a civilian commander in chief instead of having the highest ranking military general making all our national political decisions. The intent is to have commissioners who have a broad knowledge of fish and wildlife along with some relevant experience to set policy for and to provide guidance to the Department of Fish and Wildlife. This is how we are supposed to get social and economic considerations taken into account with the strict biological and ecological parameters that influence what happens with fish and wildlife populations. I can live with that. In fact, that is what I want. The problem, as I see it, is when the Commission forsakes the "public interest" for special interests.

In the past, commission nominations to the governor came from interest groups like the WA Sportsman's Council (perhaps the biggest influential group), TU, Audubon, NW Steelheaders, and others. Admittedly, the nominations came mainly from what I refer to as the "hook and bullet" fraternity. Given that WDFW is charged with all wildlife species and not just game species, it makes sense that the nominating influence be shared with broader based wildlife organizations. Maintaining a balance in fish and wildlife management is, well, a balancing act.

While it's true that fish and wildlife don't have to be managed at all, informed people understand that society's interests are better served if we do manage them. If we don't, then population booms and busts in predator - prey relationships are inevitable. And commercially valuable species would simply be exterminated, because that's how people are. Giving in to the preservationist's agenda is just as bad as giving in to the commercial fishermen's agenda. Neither serves to maintain a balance that most informed citizens desire.
 

wanderingrichard

Life of the Party
Ok, so, we can't just fire them all and start over.. though that might make many happy.
Those of you more familiar with the processes, is there a legal framework within the WDFW or legislative appointee process that we can use to fight back ?
 

JS

Mankie Old Chum
Forum Supporter
Ok, so, we can't just fire them all and start over.. though that might make many happy.
Those of you more familiar with the processes, is there a legal framework within the WDFW or legislative appointee process that we can use to fight back ?
That’s a great question.
 

Salmo_g

Legend
Forum Supporter
Lobby the Senate Natural Resource Committee to not confirm commission appointments you disagree with. Work with the Wild Steelhead Coalition and TU to nominate commission candidates you believe will better serve our interests.

The process is the process and would be very difficult to change. Changing the process would be about as difficult as passing legislation to abolish the Commission. If there were no commission, then the Governor - yeah, him - would appoint the Director, most likely a favored political hack. Guidance to the Department would come from whoever has the Governor's ear. Not a better system IMO.
 

Dustin Chromers

Life of the Party
Forum Supporter
Not looking to wade into anything political but I have some thoughts on this after thinking about it a bit. It seems to me sportsmen aren't feeling represented in the current times by the current commission. I tend to believe this is true. The formerly sportsmen first agenda of the WDFW has changed. It seems the organisation wants to become more a preservation organisation and is bending to the Zeitgeist of Western Washington leanings.

That being said the commission should be balanced. Checks and balances are healthy and nobody is going to feel like they are getting everything they want. My definition of a good negotiation is when everyone gets up from the table feeling a little screwed but not without any winning. Governor appointed commission members gets you who the governor wants. This should be based of recommendation and support from stakeholders but our governor is sort of on his own channel and by force of law is allowed to be. He is also lobbied and has a campaign to contribute to. A search of who those big ticket contributors will reveal the list of those he wants to please. This may be reflected in commission appointments, maybe not. It's an appointment not an elected position.

What does all this useless pontificating mean? Bottom line is the commission should know what they are doing, serve both sportsmen and conservation (not preservation) goals, and be balanced in approach without an agenda but a goal in mind we can all agree on. The commission should be using the best science to make decisions and not an agenda. I think the mission statement of the WDFW has changed for better or for worse be it official or not.
 
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