More “Ballot Box Biology” ??? Gotta Love Legislation Season

Does this language in a current state legislative bill give anyone else pause besides me?

“The department may not adopt a rule or implement a policy prohibiting or restricting the use of…”

The department in question on this bill happens to be the North Dakota Game & Fish Department, but that is a moot point. So is the topic in the bill related to wildlife management and hunting, in my opinion (bill in question is SB2137) the real sticking point on this and other bills in so many legislative sessions around the country, during this time of year, is that wildlife management issues are continuing to be legislated and/or passed through the ballot box in election cycles. States like Colorado, Washington, and even Wyoming have been involved in nonsense such as this, trying to put wildlife management issues to a vote rather than allowing wildlife management professionals to do their job.

As a former wildlife management professional, I have always taken issue with politics getting in the way of sound wildlife and land management. Part of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation includes educating and trusting state game agency professionals to manage wildlife based on their experience, science, carrying capacities of the landscape, disease outbreaks, etc.

Don’t get me wrong…I don’t ALWAYS agree with agency mindsets, but there is a process for us sportsmen to voice our opinions and concerns and affect change through game & fish advisory board meetings, game & fish commissioners, attending public meetings to ask questions and voice concerns, provide public comment during periods of official public comment on proposed management changes, and so on.

Game & fish agencies shouldn’t be hamstrung by legislation due to one person or group’s “pet project”, and too often the “discussions” in committee or in election cycles are full of emotion and rhetoric rather than sound management decisions at the field office and state levels.

What say you?  I’ve given my two cents.