DEC is for the birds, Songbirds that is!

[birddog]

DEC plans to start mowing and managing Three Rivers Wildlife Management Area in Baldwinsville for songbirds rather than pheasant hunting! The proposed mowing plan will chase out birddog field trials and pheasant hunters alike if implemented. Contact your local DEC or better yet the DEC at Cortland who are over Three Rivers and let them know you want your ammo and hunting license money supporting the Pittman Robertson Act to go management for game animals. Bird watchers do to not contribute one penny.  >

[WNYBuckHunter]

Actually bird watchers fund the DEC when they pay their taxes.

[Mr VJP]

If Wildlife Management Land is purchased with funds from hunting license money or taxes on hunting equipment and ammo, then the DEC should be managing the land primarily for the benefit of hunters. 

Song birds will benefit from land managed for hunting anyway.  Bird watchers pay taxes, but the majority of their paid taxes are not dedicated to managing Wildlife Management Areas.

If the majority of the revenue to manage the land comes from hunting equipment, license and tag fees, the DEC should be managing the land for hunting.

[G-Man]

ActuallyI've never been a put and take guy. Maybe the habitat isn't conducive to phesants and more to songbirds and such.. Maybe they groups that want phesant need to create some habitat for them. jmo.

[16. ga hunter]

the state mows at most release sites just not evrything and on a cyclic rotating schedule so they have medows at various stages to benefit all wild life. it's not that big of a deal if you ask me esp seeing that their is not a breeding population at three rivers.

[birddog]

Gman - I guess it would be fair to say that you do not think that the govt should be in the fish or deer business either. As any input by govt is a put "tax money in" and "distribute money out". Put and take if you will.

[birddog]

Mr VJP you hit it right on the head! Keep spreading the word. There is a move to drive hunters out of the wildlife laboratories designed by the DEC Biologist. We tend to muck up their research never mind that sportsmen and women fund it. 

[birddog]

Wow WNY Buckhunter. That is really weak. I guess this might have some value to the discussion if you base this on knowledge that hunters/sportsmen/women do not pay taxes...Is this what you are saying?

[WNYBuckHunter]

Wow WNY Buckhunter. That is really weak. I guess this might have some value to the discussion if you base this on knowledge that hunters/sportsmen/women do not pay taxes...Is this what you are saying?

Weak? Its a fact. No, I never said that hunters dont pay taxes. DEC is partially funded out of the NY general fund, which comes from tax dollars.

[birddog]

Sportsmen/women pay taxes to the general fund and to the PR Act. It is a fact that neither the bird watcher nor the sportsmen's general tax money supports NYS WMA's. WMA run on money from the Feds under the PR Act which is supported by sportsmen exclusively.

[WNYBuckHunter]

I suggest you do a bit more research on where the funds for the LWCF come from. Its not just the PR act, Ill tell you that much. On top of that, the DEC maintains, patrols and protects the WMAs, they are funded through the NY general fund.

[birddog]

Just came from a meeting with DEC and WMA's are funded by PR money period. Police work by DEC can't be used by PR money.

[G-Man]

No i don't feel the gov/dec should be stocking non-native species, wether that be fish,bird,or mammal. The amount of money spent for put and take hunting/fishing is incrediable i would rather see it go into habitat improvement. Stocking fish to replace a population wiped out by polution/overfishing is different we wiped them out!! they were there(paddlefish for example). The nwtf trap and transfer of wild turkey to suitable habitat is another good example or the proper way to increase hunter oppertunity. ..............Phesants hey they are non-native and if someone really cared about them they would improve habitat and close the season to see if natural reproduction can occur and sustain a huntable population, put and take seems like a poor use of my money.  If you want to hunt them that bad pay the fee and hunt a phesant preserve.....

[WNYBuckHunter]

Just came from a meeting with DEC and WMA's are funded by PR money period. Police work by DEC can't be used by PR money.

WMAs are funded out of the LWCF, which gets its money from PR and other sources. PR is a federal act, not a state act, so the PR money goes to the federal LWCF, which collects monies from other sources as well, and then it gets distributed to the state LWCFs, and is doled out from there. DEC officers' salaries, vehicles, etc are funded partially from the General fund, so everyone's tax dollars go toward the WMAs in one way or another. All of that info is available for anyone that is interested through the DEC and federal LWCF sites. Do I think hunters/fishermen/trappers have a right to the land, sure, bot not exclusive domain, the land is owned by the state and belongs to the people, not just some of them.

BTW, do you have a link to the proposal?