Alert! Anti's Attacking New Bobcat Management Plan

[SteveMcD]

Copied from a Local Site -

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It has been brought to my attention that the anti's are taking strong opposition to the New DEC Bobcat Management Plan.

This new management plan can be found at http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/9360.html

IT IS EXTREMELY CRITICAL THAT ALL TRAPPERS FORWARD POSITIVE COMMENTS to the NYSDEC on this new plan prior to February 19, 2012.

I have heard that right now, the anti comments outweigh the positive comments by as much as 30 to 1 ! A lot of hard work has gone into this new plan that will greatly expand bobcat harvest opportunities across much of NY State where no open season presently exists. This plan also provides for a much longer harvesting season for bobcats in most of NY where there has been a previous season that formerly closed on December 10. Under the new plan, harvesting may continue until February 15th in many of those WMUs.

If you view the new management plan at the above web address, you will find an address where comments can be mailed and a link to click on to provide comment by email. This is the email address: [email protected] Put "bobcat plan" on the subject line. PLEASE take a few minutes to write a simple note of appreciation in support of the new management plan. PLEASE take the time to respond now, before February 19th, so we do not lose this opportunity to harvest bobcats in so many new areas of Western and Southern NY. Anti's from NY, other states, and even other countries are against this positive step forward by our DEC Biologists. They are sending their negative comments daily in an effort to stop this new plan. A simple statement of support is all that is necessary from NY's trappers and hunters. You only need to write something like "I have viewed the new Bobcat Management Plan for New York State and am in favor of the plan's proposals for increased opportunities for harvesting bobcats in New York. Thank you.".

Your support by way of positive comments to the DEC is essential to the implementation of this plan. Feel free to contact me if you need more information.

Thank you !

John Rockwood, President

New York State Trappers Association

Phone: 315-415-4946

Email: [email protected]

[Doc]

I don't see a lot there to be either for or against. That web page sure is short on details. So it's pretty hard to work up much of an opinion given the fact that this really isn't a plan at all but rather simply a very brief fact sheet on bobcat biology. I'd have a problem figuring out exactly what it is that I am commenting on from what is written on the linked webpage..

[SteveMcD]

Did you OPEN the PDF File and look at the Plan?

http://www.dec.ny.gov/docs/wildlife_pdf/bobcatmgmtplan.pdf

[sits in trees]

as usual Steve your right on target....thanks

[growalot]

looks like a well thought out plan to me....at least one of our areas will now be open....might help in the turkey... grouse decline in those areas

[NFA-ADK]

Done, thanks for the heads up Steve!!!

[Doc]

Did you OPEN the PDF File and look at the Plan?

http://www.dec.ny.go...catmgmtplan.pdf

Actually, I missed that link and only scanned the page that you referenced. I'll have to check it out.

[Doc]

Ok, that is more what I was expecting to see on the other page. Actually, it appears that they want to do an even better job of monitoring and managing bobcats than they do whitetails. I really like the idea of trying to factor in "sportsman-effort" into their harvest data. That is something that should be part of whitetail harvest reports. However, I am curious as to what makes them think that harvest reports on bobcats will be any more successful than the pitiful rate of reporting on whitetail harvests. If they have come up with some magic bullet that has solved the report rate problems, I would think that they should plow the methodology back into whitetail management calculations.

I am also trying to figure out what rationale the antis are using for opposing this plan. What possible line of reasoning could they be using that anyone would take seriously? Yes, I know they would like hunting and trapping taken out of the management of wildlife. But that is not a credible or practical position and it is not likely to be taken any more seriously than any of their other previous attempts to push that agenda.