NPR: Hunters and Fisherman Oppose Bush Environmental Policies

[JPZenger]

This afternoon, National Public Radio had a 7 minute report about how Republican hunters and fishermen are starting to actively oppose Bush Administration policies on public land.

One hunter said: "What good is it to be able to have guns if there is nothing left to hunt." Others were upset about Bush's policy of opening up roadless National Forest areas in Alaska to clearcut forestry. The report also described how 50 gun clubs had spoken out against Bush policies, and how Trout Unlimited was able to get conservative Republicans to speak out.

As of 3/1/04 the audio version of report is at:

http://news.npr.org/

Click "Outdoor enthusiasts ..."

After 3/1/04, you will probably have to use their search function to find the story.

[MASSAFRA]

1. Four years ago

I told a Bush supporter that Democrats were not going to take his gun but he should be more afraid of the Republicans destroying land that hunters need. He wouldn't listen to me and probably does not remember me saying it.

[pinniped]

2. Well the rich hunters were foaming at the mouth under chimpy's...

proposal to hunt endangered and exotic animals.

Guess these "regular" hunters don't have the juice.

[TomNickell]

3. Hunters and fishermen and farmers...

have always had a conservation ethic.

Different from the urban environmentalists, but often more grounded in reality.

An untapped resource....

[DemoTex]

4. I quit hunting after Vietnam, for - perhaps - obvious reasons.

I'm now a no-kill (or catch-and-release) fisherman. Of course, some do die. I've just finished a short story about a bass at my father's lake that was gut-hooked. I used long-handled hemostats to try to get the hook out. It was bad. I finally got the fish off the hook and, bleeding, back into the water. The fish swam shakily away. Five minutes later, the dieing fish was back at the surface, staring at me. The fish damned me to hell before it finanally rolled over, belly up. I'm as serious as a heart attack. That fish haunts me bad.