Editor’s Note: From time to time we turn over “blogging rights” to hunters with sharp points of view or additional information on an issue. Following are comments we thought blog-worthy from reader Ben Price of Washington State.

Regarding the article by J.R. Robbins entitled, “HSUS Files to Stop Colorado Elk Culling,” some readers may recall a program initiated up at the Hanford Reserve (Washington State), whereby licensed U.S. Fish and Wildlife Agents were sent in by the Dept. of Energy to cull the Rattlesnake Mountain herd, which had grown too big and was threatening the health of the eco- zone at Hanford/Rattlesnake Mountain. Agents used 4wd SUVS and helicopters to access the area, and killed an undocumented number of animals. Some of the meat was donated to members of local native American tribes. Several attempts were made by local hunters to solicit permission to do precisely what is being allowed at the Rocky Mountain National Park, but to no avail. The reasoning provided by the agencies was that the eco-zone was sensitive to human traffic (although how they figured allowing hunters afoot or on horseback to cull animals was less invasive than using 4wd vehicles and helicopters is unfathomable).

The point is, to preserve the health of the environment in general and the herd in particular, we have a responsibility to manage the size and population density of these animals, and if it isn't done by approved representatives of the general hunting public, then it will be done by the agents themselves. But the end will be the same, except that the government will use every means at its disposal to complete its mission, whereas well-trained and ethical hunters will seek the least invasive, most efficient means allowed to them.

By the way, the exclusive use of USFW agents to cull the herd at Hanford is on-going, and shows little sign of abating, as it remains the only method of controlling the herd size, given the agency's current restrictions.

The State Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, Pa., was virtually bursting at the seams as thousands of hunters and outdoor enthusiasts quite literally packed themselves inside the complex’s maze-like layout for the 2009 edition of the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show. The show, which wrapped up on Sunday, ran from Feb. 7-15 and attracted hundreds of thousands of hunters from across the country.

If anyone thought the economy would keep hunters away from one of the largest outdoor shows in the country, all they had to do was witness the long lines and clogged aisles at the show this past weekend.

Even the Wall Street Journal took notice of this year’s show, writing that, “If there’s a sharp downturn in the U.S. economy, it wasn’t evident here when the show opened. Traffic was backed up and long lines snaked around the 25-acre, eight-building State Farm Show Complex. According to show organizer Ed Several of Reed Exhibitions, advance ticket sales were about equal to last year, while they were down 4% at his PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando.” (Read the full article here.)

By the unofficial count of the staff from the NRA Hunter Services Department, foot traffic past the Great American Hunters Tour booth averaged in the neighborhood of 60,000-70,000 hard-core hunters each day of the nine-day show. On hand at the booth was the NRA Great American Whitetail Collection, an impressive display of some of the most famous, highest-scoring whitetail racks in the world. The collection will be making its next stop this Friday and Saturday (Feb. 20-21) at the Fredericksburg Outdoor Show in Fredericksburg, Va.

The Eastern Outdoor show is one of the largest events for hunters in North America in terms of size, attendance and number of exhibitors, targeting one of the biggest outdoor markets in the country. The show features acres of booth space for hunters to book hunting and fishing trips, purchase the latest hunting equipment, test drive new trucks on the market, and appreciate the talents of countless wildlife artists. It’s a spectacle that no hunter should miss—not to mention a great way to fill those doldrums after hunting season has ended. 

If you’ve never experienced THE Sportsman Show, next year’s event is slated to take place Feb. 6-14, 2010 in Harrisburg.

Last week I did a piece criticizing three state governments—South Dakota, Arizona and Illinois—for making moves that would divert funds from their state game and fish departments. Such money shuffling is unfair to hunters and puts Pittman-Robertson funding at risk.

But let's give credit where it's due. Arizona and Illinois have now done the right thing. New Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed an appropriations bill returning $9.25 million—“transferred” from DNR’s budget last year by former Gov. Blagojevich—back to the six conservation funds where the money belongs.

Arizona was considering cutting $145,000 from their wildlife restoration and enhancement fund. But, largely due to pressure from sportsmen, NRA-ILA was able to work with the legislature to ensure the program stays alive and completely re-funded by 2010.

But even as these measure were taken, South Dakota is still considering taking $1 from the sale of every hunting license to divert it into a fund for road repair! And now a bill has been introduced in Connecticut that would double most hunting and fishing license fees and eliminate their Conservation Fund. See the NRA-ILA alert on that issue here.

In these tough economic times, state governments look closely at budget matters just like everyone else does. But in recent weeks, several states have made moves to divert funds from game and fish department budgets for purposes other than conservation.

That is unfair to hunters.

 Illinois took $9.25 million from six funds that receive money from hunting and fishing license fees, to move into the 2009 Budget Relief Fund. Faced with budget shortfalls, Arizona is considering cutting $145,000 from funds used to acquire and improve habitat for game species. And there is a bill in South Dakota that would divert $1 from the sale of every hunting license in the state to a fund for road repair!

Hunters pay an endless list of fees for licenses, stamps, permits, etc., with the understanding that the money is used for conservation. Indeed, in most states, hunting and fishing license sales are the major source of revenue for the game and fish departments. But besides being unfair, this monetary shuffling puts another crucial source of conservation funding at risk—Pittman-Robertson funds.

The Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act, signed in 1937, earmarked an 11 % excise tax that hunters pay on guns, ammunition and some archery equipment, to be distributed to individual states for wildlife restoration, habitat acquisition and improvement, wildlife research, hunter surveys and even hunter education. Since 1937, hunters have contributed an astonishing $5.6 billion in these excise taxes.

 But in order to receive Pittman-Robertson funds, states must agree not to spend license money on purposes outside wildlife conservation. If they do, they can risk losing their P-R funds.

 P-R funds are distributed to the states by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, based on land area and the number of hunting licenses holders in the state. Over the years, the projects funded with this money have helped bring numerous game species back from levels that were alarmingly low in the 1930s—whitetail deer, elk, pronghorn, wood ducks, bighorn sheep, mountain lions, etc.

In other words, hunters have done more to restore game populations in this country than anyone else. And it’s worth noting that even though it’s hunters who are footing the bill, anyone who enjoys wildlife benefits from P-R funded conservation projects—birdwatchers, hikers, photographers, etc. They enjoy what we pay for.

 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has already notified Illinois and South Dakota that their funding is at risk--and it’s significant—Illinois got $6.6 million in P-R funds last year and South Dakota got $5.5 million. (To their credit, Illinois intends to put the money back, although the state has asked USFWS for more time.)

And what’s truly amazing about these bureaucrats’ efforts to play fast and loose with our money is that they all seem oblivious to the economic benefits hunting brings to their states. In hunting-related retail sales alone in 2006, South Dakota totaled more than $196,000,000; Arizona almost 326,000,000; and Illinois nearly $389,000,000.* Considering how much those expenditures are helping states’ economies, efforts should be made to pump more money into creating hunting opportunities instead of shortsighted measures that will actually reduce them.

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*Source: Hunting in America, An Economic Engine and Conservation Powerhouse, Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies/Southwick Associates.