Rusty,
I agree with you for the most part. I have never paid a rancher to hunt predators either.
I DO try & "lock-in" the land with the rancher to insure that they don't just let anyone in there to call....The last thing I want to do is drive 200 miles & end up out there after some 'green pea' has been there with an e-caller educating evrything within 20 miles. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif
I'm seeing another aspect to the land we used to have readily avl. as well though. Deer hunters.
The people that lease land (mostly in Texas) are now starting to lock in the predators as part of their deer lease & ranchers are saying that because the deer hunter pays to hunt there, they want the predators as well.
I agree with you that it's a problem when predator hunters start offering $$ to hunt on someone's land. The 'old school' ranchers that I grew up around are also becoming a thing of the past as well. They raised cattle, sheep, goats, and oil wells for their $$, but their primary concern was the livestock & wildlife. Therefore they let us in to kill predators.
Now, in many cases the ranches have been sold to city slickers for recreational property, or have transfered to kids that know little to nothing about the family ranch....Or, in lots of cases, sold to subdivide into 20 acre parcels. Not as many of them left for sure.
One other aspect that I'm seeing, especially around bigger towns the the "Tournament Payoff"....
With many competitions paying some pretty big bucks for winning a contest, you have those individuals either contacting landowners to insure they have uncalled land, or actually paying landowners to reserve their land to win specific tournaments.
That can't be going down a good road. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smiliesmack.gif
The way I get & keep property is to know the rancher, educate them about what I do, (Like tell them about how educated preds are WAY harder to kill), respect their property, report anything amiss on the ranch that I find, plus, I let them know how many predators we kill so that they can see the progress.
In addition to that, I make myself avl. when the rancher has a problem with predators killing something on their ranch...even in spring or summer months. (They ranch all year...not just when fur season is going on.) /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
With prices we pay for gas, ammo, camo, and truck, rifle, and time figured in scouting the country, well.....it's really quite in investment on our part. But, we enjoy it, so it's worth it to us.
The monkey wrench in some cases is the guy that "outfits" predator hunters. If they are making money on hunters on someone else's land, then the rancher (not from the old school) is sometimes licking his lips while looking at that piece of pie dangling in front of them. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Predator hunting has become WAY more popular in the past few years. We all know that...Good land is becoming harder & harder to find & keep.
Numbers of predators may be down from all the pressure in certain areas as well....( I had a honey-hole invaded by an unscrupulous hunter this past year....I won't even call there much anymore. I hope the guy had fun, but was it worth it to him to show the world what a dirt-bag he really was?)
Knowing all that, do we really think that "leases for predators" are that far away? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif
Not only that, but state controlled limits on numbers of predators killed, & in one's possession...
Plus, the hunting "contests" that pay out large money....
They NEED some regulation as to numbers killed & disposal of dead animals. That sort of thing is leaving a bad taste in the mouths of the general public as well.
Perhaps the time is drawing near that we realize the need to "Police Ourselves"....To set a STANDARD for our sport and have the same rules with conservation and ethics, and goals apply to everyone.
If we don't do it ourselves...someone will do it for us....we may NOT like that outcome either. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif
Ralph's article raises some interesting points. Is he wrong? Not entirely....It's just the tip of the iceburg of change if we don't start doing something as hunters with a common cause.
These statements reflected above are my opinion only. Your milage may vary.
Barry