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Whether we agree with existing laws or not, we have a responsibility as hunters and citizens to abide by the laws.
The law does allow us to defend ourselves and our fellow man against animal attacks when an attack is imminent. This is the same as using deadly force against a human attacker/deadly force threat.
In my opinion, the animal rights activists have nothing better to do with their time than fight and lobby for what they believe in, and in the process chipping away at our beloved privileges. They are no doubt a strong group. Sometimes I wonder if it will take us as hunters more time and energy (read less time in the field doing what we love) in order to defeat them.
No offense 4949shooter but you prove my point with your post in several ways. First off, in New Jersey, you have absolutely nothing to lose when it comes to a wolf problem. You will be able to enjoy time in the field pursuing what you love for many decades to come. Many people may not even be aware that Jersey actually has some pretty good deer hunting.
And you are right. We as hunters have a responsibility to abide by the laws whether we believe in them or not. There in lies the problem. The ARA's have nothing but time on their hands and for us, time is running out. We may eventually defeat them but if and when we do, to what end? By the time this thing is resolved it will be too late for Wyoming, Idaho and Montana and God knows how many other states. You think this is an over dramatization or an exaggeration. I got news for you. The Shiras Moose is teetering on the brink. Many Elk herds in the heart of all three states have been decimated. Many regions you cannot find deer, elk or moose anymore because they are gone. Not necessarily because the wolves have killed them all but simply because of the wolves presence. Then the cycle begins. No more prey for the wolf because they have all run away and now the wolf must expand his range. Case in point. I live over 250 miles from Yellowstone park and the basic re-introduction area, in the center of the state. Last month, a pair of Wolves were spotted in the Laramie Range, right outside of Casper. No one ever intended for Wolves to inhabit any portion of this state except the park and the re-introduction area. So now, these wolves are setting up shop in an area of the state they were never intended to be. Meanwhile, any opportunity for this little problem to be corrected is tied up in a Federal Lawsuit and will be for years. How long do you think it will take for that mated pair and maybe several other mated pairs to populate that Mountain Range with game killing wolves? Are you seeing the problem? Waiting is going to be the end of us. So is continuing to be a law abidding citizen. Which leaves many people with a very difficult decision. Most have spent their entire lives never breaking anything but traffic laws. Many others, like me, enforce the law (although not game laws) and find ourselves in a quandry.
I am not saying I support a vigilantee approach to solving this problem. My point is, many law abidding citizens are being pushed to the brink of being outlaws by the system. The worst part about it is, no one who matters seems to really care.
Actually, I do have something to lose HighPlains. Once hunting rights begin to erode in one section of the country, it sets a precedent for the rest. This is no different than case law we have to deal with. In NJ, some counties have been requiring a K-9 hit on a car even though we have probable cause to search. Now other counties are beginning to doubt our PC and are requesting more, like a K-9, warrant, etc. When you give hunters a bad name in one part of the country, it effects hunters throughout the entire U.S.
I know I don't have the same problems as you do in your region, but I am old enough to know what the effects will be when people do get pushed past their threshold and begin to take the situation into their own hands. That's why it is up to people like us to push for legal methods of wolf control.