I agree. I sent this email to AZGFD:
My name is Jason Mosler and I am a hunter, hunters ed instructor and a small business owner involved with the sport of hunting. I recently read the agenda for the Commission meeting that is to be held on March 15, 2019 in Bisbee, Az.
As the meeting is being held in Bisbee on a Friday I will not be able to personally attend so I wish to make my feeling known on this topic.
I am a predator hunter. I am a bit taken aback by the agenda's use of the terminology "killing" since it was my understanding that these were "hunting" competitions and it saddens me to see the Commission seemingly falling victim to the anti-hunter mentality of calling hunting, "killing." Of course as hunters we understand that hunting involves the potential killing of wildlife but the anti-hunting organizations politicize and weaponize the term "killing" in attempts to demonize hunters and the hunting community. For the Commission to adopt such language at a hearing is disturbing. I would like to think that our Commission is above this kind of politicizing.
That being said I wish to discuss the topic of hunting contests. Predators are regulated by the Commission with seasons and take limits established by science. Coyotes in particular have no season and no take limits and it is my understanding that the coyote is in no way a "threatened" species in the state of Arizona. If proof were given that the coyote is at risk of population collapse then by all means we should look at limiting or eliminating contests. But that just is not the case. Science, not emotion or politics, should drive this rule making.
I personally know several hunters and hunting groups who look forward to hunting coyotes in the state. Arizona has a great reputation as being hunter and gun friendly. To pass a rule against hunting contests would be a blow to this reputation. Hunting brings in funding to not only the Game and Fish Department but also local economies and eliminating hunting contests would be a blow to that income. I know that hunting contests are unpopular, but unless there is proof that the coyote is at risk, contests should not be banned.
Anti-hunters will claim that it is wrong to profit from hunting them but that is ridiculous since guiding is legal in Arizona and guides take out clients for money. If it is wrong to profit from hunting, then ANY business that "profits" from hunting should then be banned but that would also include AZGFD. There are many groups that profit from the support that hunting brings in and that should not be stopped because of the anti-hunting establishment. Anti-hunters hate and oppose ALL forms of hunting. They will stop at nothing to ban ALL forms of hunting. Meanwhile they bring NOTHING to the table in the form of support for projects like watering holes or trail maintenance or any other activities that they in turn participate in without lending support. Anti-hunting groups were defeated in their attempts to eliminate bobcat and mountain lion hunting so they are simply regrouping and trying another tack in their attempts to eliminate hunting altogether. Their claim that since hunters do not "use" the "entire" animal that this form of hunting is "trophy" hunting and therefore should be banned is also weak. Hunting is a well established form of population control. AZGFD has enacted several special hunting seasons and rule changes in order to support the population control of coyotes since they can have a devastating impact on other animal populations such as deer, antelope and others.
I would appreciate my comments being passed along to the Commission and I would hope that they are taken into consideration.
Thank you for your time,
Jason "Mo" Mosler
If people keep reaching out to the commission then we have a chance. I sent an email last year about the proposed changes to the night hunt season and it went WAY up the Commission ladder and the rules were left alone. Grass roots work.
