Regardless of how you feel about this year’s presidential election, in some states voters turned out to decide on issues directly affecting trappers. And we won two victories this year.
In Montana, I-177 was a ballot initiative to ban trapping on all public lands in the state. The animal rights folks tried to get this on the ballot last time around but failed. This time they got it there, but Montanans wisely voted it down, 63% to 37%.
In other good news, Kansas voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment (81% to 19%) ensuring the right of citizens to hunt, fish and trap wildlife, subject to reasonable laws and regulations. Similar amendments have passed in numerous other states in recent years, and though their actual power to protect all trapping rights is questionable and untested, it’s still great to see how many of Kansas voters approve of sound wildlife management through hunting and trapping.
We need to keep up with the good image we all have as sportsman and women. The image the animal right groups are showing off the way they conduct business I feel are helping us as wildlife managers.