Letter: Future lies with wildlife watching, not hunting

By Joe Miele - 04/01/2008

Outdoor Life magazine recently ranked five Montana towns as being among the nation’s best spots for hunting and fishing when it instead should have praised the state for its unrivaled wildlife watching opportunities.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the number of Montana residents who feed, photograph or otherwise observe wildlife away from home is greater than the number of hunters and anglers combined (National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, State Overview, July 2007). This should come as no surprise since Fish and Wildlife also has reported that the number of wildlife watchers nationwide also exceeds the number of hunters and anglers combined.

With the number of hunters and anglers waning every year, it is time for the state Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks to abandon its hunting and fishing programs and look toward non-violent wildlife watching as the wave of the future and the hobby that will keep the division solvent for years to come. Currently, the Department is funded by the sale of hunting and fishing licenses as well as the excise taxes affixed to the cost of weapons, ammunition, hunting and fishing equipment. These tax dollars are funneled into programs that promote the violence of hunting and fishing. But it behooves FWP to fund beneficial programs without remaining financially tied to the weapons industry, since hunting is a dying sport without a future.

Federal law could be changed to divert the weapons and ammunition excise taxes away from programs that fund and promote the violence of hunting and toward programs that benefit the victims of gun violence and their families. At the same time, a surcharge could be placed on the cost of cameras, binoculars and other equipment used by wildlife watchers, with the funds collected being used to preserve and protect wildlife and the areas where they live. This is a win-win situation for all involved.

While some tout the hunting opportunities that can be found in Montana, many more enjoy wildlife without feeling the need to kill it. To learn what you can do to sever the relationship between wildlife agencies and the weapons/violence industry, please visit www.abolishsporthunting.com.

Joe Miele, president Committee to Abolish Sport Hunting Box 961 Maywood, NJ 07607