What can hunters do to contribute to conservation efforts?

Slightly more than 60,000 people hunt ducks in Wisconsin; only 7,000 join the Wisconsin Waterfowl Association. Ducks Unlimited boast a little over 35,000 members from Wisconsin, yet I know several of those that have never once hunted ducks.

Pheasants Forever list 7,500 Wisconsin members, with greater than 41,000 hunting pheasants in Wisconsin annually. Pheasant Forever has 140,000 members nationally, but over 1.1 million people hunt pheasants each year creating a $502 million in economic impact according to 15-year-old numbers. Adjust that for inflation and we are kind of talking real money here.

RMEF has 11,500 members in Wisconsin and over 25,000 hunters apply for the few (about five) Wisconsin elk tags. Nationally over 700,000 hunters hunted elk last year, with 225,000 belonging to REMF.

A little over a year ago someone asked me about conservation projects in the area. I responded truthfully; I knew of none. Not a lot of public land exists in our little spot on the planet, so not a lot conservation projects exist. Putting in a food plot doesn’t qualify as a habitat project – whether the plot gets planted on public or private. In Wisconsin, not a lot of food plots get planted on public lands. But expand our view out to 50 miles from here and there are still no habitat projects.

This past year, a national conservation group asked me to get involved with their organization and develop a chapter in our area. This organization does a lot of habitat work, but none of it in a 50 miles radius of here. I asked “why?”

I didn’t get a response that suited me so I didn’t get involved. Am I a part of the problem or not?

Writers and podcasters that do conservation pieces tell us that purchasing a license to hunt no longer suffices. They tell us we need to become members in at least four national conservation organizations. They also tell us, that when they do pieces on conservation, interest drops dramatically. So hang in here with me, because we all show interest in those projects after their completion. Everyone seems to hunt at those projects, flock to them so to speak. The best opportunities lie with the best habitat.

“It’s about the habitat – stupid.”

Four memberships to national conservation groups eats up more than a Ben Franklin. Some need that Benjamin for groceries, but hunting needs to remain accessible to all. Yet far more than 7,000 of the 60,000 Wisconsin waterfowl hunters earn incomes that allow for them to purchase a WWA membership. That membership costs less than the hunting license and stamps. About the same as one full bodied goose decoy, less than a set of neoprene gloves, 10% of the cost of a waterfowl parka, 15% of the cost of waders, pennies on the dollar compared to the shotgun, and specialized boats.

I don’t know the answer to all of this. I know that it often seems like a “if you build it, they will come” scenario. I know that creating financial support for the project takes a lot of time and effort on the part of a lot of volunteer conservationists.

I know that as hunters we need to remain or own advocates. I know that in the end, simply purchasing a hunting license doesn’t advocate enough. I know that politicians and government agencies advocate less for us each year, and in some places they advocate against.

I know that when the temperatures drop in the heart of winter sometimes an evening at home with friends enjoying a meal of game from the field validates our hunt and our conservation ethos. We did just that last weekend.

Nothing special; some smoked Wisconsin cheeses and a smoked salmon spread for hors d'oeuvres, pheasant alfredo with linguini and garlic bread for dinner with cheesecake for dessert. We sipped something warming after dinner sitting beside the woodstove.

We all met decades ago. We met at an event trying to make things a little better than we found them. Doesn’t seem like much. Planting trees or shrubs on a Saturday morning in the spring, lunch around the campfire with the group, and a late afternoon fishing with those same friends.

Conservation projects hinge around a small group of friends wanting to leave the place a little better than they found it and maybe enjoying a little pheasant alfredo on a cold winter night. The younger hunters are beginning to take the baton and the conservation effort will move forward like it did with us decades ago. Stay warm!

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CHUCK K OLAR LOCAL OUTDOORSMAN