Sports - Outdoors: I've got an idea

One traditional method that has been beat around very recently is another increase in the cost of hunting licenses.

I have three problems with this idea. One, it is the easiest, least creative way of bringing in additional funds. Two, it once again places the burden on the shoulders of only a portion of those of us who use the outdoors. Three, I believe that additional increases in hunting license fees will drive more people out of the sport and make the problem worse instead of better.

So as I sat in the 10 degree temperatures early this past Saturday morning waiting for one of those ever increasingly expensive deer to cross my path, I came up with an idea. How about we spread the burden! Now how clever is that? And just how do we do this you ask? Well my idea stems from a recent encounter one of our hunt club members had with a young woman who was out walking her dog up near Buck Mountain in Washington County.

This young woman approached our hunting member who was dressed from head to toe in camo clothing and carrying a rifle in his hands with a pack on his back and asked him if he was out hunting. Luckily, he managed to control his usual sharp responses and simply answered that, yes he was hunting (not sun bathing) and that there were others out in the woods doing the same (seeing that it was November). The young woman responded by asking “isn’t this state land?”

“Yes,” she was assured that it was in fact state land and that she had not landed on Mars since leaving home thirty minutes earlier. She then replied, “Oh, I didn’t know you could hunt on state land. I’d better go walk my dog somewhere else where it’s safe.”

“Somewhere else where it’s safe!” Well, that comment tipped a couple of canoes in our group, I can tell you.

It was recalling this incident while shaking violently as I sat on a snow-covered log early Saturday morning waiting for the sun to come up and warm me up a bit that I came up with a simple solution (at least in part).

First, how about we get DEC to sponsor a bill in the state legislation to require that all, that’s ALL, people who enter the woods (state owned or otherwise) during any hunting season, be required to wear a prescribed amount of blaze orange outer garment. Hat-vest-jacket, who cares, so long as it’s clearly visible and worn by ALL (including Rover, the dog). Not wearing said blaze orange would result in a hefty fine of, lets say $100 for the first offense and $250 for each additional offense.

Next portion of the plan. Require that the said garments bear a DEC tag and be sold in stores throughout the state, not just the Dick’s Sporting Goods-type store, but everywhere including Stewart’s and that all the proceeds from the sales of these required garments go to a dedicated DEC tax account very similar to the current federal excise tax added to the purchase of all sporting goods.

If such a law was in place, all those who entered the woods would be easier to be seen and the burden of supporting and maintaining our wilderness would be shared instead of placed solely on the shoulders of the dwindling hunter ranks. As further justification, listen to the call for hunters to wear blaze orange and ask yourself, if a hunter needs to see another hunter while in the woods with a gun in his/her hands, should he or she also need to see some young woman out walking her dog? And shouldn’t the dog be seen equally as well or better since it is dressed in a furry coat just like a deer?

BUT, there is a major flaw in this idea…it’s just too simple.

I don’t know what’s wrong with me to think that a legislation filled with highly educated lawyers could ever support such a simple law. After all, spread the wealth-spread the burden is so anti…anti…anti…well, it’s got to be anti-something or other because it makes sense.

Have a great holiday season and I’ll see you outdoors.

You can reach Dick at rtotino@nycap.rr.com.