Wednesday, July 17, 2013

DSOR POLL S829

Results for POLL S828
Do you agree with Gogebic Taconite's decision to hire guards armed with semi-automatic rifles and wearing camouflage from Arizona-based Bulletproof to protect their work site in Iron County?
Comments [3]

INSTANT SURVEY VOTE ON - POLL s829
Which of three proposed alternative plans for the Sauk Prairie Recreation Area do you favor
Take the POLL: VOTE!
Sauk Prairie Rec - 3 Proposed Plans - WHICH ONE ... ???

The Question: "Which of three proposed alternative plans for the Sauk Prairie Recreation Area do you favor"

WHAT do YOU think of this.
VOTE YOUR OPINION
photo c. WDNR ©2013

Public asked to comment on draft conceptual alternatives for operation of former Badger Army Ammunition Plant as the Sauk Prairie Recreation Area

FITCHBURG, Wis. – The public is invited to share their comments on the preliminary vision and goal statements and three draft conceptual alternatives prepared by Department of Natural Resources planners for future development and operation of the Sauk Prairie Recreation Area, formerly known as the Badger Army Ammunition Plant located between Baraboo and Sauk City.
Alternative 1: No action
The property will have limited public access for the nature based outdoor activities of hunting, trapping, fishing, hiking, and cross country skiing. Public access to cemeteries on the property will be maintained. No additional funding will be spent on restoration or property development. Any structures or debris left on the property at the time of the land transfer will remain. The department will restrict access if there are any public safety concerns.
Alternative 2: Ecological restoration emphasis
Under this management alternative, the primary emphasis is on restoration work of the grassland ecosystem. A variety of management tools will be used to maintain grassland and savanna. No development is proposed, and access will be limited to pedestrian use. Most remaining infrastructure, buildings and debris would be removed. Visitors would enjoy a perceived remoteness and quiet. Recreation opportunities will be limited to the nature based outdoor activities of hunting, fishing, trapping, hiking and cross country skiing. There would be limited vehicle access and no permanent DNR staff stationed at the location, interaction with DNR staff would be limited. Volunteers would promote community participation in educational activities.
Alternative 3: Outdoor recreation emphasis
Under this management alternative, the primary purpose is getting users onto the property. Visitors would be offered a variety of outdoor recreational experiences while providing interpretive and educational opportunities related to the property’s history and restoration efforts. The visitor experience will include a higher level of development and accessibility. Opportunities for the nature based outdoor activities of hunting, fishing, trapping, hiking and cross country skiing will be provided as well as opportunities for biking, horseback riding, motorized use and a shooting range, picnic areas, viewing areas and a fishing pier. This alternative also projects selectively siting and constructing (through community partnerships) a new visitor center with interpretation and education opportunities; the center could also serve as a trailhead facility near the railroad corridor, which will serve as a designated recreation corridor in the future. Areas of grassland and shrub land compatible with low-impact recreation trails would be restored.
READ MORE HERE:   Sauk Prairie Master Plan

NEXT WEEK: Results for POLL S829

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

DSORe POLL S828

Results for POLL S827
Do you support a ban on hollow-point ammunition and semi-automatic firearms as proposed by AB 221 and AB 222?
Poll Response S827, s828
Comments [3]
INSTANT SURVEY VOTE ON - POLL s828 Do you agree with Gogebic Taconite's decision to hire guards armed with semi-automatic rifles and wearing camouflage from Arizona-based Bulletproof to protect their work site in Iron County?
Take the POLL: VOTE!
Really? Camouflaged tactical assault guards ... ???
Pollpic, s828
The Question: "Do you agree with Gogebic Taconite's decision to hire guards armed with semi-automatic rifles and wearing camouflage from Arizona-based Bulletproof to protect their work site in Iron County?"WHAT do YOU think of this. VOTE YOUR OPINION photo c. BlueCheddar.net ©2013 Jim Limbach

Gogebic Taconite hires guards with assault rifles, wearing camouflage

Here is the first paragraph of a July 9 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story on this issue by reporter Jason Stein: Madison — Citing an incident of threats and vandalism a month ago, a mining company in northern Wisconsin is standing by its decision to bring in an out-of-state security company that outfits its guards with camouflage fatigues and assault rifles and calls itself "Bulletproof." READ MORE HERE: Follow-up: According to a July 11 news story on Wisconsin Public Radio, Gogebic Taconite has removed the Bulletproof guard team because the company had failed to obtain necessary permits to operate in Wisconsin. For more perspectives read:
  • Talking Points Memo | Rent-a-Paramilitaries Freak Out Wisconsin
  • BlueCheddar | Rent-a-militia pulled from proposed Wisconsin mine site. Contractor failed to obtain proper licensing from the state.

NEXT WEEK: Results for POLL S828

Thursday, April 11, 2013

DSORe POLL S815

Results for POLL S814
Do you think the TV reality show “Duck Dynasty” on the A&E Network portrays hunters in a bad light?
Results POLL S814, s815
Comments [5]

INSTANT SURVEY VOTE ON - POLL s815
Does the Spring Hearings vote on the crossbow issue clarify state sportsmen’s stand on this issue?
Take the POLL: VOTE!
Are the results clear on Crossbow use in Wisconsin ... ???

PollPic, s815
The Question: "Does the Spring Hearings vote on the crossbow issue clarify state sportsmen’s stand on this issue?"

WHAT do YOU think of this.

VOTE YOUR OPINION
photo c. Wisconsin Crossbow
Federation ©2012

Spring hearings attendees reject two crossbow-related questions

Crossbow proponents have lobbied strongly for the expansion of crossbow hunting opportunities, including staffing an informational booth at the recent Deer & Turkey Expo. At the same time, crossbow opponents have voiced strong opposition to allowing all hunters to use crossbows during the archery season. Some, however, have supported a separate crossbow season and license.
The Natural Resources Board offered two advisory questions in this year’s Spring Hearings. The introduction to Questions 66 and 67 read:
Crossbow use is currently allowed for anyone during firearm seasons for most species including deer. The use of crossbows for hunting deer outside the firearm deer seasons is limited to persons with certain disabled permits and persons over the age of 65. There has been considerable interest to expand deer hunting opportunity with crossbows outside the firearm deer seasons.
Attendees at the Wisconsin DNR Spring Fish & Wildlife Hearings rejected both proposals, one by a close vote and the other by a wide margin.
  • Proposal No. 1 would make crossbows legal for anyone to use during the archery/crossbow season, with no additional license purchase required. This proposal was narrowly rejected by a vote of 2277 for and 2479 against. It was approved in 43 counties and rejected in 28, with one county registering a tie vote.
  • Proposal No. 2 would create a separate crossbow season and license. The season would start at the same time as the archery season and run for four weeks. A separate crossbow license would be required, but hunters would be allowed to take only one buck with archery or crossbow equipment. This proposal was rejected by a statewide vote of 1263 for and 3395 against. Only two counties approved the proposal, while 70 rejected it.
Nearly half of those voting this week are ready to accord crossbows equal status with other archery equipment in the regular archery season. On the other hand, nearly three quarters of those voting stand opposed to a separate crossbow season.
Do these results send a clear signal to lawmakers and the Natural Resources Board?
Results for POLL S815

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

DSORe POLL S814

Results for POLL S813
Do you favor removing the woodchuck from Wisconsin’s protected species list and designating it as a game animal with an annual hunting season?
Poll Results S813, s814
Comments [1]

INSTANT SURVEY VOTE ON - POLL s814
Do you think the TV reality show “Duck Dynasty” on the A&E Network portrays hunters in a bad light?
Take the POLL: VOTE!
Duck Dynasty - good or bad for hunting ... ???

PollPic, s814
The Question: "Do you think the TV reality show “Duck Dynasty” on the A&E Network portrays hunters in a bad light?"

WHAT do YOU think of this.

VOTE YOUR OPINION
illustration c. A&E Network © 2013

TV series sets hunting back 50 years

In a recent issue of Ohio Outdoor News, contributor Chip Gross wrote this commentary for the Opinion Page:

By Chip Gross
It’s the number one most popular program of all time on the TV network A&E. If you haven’t yet seen it, you either don’t own a TV set or you’re smarter than I am.
The show is based around Louisiana’s Robertson family who, over a number of years, has built a very successful outdoors business under the guidance of the family patriarch, Phil Robertson, better known as the Duck Commander. The Robertsons manufacture quality duck calls and duck decoys, and also produce waterfowl-hunting videos.
When the program was first scheduled to premier a year or so ago, I was looking forward to watching it, thinking: Finally, an outdoors-oriented TV show has hit the mainstream media, that’s great! I was expecting something along the lines of American Pickers or Pawn Stars, where successful, legitimate businesses are highlighted and viewers get to take an entertaining look behind the scenes.
Instead, what we see during each half-hour episode are contrived story lines – if any at all – and outdoorsmen acting like simple-minded buffoons. In my opinion, Duck Dynasty is tarnishing the perceived image of outdoorsmen (and outdoorswomen) with the general public, setting that image back at least half a century.
It may be a generational thing. I’m now 61 years old, and have been a serious hunter and angler all my life. I know younger outdoorsmen – and some younger people who don’t hunt or fish at all – who think Duck Dynasty is an absolute hoot. They can’t get enough of the antics of Phil, his two sons Willie and Jase, Phil’s brother Uncle Si, and their wives. The show seems to have developed an almost cult following with younger viewers, no doubt to the delight of the A&E Network.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe for a minute that the Robertsons are ignorant people who simply don’t know what they’re doing. Quite to the contrary. Willie Robertson, for instance, holds a business degree and is credited with taking Duck Commander from a basement business to employing not only family members but also many in their small town.
What I am saying is that in allowing A&E to portray them as they have, the Robertsons have sold out, trading the stereotypical good ‘ol boy image of outdoorsmen for a quick buck – likely millions of bucks – and taking the rest of us down with them. I’m sure the Robertsons are laughing all the way to the bank.
Enjoy your 15 minutes of fame, Robertsons, because I can guarantee you it won’t last. The sad part is that you are tainting the image of all sportsmen and women as you do so, and that worn, inaccurate picture of most hunters and anglers will remain in the minds of millions of non-hunting Americans long after Duck Dynasty is off the air.
And for that I say shame on you, Robertsons. Shame on you.
Chip Gross, of Fredericktown, is a contributing writer for Ohio Outdoor News.
Taping of the fourth season of "Duck Dynasty" has been delayed because the Robertson family is trying to negotiate a substantial pay increase with the network and producers of the show.    READ MORE HERE:

Results for POLL S814