This is a guest opinion. Those opinions expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the opinions of myself or the owners/administrators of the Black Bear Blog and U.S. Hunting Today.

Here in Pennsylvania we have realized a dream come true. We have an issue that affects each and every person who dwells here or travels through. It is a health issue, it is an economic issue and it is a recreation and tradition issue. It affects urban and rural folks, property, highways, forests, farms and personal health.
A historic, unbiased and non-partisan, state agency has studied this issue with a staff of nearly 60, degreed professionals and hundreds of school-certified, field personnel.
In addition several universities, accomplished authors, consultants from other states, private organizations and learned individuals have studied, researched and documented their findings on this same issue.
To this cadre of incredibly impressive professional input, add now, a few hundred thousand of Pennsylvania’s most experienced laymen and women who are involved in this issue in a “hands on” way, and who also concur with the educated masses. Among the scholars, the technicians and the informed, blue collar masses, there exists “total” agreement. Unanimity!
Why then would some state legislators rebel in complete contrast to all of the conclusively unanimous and cooperative findings of the millions spent and of these thousands of people?
Because, the agency charged with stewardship and solving these problems is one legislators have tried in the past go get control of but have failed. It is the bus legislators can’t drive, it is the food they can’t eat and the bed they can’t sleep in.
It is the Pennsylvania Game Commission and it is assigned stewardship of 467 species of wildlife and supporting habitat. It is not the “Pennsylvania Deer Commission” and not the “Pennsylvania Hunting Commission.”
Since February there have been roughly a dozen quickly drafted House Bills all designed to, in some manner, usurp the decision making ability from the Game Commission. At the crux of this is a small, but extremely vocal group who filed a lawsuit to force the commission to change policy. That lawsuit was thrown out with other frivolous and self-serving trash.
On the heels of that failure, came a flurry of legislation to allow everything from private landowners to shoot bears, deer or turkeys and other critters, with or without a license, night or day on any day, to a bill that would prevent conservation law enforcement personnel from using existing, proven tactics for catching poachers.
There are bills that would allow placing bait for bears, turkeys or deer in hunting seasons and then shooting those animals when they come and go to feed on the bait.
There are bills that would let legislators determine who and for how long, unpaid game commissioners could serve.
The game commission has followed the findings of all of the professionals mentioned in my opening remarks. The plan is working but, unbelievably there is even a bill in the making to return to the failed ways that previously diminished the health of forests and wildlife!
Additionally, recent press releases indicate there are bills in the formulation process that would remove the game commission from setting seasons or bag limits and basically leave it up to neighborhood residents to decide.
The message being sent is that the millions spent, and the hundreds of thousands of hours of work by dedicated professionals are insignificant. More importantly, it is that ecology, conservation and responsible stewardship are not worthy of consideration. That translates to, “We” are not worthy of consideration.
We need to email, call or write our legislators and tell them, it is not their turn to drive this bus. The course they are plotting leads directly toward a cliff.
Bob Fuhrman
Wyalusing, PA

Tom Remington

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