Ted Williams - 2006

2006-03-25

Note to All Participants

This blog, along with my ailing computer, will be down and inactive for the best part of next week -- March 27-31. However, please continue to post your comments. All comments must be checked by me before posting, and this I will do as soon as computer and blog are up and running again -- Sat. at the very latest. Thanks, and have a good week. Best, Ted

Posted at 10:09 PM in Ted Williams Blog | Permalink | Comments

2006-03-25

BEARS WITHOUT BAIT

This piece, by one of the most respected hunting writers in the United States, gives the lie to those who proclaim that the public outcry against bear baiting is the work of the “antis” or that fair-chase bear hunting is too difficult and time-consuming for average hunters. Petersen hunts more and better than any person I have ever known. And he has left more bootprints in bear country than any dozen last-gasp proponents of the dying “sport” of “garbage hunting.” About 3055 words; c 2004 David L. Petersen BEARS WITHOUT BAIT by David Petersen With the voters of more and more states taking to the polls to outlaw spring bear seasons and baiting, and with a growing number of hunters freely choosing to find a more rewarding way to...

Posted at 01:07 PM in Ted Williams Blog | Permalink | Comments

2006-03-25

The War on Varmints

"That other wild creatures and domestic animals may live." The War on Varmints by Ted Williams The word "vermin" -- progenitor of "varmint" -- was hatched by game keepers on the grouse moors of England. "What isn't game must be vermin," went the dictum. Such attitudes, still prevalent today among Europe's landed gentry, migrated to the New World where they eventually were challenged. In 1928, for example, the National Association of Audubon Societies (later renamed the National Audubon Society) complained about a British game keeper who shot nightingales because, as he said, "they kept the young Pheasants awake!" Another British game keeper, transported to New York State, was reported by the association to habitually crush the eggs of vesper sparrows in order to...

Posted at 11:55 AM in Ted Williams Blog | Permalink | Comments

2006-03-25

Panther Politics

Emblazoned on everything from license plates to a pro hockey team logo, the Florida panther is a popular symbol of the state's wild beauty. But when it comes to actually heeding sound science to save the endangered species' habitat, the public lacks the will to stop developers. Panther Politics By Ted Williams The Florida panther, an endangered subspecies of cougar, is a creature of big, wild country. Once it prowled most of our Southeast, but now it's restricted to southwest Florida. There are about 100 left. "This animal is on a collision course with extinction," declared Larry Richardson of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) on the steaming afternoon of June 21, 2004, as we bounced on a big-wheeled swamp buggy through and past oak hammocks, slash pine, cabbage palm,...

Posted at 09:53 AM in Ted Williams Blog | Permalink | Comments

2006-03-25

Management by Majority

Leave fish and wildlife management to the professionals--when they act professional. http://www.furcommission.com/resource/perspect95.htm

Posted at 09:43 AM in Ted Williams Blog | Permalink | Comments

2006-03-25

Heard Around the Nation 7

A word about this regular section: It contains only outrageous, outlandish, and disturbing pontification. Any sensible, progressive, or intelligent statement will be instantly punted into cyberspace. Lovely folks, these motorheads. This from Dale Freitas, President of the New Jersey Off Highway Vehicle Association in the chatroom “Thumpertalk”: “Hey Guys: Unfortunately we live in the North East and are under attach [sic] by the Greenies. This isn’t about noise, it’s about the total elimination of Off Highway Recreation as we know it. It’s happening all over the country. It’s not an issue of closed course verse public land...It’s about CONTROL! They want to CONTROL everything we do and where we go. These fricking...

Posted at 09:30 AM in Ted Williams Blog | Permalink | Comments

2006-03-24

Tony Dean on the Endangered Species Act

http://www.tonydean.com/articles.html?sectionid=7375

Posted at 08:50 PM in Ted Williams Blog | Permalink | Comments

2006-03-24

Vermonter Starts Petition To Name Mountain 'Brokeback'

http://www.thewmurchannel.com/news/8221164/detail.html

Posted at 11:35 AM in Ted Williams Blog | Permalink | Comments

2006-03-24

Dumb and Dumber

Thanks to my friend Shawn for letting me post this excellent piece. Published in Minnesota Outdoor News June 24, 2005 Points North Dumb and Dumber: Legislature, lobbies erode hunter safety By Shawn Perich Believe it or not, the Minnesota Legislature actually accomplished something during its regular session, including the passage of a laundry list of fish and wildlife legislation. Perusing the list in a recent news story, a couple of line items caught my eye. These legislative actions deserve mention. First was the law change to make the .30 Carbine (M-1) a legal caliber for big game. This was a surprise, since generations of Minnesotans (including WWII and Korean vets who had military experience with the caliber) considered the .30 Carbine inadequate...

Posted at 10:32 AM in Ted Williams Blog | Permalink | Comments

2006-03-24

More on Norton's "Conservation Council."

As one friend from TU says: "Norton has redfined 'sportsmen' to exclude anglers." Hal has written some great stuff, inc. for Field & Stream, one hook-and-bullet mag that has bootstrapped itself to relevancy and decency under the inspired leadership of Sid Evans. I wish I could share Hal’s semi-enthusiasm for Mealey or his idea that this council -- despite the participation of Jim Mosher and several other decent folks -- can ever be more than a sham. http://www.newwest.net/index.php/main/comment/7186/

Posted at 09:48 AM in Ted Williams Blog | Permalink | Comments