If you remember waaayyyyyy back on like page 9 or something I said there were two bottom lines, one on spreading disease and one on enforcement. When they shared the pics of the tree stands with bait in front of them I became incensed. I was pissed off. I felt like I had been personally violated. Who has the balls to do that and get away with it? Don’t you wanna see them busted? Don’t you wanna see the poachers that are thumbing their noses at the rest of us who hunt within the law get their comeuppance? I want those jerks busted, fined and hunting privileges gone. IN MY OPINION the new law will help the CO bust these poachers back to the stone age. So yes, I am quite passionate about it. I am not trying to tie enforcement into disease spreading. It just happens that some of the pics are of grain/hay and some are mineral.
The term “stands to reason” keeps haunting me. It is the same as “empirical knowledge”. It “stands to reason” (Bonker reason) that minerals will help develop a deer herd even though there is evidence that it may not. It also “stands to reason” (again, Bonker reason) that diseases are spread through several deer licking the same area over and over even though there is evidence it may not. So how do I reconcile the two reasonable possibilities of mineral licks? I wanna believe there is no risk of disease spread by mineral licks, but I just can’t. Shredder I know you’re a veterinarian and have a solid knowledge base in regard to spread of disease so I respect your opinion. I’m a nurse so I too have a basic understanding of how diseases are spread and I see a mineral lick as a petri dish full of agar just waiting to grow germs. Germs, viruses and prions just waiting for the next healthy deer to come along and get whatever disease the last deer to visit that site had.
Back to the enforcement part, I don’t get angry easy or often but those pictures just push my button. So it is out of anger in the guise of passion that I want the poachers to be caught by the most efficient and effective means possible and banning wildlife feeding, to me, is the most efficient and effective means possible.
Bonker, where do I start? I have sat mute for the last week or so on this issue, but you have just completely come back to the reason I was upset about this in the first place. I agree with you and it pisses me off as well that people get away with the things that they do in any aspect of life, not just hunting. BUT this is where my original point comes in. Where does it stop after this? I spoke with another member of the IBA board last week and in the course of our conversation he mentioned that he hated when people name the deer on their trail cam pics and that he didn't use them(cams). He spoke of them like they have ruined the hunting industry and should be done away with. So my point is that this is a personal agenda of a few fellows in an elected position. When you take on the title of IBA board member it is your duty to leave personal agenda's out of your decision making. I'm sorry if it enraged you when you saw those photos, but you should have taken a deep breath and thought things through as well as taken into consideration all of the people that utilize this resource LEGALLY. This whole thread has been about peoples personal feelings and what they think is wrong or right or ethical. That is not what this is about! This is about enacting another meaningless law that will serve absolutely no purpose and only cause more time and effort by our CO"s to enforce. The same people that pissed you off in the first place are still going to piss you off! And yes this could make it easier to catch THOSE people, but think of how many thousands of guys are still going to be putting out corn and minerals on their land that will require the CO"s to pursue, now that that is illegal as well. I appreciate you finally coming out after 42 pages and admitting that this is a personal agenda of yours because you got mad and acted on a whim! I personally could care less if I can't put corn out for my cams next year, and it will not effect my hunting in the least bit, but like I said before that is not what this is about. I just don't want this to snowball and turn into a group of guys with to much power banning everything just because they don't like it, or use it! I don't see the IBA turning into that and I will continue to support it, I just ask when you are in these meetings to check you personal feelings at the door.
Thanks for representing us and keep up the good work! :way: