For many years it has been illegal to do more than field dress deer taken on a Louisiana WMA. No one could quarter and pack a deer out leaving only footprints yet rules confining ATVs to designated trails were thrown out the window allowing hunters riding them access to downed deer on foot trails, rutting them and leading to erosion. I have been complaining at Wildlife and Fisheries State Headquarters here in Baton Rouge for years in person and by email. No one had ever been able to explain the logic in the rule.
Last March I happened to catch the Director of the Enforcement Division in and available and he heard my complaint. He said he thought I was mistaken and I showed him the wording in the regulation pamphlet. He read it and said "Damn, that's not right" and I told him I couldn't agree more. He told me that "Mandatory Deer Check Hunts" were the only days field dressing only should apply in order to allow weighing. He assured me he would work with the State Legislative Committee to change the regulation. I did not think about it again until a few days ago and when I checked sure enough, just as he said the regulations have been changed. There is only one of these "deer check" days during the 10/1 through 12/31 Archery season on the WMA that I sometimes hunt.
I talked to a lot of people through this process and as is often the case with government agencies, it was amazing how easy it came about when you get to the right person. I certainly appreciate the Director's efforts in making this change happen. Now I guess I need to get another pack frame, I got discouraged a couple of years ago and gave mine away. And I guess I'll have to get out and kill a deer in order to use it.
Good for you! I can't imagine what the thought process was when it required you to take the whole animal in for checking in! But I suspect a lot of those existing rules will go out the window when they allow tele a check systems. Just one small way the world is getting better while the rest is going to HECK!
My state is normally 20 years behind the rest of the world, which will come in handy when the rapture comes! But even this state has allowed checking in the hide and head for some years. I haven't drug a deer since!
Good on you, Brother. Righting a wrong on behalf of others is the American way.
Glad to hear this even if I don't live in Louisiana anymore! Doing what's right has no end! :thumbsup:
Congratulations
Good job! Wheels of government turn slowly, and generally need to be greased in order to move in this state, if one goes by history!
Good work indeed. With current trends and societies allure with achieving great success with minimal effort its up to individuals like yourself and others to ensure that logic, tradition, ethics, and stewardship among other aspects remain the hallmarks of hunting and fishing. Too many people talk about preservation in my opinion. Its not just about "preserving" what we have, its also about improving what we have so that future generations have the same or even better opportunities than we do now. Guys like you show that not everyone is about punching a tag and getting home before kick off, and in my opinion thats exactly who we NEED making these adjustments and amendments to the policies.
Lucas, I could not agree more concerning the type of people we should hope to have setting hunting regulations. I don't know about other states but here in LA. the State Legislature passes into law the regulations that Sportsmen have to abide by and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has to enforce. There is certainly in-put during the process from Wildlife and Fisheries but Manufacturer's Lobbyists and organizations such as the N.R.A. and others also have access to and input with the State's Legislators. They are extremely powerful and well-funded and their agenda concerns profits, not sportsmanship and this system is how Louisiana has ended up with a Crossbow season instead of an Archery Season. Another example is how the state's Black Powder Season has evolved into the current "Primitive Weapons Season" where a scoped, single shot, center fire rifle in calibers such as .35 Whelen among others is legal. On a bit of a different note, I have a daughter who is profoundly handicapped. I have in the past lobbied a number of State Legislators on issues affecting her. My dealings with them while not always, were for the most part discouraging. I find little comfort in having elected officials dumber than I am or at least convincing enough to make me believe they were. Jim
Mississippi WMA deer are to be brought out whole.