Page 57 - Flathead Beacon // 9.21.16

MOUNTAIN EXPOSURE
OUTDOORS IN BRIEF
SUN ROAD WORK MEANS VISITORS SHOULD EXPECT DELAYS
Visitors to Glacier National Park should expect delays as work crews begin rehabilitation work to replace and repair stone veneer and guardrails damaged by avalanches.
Flaggers will be manning the Going-to-the-Sun Road’s west tunnel during daytime vis- itation hours to direct one-way tra c, while a temporary tra c light will control the ow of vehi- cles at night.
Repairs have also begun on
guardwalls damaged in avalanches, with work primarily focused on areas below Oberlin Bend.
Expect 15-minute delays with one-lane tra c control during day- light hours and tra c-control lights at night. Further work requiring tra c control will take place in various spots throughout September, including work between Apgar and Lake McDonald Lodge on the west side and work at the St. Mary Entrance, with tra c diverted through the visitor center parking area on the east side.
Going on an adventure? If you would like to be featured in “Mountain Exposure,” email information to news@ atheadbeacon.com.
OUT OF BOUNDS ROB BREEDING
WHEN HUNTING EWAS COOL
VERYONE USED TO HUNT. AT least, it seemed that way.
Gary Cooper palled around with Ernest Hemingway in Sun Valley, Idaho, during hunting season. Sophia Loren was a bird hunter with a fondness for Brittanys.
Even more important than celebs are rank-and- le hunters. There’s no argu- ing that hunters make up a declining per- centage of the population; it’s an inevita- ble outcome of the increasingly urban makeup of our country. City folk don’t easily become hunters, especially when they have to drive hours through tra c to get to some open country.
Faced with those obstacles, we might all resort to hanging out in hipster bars downtown, washing down artisan pick- les with craft beer. Hunting is hard when you’re in the city, and 80 percent of the U.S. population now lives in urban areas.
The total number of hunters is down, having peaked at 16.8 million in 1982. The good news is that the numbers are fairly stable. In 2015 there were 14.8 million paid hunting license holders in the United States, according to data compiled by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (229,317 in Montana). Even though the overall num- bers have slowly declined over the last 30 years, it seems to have stabilized in the 14-15 million range for the last decade or so.
There’s a similar tale to tell with sh- ing. There were 28.5 million shing license holders in the U.S. in 2015. That number topped out at 31.5 million in 1988.
Remember, while the number of hunt- ers and anglers is down a bit in the last few decades, the overall population has grown dramatically.
Even though the number of hunt- ers and anglers is relatively static, there remains cause for concern. American hunters look much like they always have: we’re mostly male, white and live in rural areas. There’s nothing wrong with being any of those things, and I’m not just say- ing that because I qualify on all accounts.
But we need to be mindful of the fact that the overall population ts that descrip- tion less and less every year.
Should we care? Absolutely. As men- tioned, most U.S. citizens now live in urban areas, women outnumber men and 40 percent of the population are minori- ties. Despite that, it’s the simple truth that virtually all of my hunting com- panions over the years have been white males. The same holds true for partici- pants on most television hunting shows.
That’s not so much the case with angler buddies. In fact, when I became a mem- ber of the Deep Creek Fly shers back in Southern California some 30 years ago, that was a pretty diverse group.
All these diverse folks are voters. Most of them don’t care one way or the other about hunting, as long as it is perceived as ethical and re ecting Fair Chase princi- ples, even if they’ve never heard the term “fair chase.”
The best way to ensure those folks don’t move from the neutral to the anti-hunting camp is to convert them ourselves. We need to turn more women, minorities and millennials into hunters; it inoculates them from the disease the anti-hunting mentality represents.
Hunters and anglers still foot the bill for wildlife conservation in this country, including about $1,000 I’ll spend this year for licenses. I’ll also contribute excise taxes when I pick up ammo, and possibly a new 20 gauge.
The problem is that the demands on state sh and wildlife agencies grow more complex every year, and the responsibil- ities for managing non-game animals threatens to overwhelm what are some of our most e cient government agencies.
We need to line up a new set of celeb- rities to add some glamor to our cause. I know many are fond of Gonzo hunter Ted Nugent, but his uncompromising beliefs don’t play well with non-hunt- ers. We need to nd a better way to speak with non-hunters. The future of hunting depends on it.
MEET JASON ELLIOT
• In the Jan/San Industry since 1991, extensive factory training
• Married to my bride almost 26 years. Enjoy volunteering
• Specialize in oor care, dish/laundry, green cleaning and improving air quality
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SEPTEMBER 21, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
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