Hunting Signs

[2manycows]

Your're darn right about that. If 1 guy can spend 700,000 for 2 trips to Canada, then he sure the hell has some money to throw at some senator or government official. Sure, there are people who make their living from the hunting sector, but I'll sure as hell bet there aren't as many of them in as bad a shape as the cattlemen in this country. It's true, many times you have to hurt one industry to save another, but I don't see anywhere in our industry that you can apply for unemployment, welfare. The big "payouts" did'nt go where they should have, so why can't we put some fire in some peoples shorts?? I most likely will do no good, but for every one person that would go back to the US and tell one person etc..............
Maybe opening the border is not the real answer, I truly think that we should be looking after ourselves first and doing something here instead of waiting for the all mighty border to open, God knows if that will ever happen, we should, as Canadians, stand up for ourselves, let people know we are here.

[cakadu]

You're right - there isn't much that is fair about the BSE situation.

Hurting someone who guides for a living - who may employ one or two others - seems to be a far cry from the big oil or hydro industries. The money for the tag is paid to the government - the guide takes them out to get it and is paid based on what he/she offers as services.

I don't have any idea of who pays for these tags, but I have a sneaking suspicion it is someone who likely doesn't have much in the way of concerns when it comes to food or anything else for that matter.

[oxbow]

The tip for tap response is certainly human, which also means it may not be exactly rational. First, Amazed, there are no mainstream consumer groups to speak for the great majority of consumers. Food consumers in the US and Canada enjoy so much high quality, low priced food that there is no mainstream food consumer group. RCALF has aligned with fringe Kooks, and this will play poorly with potential membership from the country.

Second, beef producers are not the pay to hunt guys, they are middle aged uppermiddle management bald fat white guys. The more you soak them, the more fun they convince themselves they had.

Third, instead of wacking Canadian beef, we've increased carcasses enough to add a similar amount to the supply while maintaining a market depressing unknown (how much how fast when the border opens).

Finally, when you are fighting for survival it is understandable yet dangerous to get stuck in a fight the world mentality. If you know much about US citizens, ambivalance describes 60%. If Time or People ran a story about the bse crisis in Canada, Americans would mostly supporrt Canada, and tourism would go crazy.

[cswilson]

Yeah don't think this will accomplish much but get your localbusiness p.o.ed at you. A lot of little Sask.hotels make their year off hunting season. I've guided lots of Amercans and most were blue collar guys. This $700,000 dollar guy is as rare as the purebred breeder who spends $1,000,000 on a bull. Another thing alot of you don't realize is that most of the meat is sent to food banks or local church groups at least our camps was.I bet alot of hunter's would buy a BIG C membership if you asked them.

[cowman]

This is a dumb idea...in my humble opinion! Sort of along the same line as the brightlights who vandalized the American farmers trucks at the farm sale? This sends a negative message to people who are just trying to have some fun?
I've said it before and I'll say it again...The Americans aren't doing anything wrong! They are just taking care of business and looking out for their interests. It is our own useless government that we should be angry with? Food safety and International trade are the federal governments responsibility. They have failed on both counts and have done little about it? What could they have done? Well what would the US do if we tried to pull this crap on them? Perhaps retaliate, big time?
I wonder how long it would take if we closed the border to everything, until we got their attention? One day or two?
Americans are not evil or something, but sometimes they do need a reality check? They seem to think they are God or something and have a devine right to rule the world. I suspect it is all that patriotic crap they get fed as kids?

[nerves]

Ok this is something I know about I work for an outfitter and guide for Bighorn sheep. Most sheep hunts sell for thirteen to fifteen thousand U.S. currancy. This 700,000 thousand dollar bighorn is a chance to hunt sheep in the rut in Alberta most people go to Cadamin out by Hinton. Any new outfitters would have to buy the tags usally 4 to a drainge from 30 to 40 thousand a tag one time and then pay a lease fea to goverment every year. The goverment can also pull tags from the outfitter at any time if they feel the sheep numbers are getting low. The people I have guided have been doctors, lawyers, developers etc. They are good people and don"t understand this border closer. The last guy I guided asked me if there was any thing he could bring up for me. I told him the best thing he could do for me would be open up the border. He said he could"nt even get his kids to listen to him how is he going to get goverment to listen to him. I get paid 140.00 /day for 2, fourteen day hunts. Hard work absolutly but a change is also good to get rid of stress.

[les]

I dont let in outfitters to hunt on my land...not because of BSE but because I cant charge for the hunt. I am paying the morgage and all else that goes with owning farmland.All I get out of it is tire tracks across my land,and all too often cows runnin down the road. Maybe if the government would let us charge a small fee it would be different.

[cswilson]

They built a new swimming pool here a few years ago and were talking about surcharging the rural people because we don't pay town taxes-I asked if it was o.k. if I put up a toll booth for all the road hunters we get around here to help me pay my share. Landowners aren't looking to get rich fromhunting but we should't have to put on a free party for everybody.

[cakadu]

Nerves, I'm told that the chances of getting into Cadamin are far less than 1%. My husband has been applying to get in there for years and has never been drawn. He did luck out a few years ago and get drawn for 412 down by Canmore, but came home with nothing because it wasn't "THE" one.

I know of a couple of other producers that guide in the hunting season and likely for the same reasons you do - a bit of money and a big change of scenery.
A new vantage point does help to change ones outlook on life.

I'm in agreement with some of the others - just because we've been hurt, doesn't mean we need to lash out at others, even though it sure might feel good for a few minutes.

Too many consumers are at least one generation if not two, three or more, removed from where their food comes from.

We had friends down in the U.S. for many months this past year and if it wasn't for phoning home to us here in Canada, they would never have known what was going on with the BSE mess and they actively looked for news of it down there.

People are as informed as they want to be and for a good portion of consumers, if it is still making it to the shelves and if they aren't being charged more for it, then there isn't a problem, right?

[ivbinconned]

If you want to take out your frustrations on somebody, take it out on the federal liberals.
Support every Alberta Sepratist candidate you can.

Take note Ontario's packer Better Beef is 100% Canadian owned...could it be that if there had not been the billions drained from alberta over the years there just might be more Canadian owned packers in western Canada!!

I think I am going to sell hunting permits to a limited number of hunters for access to my land. We will call it a trespass fee.