The winter months for many people mean a period of hibernation or a slow-down in their workload. This, however, is not the case for the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance (USSA) as your rights to hunt, fish and trap are squarely in the crosshairs of the animal rights lobby and show no signs of slowing down. Here are some examples of issues in which we have been or are currently working.
Maine sportsmen continue to feel the heat from anti-hunting forces as their ability to bear hunt with bait and dogs, as well as bear trapping is being threatened. The group “Mainers for Fair Bear Hunting” initially reported raising $85,000 in its quest to send the issue to the ballot in 2014. Despite their saying this is being led by Maine citizens, only $881 had been contributed from anyone other than the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the country’s largest animal rights organization.
Wolf management in the Great Lakes continues to see pressure from animal rights groups, as the HSUS and a litany of other anti-hunting organizations have an ongoing lawsuit to overturn the delisting of the gray wolf under the Endangered Species Act. Wolves in the Great Lakes region were removed from protected status by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service after greatly exceeding population goals set to signify their recovery.
In Michigan, out-of-state animal rights groups are raising funds to stop wolf management efforts. A group operating under the name “Keep Michigan Wolves Protected” initially raised more than half-million dollars to put the issue on the 2014 ballot. As is the case in Maine, HSUS has been a major out-of-state contributor to the campaign.
In California, Governor Jerry Brown recently signed a statewide ban on traditional lead ammunition for hunting. As the first state in the nation to take such unnecessary action, California continues to be number one in working to strip sportsmen’s rights to hunt, fish and trap.
Across the country, the USSA will continue to work as the “sportsmen’s watchdog”, dedicated to fight any legislation that threatens your outdoor heritage.
