Make Hunting and Fishing Constitutional Rights in Washington State

[huntrights]

Kansas House sends right-to-hunt amendment to Senate
FEBRUARY 22, 2016 11:42 AM

http://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article61753437.html

[floatinghat]

I'm not far off the banning of catch and release for salmonoid fish
 
case in point was fishing in BC couple years ago, clipped fin fish could be kept but intact had to be released.   So we'd catch five intact fish for every clipped fish. 
 
Of the five released per one kept maybe one or two would survive, seals and sharks would eat the rest.
 
 
stupid

Stupid,  there are plenty of studies on the mortality of released fish.  If you know how to land a fish the mortality is low, only a few % points.   I have done a least 10 trips to lodges in BC, fish the coast and the sound a lot.   

Now where BC is messed up is their laws are weighted heavily toward commercial fishing.

[BGLEMIN]

I have always hoped for the day when I could hunt rightfully because its written into the constitution. Eating at the neighborhood restaurant is a privilege, but if I can't afford to or don't want to because I have no clue which slaughterhouse my steak came from, then by rights as a natural being I ought to be capable of providing for my own.

[huntrights]

Remember, Constitutional rights to hunt and fish must also include responsible wildlife management through sound and unbiased science to ensure healthy and sustainable wildlife populations.  That means there must be season setting, bag limits, specific numbers of permits issued, etc.  That is, the laws and practices currently in place to manage our wildlife will likely stay the same.  The difference is that the "privileges" will change to State Constitutional "rights"; that change will provide greater protections for our hunting and fishing heritage for generations to come.

To give everyone an idea of the wording used in different state Constitutions, please take a look at this list provided by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF):

https://www.nssf.org/factsheets/PDF/StateRighttoHunFish.pdf

The timing may not be right for Washington yet, but the more we learn about how other states have done it and the wording they have used, the better positioned we will be when the time does come.  There is a lot involved in such an endeavor so proper planning, and getting the right people and organizations involved will be essential.  It can also be a very expensive undertaking.  We may be a few years off, but keep this on your radar and learn as much as you can about making it happen.  That's why the updates continue to be posted.

[huntrights]

Kansas: The Right to Hunt, Fish and Trap Heads to November Ballot
FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016
https://www.nraila.org/articles/20160318/kansas-the-right-to-hunt-fish-and-trap-heads-to-november-ballot

Take a look at the wording they used:

"The people have the right to hunt, fish and trap, including by the use of traditional methods, subject to reasonable laws and regulations that promote wildlife conservation and management and that preserve the future of hunting and fishing. Public hunting and fishing shall be a preferred means of managing and controlling wildlife. This section shall not be construed to modify any provision of law relating to trespass, property rights or water resources."

A very important piece of laying the foundation for this endeavor is through outreach and education to the general, non-hunting public; they will be the major voting block that needs to have facts at their fingertips, not the emotionally-based diatribe and propaganda disseminated by anti-hunting and animal-rights zealots.

We now have Hunting Works For Washington (http://huntingworksforwa.com/) that recently entered our state.  Take a look a the website.  Do everything you can to to get the this information into the public spotlight.

Organizations like Washingtonians for Wildlife Conservation (WWC) (http://www.w4wc.org/index.html) is also very active in outreach and education activities in various public venues like the State Fair, the Sportsmen's Show, the Big Horn Show, The Big Tent Outdoor Recreation Coalition Rally Day Event, and others.  WWC works very hard to get relevant facts and information out to the public and our legislators regarding the contributions and benefits that hunting and hunters bring to wildlife conservation and wildlife management.  Consider getting your organizations to join WWC, and join as individuals or families.  WWC is a United Sportsmen's Voice in Washington and is directly linked to the Hunters Heritage Council (HHC) that lobbies on behalf of the hunting community in Washington.
 

[buckfvr]

Remember, Constitutional rights to hunt and fish must also include responsible wildlife management through sound and unbiased science to ensure healthy and sustainable wildlife populations.  That means there must be season setting, bag limits, specific numbers of permits issued, etc.  That is, the laws and practices currently in place to manage our wildlife will likely stay the same.  The difference is that the "privileges" will change to State Constitutional "rights"; that change will provide greater protections for our hunting and fishing heritage for generations to come.

To give everyone an idea of the wording used in different state Constitutions, please take a look at this list provided by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF):

https://www.nssf.org/factsheets/PDF/StateRighttoHunFish.pdf

The timing may not be right for Washington yet, but the more we learn about how other states have done it and the wording they have used, the better positioned we will be when the time does come.  There is a lot involved in such an endeavor so proper planning, and getting the right people and organizations involved will be essential.  It can also be a very expensive undertaking.  We may be a few years off, but keep this on your radar and learn as much as you can about making it happen.  That's why the updates continue to be posted.

First line alone would mean wdfw upper management and there supporters would have to go.......our predicament is on them.  Their unscientific, political, special interest serving ways of doing things have put the wild life of this state in a precarious situation.  Digging out from this pit is going to require entirely different management.

[huntrights]

NRA-Backed Right to Hunt and Fish Amendment heading to November Ballot in Indiana
THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2016

https://www.nraila.org/articles/20160324/nra-backed-right-to-hunt-and-fish-amendment-heading-to-november-ballot-in-indiana

[mfswallace]

Why not WA yet 

[huntrights]

There is lots of groundwork that needs to be done.  Only about 1 in 10 people hunt and/or fish these days.  The anti-hunting and animal-rights communities have been disseminating their emotionally-based propaganda and diatribe for a long time; that has affected the perception hunting and fishing among people that don't hunt or fish.  We, in the hunting and fishing communities, have to work to change the perception of hunting and fishing in the general population of Washington.  We have the facts to show all that hunting and fishing does for wildlife conservation, wildlife management, and the economy; it's just that most people have not had that information presented to them.  Our objective is not to convince everyone that they should start hunting and fishing, it's simply to get people to understand that hunting and fishing are truly good for wildlife conservation, wildlife management, and the economy.  The most successful wildlife conservation model in the world exists because of hunters and anglers, the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation; most people have little or no knowledge of it.

The North American Wildlife Conservation Model
http://www.rmef.org/Conservation/HuntingIsConservation/NorthAmericanWildlifeConservationModel.aspx

Hunting Works for America expanded into Washington last year (http://huntingworksforwa.com/).
Hunting Works For America Expands Presence in Pacific Northwest with Washington Chapter.
http://www.nssfblog.com/hunting-works-for-america-expands-presence-in-pacific-northwest-with-washington-chapter/

Hunting Works for Washington provides economic information that all in the hunting community can have readily available to respectfully share with non-hunters when opportunities arise.

It is also worthwhile to watch the video about the Colorado model; it shows why public education and awareness about hunting and fishing is absolutely essential.
http://nimrodsociety.org/education/

It will take lots of effort from many organizations, agencies, our legislators, and individuals; we are all in this endeavor together.  Washington hunters and anglers need to step up to the plate and get engaged in the process; our hunting and fishing heritage depends on it.

[huntrights]

RTHF News from the NRA-ILA

Right to Hunt & Fish Amendments
https://www.nraila.org/issues/hunting-and-conservation/right-to-hunt-fish-amendments/

"America’s sporting heritage is under attack like never before, by well-funded, national anti-hunting groups that want to ban all hunting, trapping and fishing. One of the ways that the NRA counters that effort is by spearheading the campaign for Right to Hunt and Fish (RTHF) state constitutional amendments. Currently, 19 states have RTHF amendments in their constitutions, protecting America’s rich outdoor heritage from well-funded efforts by national animal extremist groups to get hunting banned.

The following language serves as the model RTHF amendment, providing meaningful and permanent protections for sportsmen and science-driven wildlife management.

The citizens of this State have the right to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife, including the use of traditional methods, subject only to statutes enacted by the Legislature and regulations adopted by the designated agency [or “fish and game commission” or state-specific term] to promote wildlife conservation and management and to preserve the future of hunting and fishing. Public hunting and fishing shall be a preferred means of managing and controlling wildlife. This section shall not be construed to modify any provision of law relating to trespass or property rights.

The model language:

     Declares that the people have the right to hunt, fish and harvest wildlife, and assures that this right will not be arbitrarily curtailed by lawsuits filed by anti-hunting extremists, nor by regulations that are based solely on emotions and political correctness.

     Protects the right to hunt and fish by “traditional methods,” including the use of firearms, archery equipment, and other equipment traditionally used by hunters, trappers and fishermen.

     Subjects hunting, trapping and fishing only to statutes enacted by the legislature and regulations adopted by the fish and game commission, however designated in state law, which has expertise in wildlife conservation.

     Protects hunting, trapping and fishing from activist courts that would seek to advance the anti-hunting agenda of animal “rights” extremists, contradictory to sound, proven wildlife conservation and management practices.
 
     Protects the traditional property rights of farmers and other land owners.
 
Now is the time for sportsmen to stand together to protect our hunting heritage. Wildlife conservation and future generations of sportsmen depend on it. With new anti-hunting groups forming, existing anti-hunting groups combining forces, and activist judges waiting to rule according to their biases, rather than according to the law, the threat to America’s hunting heritage has never been greater. In the same way that anti-gun groups have tried to divide and conquer by targeting certain types of guns one at a time, anti-hunting groups will target specific forms of hunting and attempt to whittle away at America’s hunting heritage one step at a time. The radical words of Wayne Pacelle, leader of the powerful Humane Society of the United States, speak for themselves:

"We are going to use the ballot box and the democratic process to stop all hunting in the United States. . . . We will take it species by species until all hunting is stopped in California. Then we will take it state by state." - Full Cry Magazine, Oct 1, 1990

"Our opponents say hunting is a tradition. We say traditions can change." - Bozeman Daily Chronicle, Oct. 8, 1991

"If we could shut down all sport hunting in a moment, we would." - Associated Press, Dec. 30, 1991

As the largest pro-hunting organization in the world, NRA strongly supports public hunting as a preferred means of managing and controlling wildlife populations, and protects the tradition of hunting through lobbying, programs and the activism of our members. NRA stands on the front lines at the federal, state and local levels, to protect the rights of hunters and the Second Amendment rights of all gun owners. RTHF amendments are one of the most important NRA-led efforts to protect hunting today, as they will ensure that future wildlife conservation and management decisions will be based on sound science and preserve our hunting heritage for generations to come.

Currently, 19 states have RTHF amendments in their constitutions, protecting America’s rich sporting tradition from well-funded efforts by national animal extremist groups to get hunting banned.

States with NRA RTHF Model Language

State   Year of Adoption   Voter Approval
Alabama           2014                  80%
Arkansas           2010                  83%
Idaho           2012                  73%
Kentucky           2012                  84%
Mississippi   2014                  88%
Nebraska           2012                  77%
Oklahoma           2008                  80%
South Carolina   2010                  89%
Tennessee   2010                  90%
Texas           2015                  81%
 

States with Some Form of RTHF Language

State   Year of Adoption   Voter Approval
Georgia          2006                          81%
Louisiana          2004                          81%
Minnesota       1998                          77%
Montana          2004                        81%
North Dakota   2000                   77%
Vermont           1777   
Virginia           2000                   60%
Wisconsin     2003                   82%
Wyoming           2012                   85%
 

Right to Hunt & Fish in State Statute

State       
Florida       
New Hampshire       
 

Right to Fish

State       
California       
Rhode Island   "


NRA-Backed Right to Hunt and Fish Amendment heading to November Ballot in Indiana
THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2016
https://www.nraila.org/articles/20160324/nra-backed-right-to-hunt-and-fish-amendment-heading-to-november-ballot-in-indiana

Indiana: Governor Pence Approves Two Pro-Hunting Measures!
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2016
https://www.nraila.org/articles/20160323/indiana-governor-pence-approves-two-pro-hunting-measures

[Magnum_Willys]

Unfortunately in this state the best we can hope for is a don't ask don't tell policy.   

[huntrights]

It can happen if we all work together.

[huntrights]

North Carolina: Right to Hunt and Fish Legislation Introduced
THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2016

https://www.nraila.org/articles/20160526/north-carolina-right-to-hunt-and-fish-legislation-introduced

Excerpt from the article:

"Yesterday, Senate Bill 889 9http://www.ncleg.net/gascripts/BillLookUp/BillLookUp.pl?Session=2015&BillID=S889&submitButton=Go) was introduced in the North Carolina state senate.  S889 seeks to amend the North Carolina Constitution to affirm that it is a right of the public to hunt, fish and harvest wildlife as such:

The right of the people to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife, including by the use of traditional methods, shall not be infringed, subject to laws and regulations to promote wildlife conservation and management, to maintain natural resources in trust for public use, and to preserve the future of hunting and fishing. Public hunting and fishing shall be a preferred means of managing and controlling wildlife. Nothing herein shall be construed to modify any provision of law relating to eminent domain, trespass, or property rights.

Hunting, fishing, and harvesting wildlife are not only cherished North Carolinian traditions, but paired with science, are an integral part of wildlife management and conservation.  Unfortunately, misguided extremists have been trying for decades to incrementally or outright ban hunting, fishing, and harvesting wildlife.  This amendment guarantees the sporting traditions that you have enjoyed will still be around for future generations of Americans and that regulations will always be based on sound science."

[huntrights]

North Carolina: Support Right to Hunt and Fish Legislation
TUESDAY, JUNE 7, 2016

https://www.nraila.org/articles/20160607/north-carolina-support-right-to-hunt-and-fish-legislation

[huntrights]

UPDATE:

Information from the National Conference of State Legislatures
http://www.ncsl.org/research/environment-and-natural-resources/state-constitutional-right-to-hunt-and-fish.aspx

"STATE CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO HUNT AND FISH

2016 Update

Indiana and Kansas voters approved amendments their respective state constitution to include the right to hunt and fish.

Similar legislation preserving the constitutional right to hunt and fish is currently pending in Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, New York.

Nevada passed language to amend its constitution to include the right to hunt and fish in 2015, but the language will not be effective until passed by the 2017 Legislature and approved by voters at the 2018 General Election.

Colorado, Iowa, Maine, Missouri, North Carolina, West Virginia introduced legislation on the constitutional right to hunt and fish issue in 2016, but did not pass.

Oklahoma passed a similar 2016 ballot initiative to consider a constitutional amendment to secure the right to farm and ranch."


Positive local news on the subject from:
The Daily News - tdn.com

Takko, Braun seek constitutional protection for hunting, fishing
http://tdn.com/news/takko-braun-seek-constitutional-protection-for-hunting-fishing/article_bc5fc2f4-b88d-5b38-aeab-e3ae606fc6a0.html

Please support this effort as it moves forward.