MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • November 24, 2024
How can the impulse to protect the environment be consistent with the act of killing wildlife? Hunters were some of the first conservationists. Sportsmen like Teddy Roosevelt and Gifford Pinchot were champions for transformational legislation like the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, which regulated hunting seasons and set “bag limits” on how many game birds could be shot per day. Hunters also offered vital support for the Pittman-Robertson Act of 1937, which created an excise tax on the sale of firearms, ammunition and fishing gear. Funds raised are returned to the states, where they support professional wildlife management and state-owned recreational lands. The economic impact of hunting in Maine is estimated at nearly $400 million. There is concern that a decline in hunting will hinder conservation efforts. To address this, new mentoring programs seek to engage young people in hunting. ~ Ed Robinson, author of the Nature Notes from Maine book series