The Effects of Democrats, Republicans and Election Years on Re-Instating Hunting Seasons
According to the resume of the Congressional Activity: “Congress tends to introduce fewer bills during an election year, but passes nearly twice as many bills during an election year.
In the early 1900’s most states banned wild turkey hunting and around 25 banned mourning dove hunting. Most of these bans were reversed between 1970 and 1995. Today, wild turkey hunting is allowed in 49 states and mourning dove hunting is allowed in 41 states.
While turkey hunting was easily re-instated, mourning dove hunting was contested.
This report is not a comprehensive survey of every re-instated hunting season; however, it details the political climate surrounding the reinstatement of hunting seasons for a variety of game; large and small, furred and feathered in different states throughout the US.
Based on the findings, we conclude that political majority does not influence reinstatement of hunting seasons and hunters need to work with both political parties and seek bi-partisan legislation.
ASPCA Lawsuit against NY DEC
Gubernatorial Election year? Yes
State Legislature Election year? Yes
Governor: Mario Cuomo, Democrat
State Senate Majority: Republican
State Assembly Majority: Democrat
DEC Commissioner: Thomas C. Jorling
FYI: In 1990, hunting black bear with dogs was legalized in NY. However, the ASPCA (American Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) took the NY DEC to court over the use of dogs in bear hunting and the court enjoined any bear hunting with dogs in NY.
Colorado
Spring Black Bear Hunting 2012
Gubernatorial Election year? No
Governor: John Hickenlooper, Democrat
State Senate Majority: Democrat
State Assembly Majority: Democrat
FYI:
Connecticut
Black Bear Pending Approval 2015
Gubernatorial Election year? No
Governor: Dannel P. Malloy, Democrat
State Senate Majority: Democrat
State Assembly Majority: Democrat
Wild Turkey 1981
Election year? No
FYI:
Delaware
Wild Turkey 1991
Gubernatorial Election year? No
Governor: Pierre S. Du Pont, Republican
State Senate Majority: Democrat
State Assembly Majority: Republican
FYI:
Falconry - Nationwide
Presidential Election year? 2008-Yes
President of the USA: George W. Bush preceding Barack Obama
US Senate Majority: Even
US Congress Majority: Democrat
Secretary of the US Department of the Interior: Sally Jewell succeeded Ken Salazar
Director of the US Fish and Wildlife Service: Dan Ashe
Election year?
Governor:
State Senate Majority:
State Assembly Majority:
DEC Commissioner:
FYI: NY DEC website indicates: ”Sport Falconry Legalized in the 1970s”. New federal regulations (50 CFR 21.29); phased out federal permitting for falconry/hawking and delegate that responsibility to the individual states. This change was adopted in 2008 and allowed states time to develop a falconry program. In the interim, the USFWS would continue to issue federal permits. Most of the states, including New York, had developed a falconry program and permitting system between January 2010 and January 2012.
Florida
Black Bear 2015
Gubernatorial Election year? No
Governor: Rick Scott, Republican
State Senate Majority: Republican
State Assembly Majority: Republican
FYI:
Illinois
Bobcat 2014 pending
Gubernatorial Election year? Yes
Governor: Pat Quinn, Democrat
State Senate Majority: Democrat
State Assembly Majority: Democrat
FYI:
Indiana
Mourning Dove 1984
Gubernatorial Election year? Yes
Governor: Robert D. Orr, Republican
State Senate Majority: unknown
State Assembly Majority: unknown
FYI:
Iowa
Mourning Dove 2011
Gubernatorial Election year? No
Governor: Terry L. Branstad, Republican
State Senate Majority: Democrat
State Assembly Majority: Republican
FYI:
Massachusetts
Wild Turkey 1980
Gubernatorial Election year? No
Governor: Edward J. King, Democrat
State Senate Majority: unknown
State Assembly Majority: unknown
FYI:
Michigan
Wild Turkey 1965
Gubernatorial Election year? NO.
Governor: 1965 George W. Romney: Republican
1965 Senate Majority: Democrat
1965 Assembly Majority: Democrat
FYI:
Mourning Dove 2004
Gubernatorial Election year? No
Governor: Jennifer Granholm, Democrat
State Senate Majority: Republican
State Assembly Majority: Republican
FYI: Mourning dove hunting banned again in 2006. In 2006, the Senate Majority and the Assembly Majority was Republican. That year was an election year. Incumbent Democrat Governor Jennifer Granholm was reelected.
Minnesota
Mourning Dove 2004
Gubernatorial Election year? No
Governor: Tim Pawlenty, Republican
State Senate Majority: Democrat
State Assembly Majority: Republican
FYI:
National Wildlife Refuges
National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act 1997
Presidential Election year? No, 1996 was election year
President of the USA: Bill Clinton, Democrat
US Senate Majority: Republican
US Congress Majority: Republican
Secretary of the US Department of the Interior: Bruce Babbitt
Director of the US Fish and Wildlife Service: Jamie Rappaport Clark
FYI: In 1997, Congress passed the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act. This law also clarified management priorities by declaring that certain wildlife-dependent recreational uses are appropriate activities on refuges.
Priority Public Uses
The National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act also declares that compatible wildlife dependent recreational uses are legitimate and appropriate priority general public uses of the Refuge System. There are six uses— hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and photography, and environmental education and interpretation—that receive enhanced consideration in planning and management over all other general public uses of the Refuge System. When compatible, these wildlife-dependent recreational uses are to be strongly encouraged.
50 CFR 32.2 - What are the requirements for hunting on areas of the National Wildlife Refuge System?
CFR
Updates
Authorities (U.S. Code)
§ 32.2 What are the requirements for hunting on areas of the National Wildlife Refuge System?
The following provisions shall apply to each person while engaged in public hunting on areas of the National Wildlife Refuge System:
(a) Each person shall secure and possess the required State license.
(b) Each person 16 years of age and older shall secure and possess a Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp while hunting migratory waterfowl.
(c) Each person shall comply with the applicable provisions of Federal law and regulations including this subchapter and the current Federal Migratory Bird Regulations.
(d) Each person shall comply with the applicable provisions of the laws and regulations of the State wherein any area is located unless further restricted by Federal law or regulation.
(e) Each person shall comply with the terms and conditions authorizing access or use of wildlife refuges, including the terms and conditions under which hunting permits are issued.
(f) Each person must comply with the provisions of any refuge-specific regulations governing hunting on the wildlife refuge area. Regulations, special conditions, and maps of the hunting areas for a particular wildlife refuge are available at that area's headquarters. In addition, refuge-specific hunting regulations for migratory game bird, upland game, and big game hunting appear in §§ 32.20 through 32.72.
(g) The use of any drug on any arrow for bow hunting on national wildlife refuges is prohibited. Archers may not have arrows employing such drugs in their possession on any national wildlife refuge.
(h) The unauthorized distribution of bait and the hunting over bait is prohibited on wildlife refuge areas. (Baiting is authorized in accordance with State regulations on national wildlife refuges in Alaska).
(i) The use of nails, wire, screws or bolts to attach a stand to a tree, or hunting from a tree into which a metal object has been driven to support a hunter is prohibited on wildlife refuge areas.
(j) The use or possession of alcoholic beverages while hunting is prohibited.
(k) You may possess only approved nontoxic shot while in the field, which we identify in 50 CFR 20.21(j), while on Waterfowl Production Areas, or on certain other areas of the National Wildlife Refuge System as delineated on maps, leaflets and/or signs, available at each refuge headquarters or posted at each refuge, or as stated in refuge-specific regulations. Where we allow turkey and deer hunting, you may use slugs and shot containing lead to hunt these species unless prohibited by refuge-specific regulations and/or State law.
(l) The refuge-specific regulations (§ 32.20 through § 32.72) may include the items discussed in § 32.3(b). Refuge permits and brochures should also include those items and any special conditions allowed by paragraph (f) of this section.
[58 FR 5064, Jan. 19, 1993, as amended at 63 FR 46914, Sept. 3, 1998; 65 FR 30777, May 12, 2000; 67 FR 58943, Sept. 18, 2002]
The Case for Hunting on National Wildlife Refuges
Harvey K. Nelson, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1986
http://animalstudiesrepository.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=acwp_hmap
New Jersey
Spring wild turkey hunting 1981
Gubernatorial Election Year: YES
1981 Governor Brenden Byrne: Democrat
1981 Senate Majority: Democrat
1981 Assembly Majority: Democrat
Fall wild turkey hunting season 1997
Gubernatorial Election Year? YES
1997 Governor Christie Todd Whitman: Republican
1997 Senate Majority: Republican
1997 Assembly Majority: Republican
New Jersey Black Bear
Black Bear reinstated 2003
Gubernatorial Election Year: No
Governor: Jim McGreevey, Democrat
Senate Majority: Even, no majority
Assembly Majority: Democrat
DEP Commissioner:
Black Bear Closed 2004
Gubernatorial Election Year: No
Governor: Acting Governor Richard J. Codey
Senate Majority: Democrat
Assembly Majority: Democrat
DEP Commissioner:
FYI: DEP Commissioner closed black bear hunting season. NJ hunting community, assumedly the NJ Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, filed a court challenge which was rejected by the court. NJ DEP argued: 1) “NJ has a variety of legal game to hunt”. 2) NJ residents wishing to hunt black bear can do so in other states”. The Court ruled in favor of the DEP, stating that “the plaintiffs did not show irreparable injury to hunters”. However, an appeals court ruled against the DEP, citing that the NJ DEP Commissioner overstepped his/her authority.
Black Bear Closed 2006
Gubernatorial Election Year: No
Governor: Jon Corzine, Democrat
Senate Majority: Democrat
Assembly Majority: Democrat
DEP Commissioner: Lisa Jackson
FYI: The exact details about what occurred next are unclear until further investigation can be completed. It is known that Chris Christie was campaigning for Governor and during his campaign he pledged to reinstate the black bear season. Christie was elected and he did indeed reinstate the bear season in 2010. Perhaps the hunting community did not want to incur or was unable to incur, more legal expenses. Or, perhaps members of the Fish and Game Council who are appointed by the Governor did not want to act contradictory to the Corzine administration.
Black bear Reinstated 2010
Gubernatorial Election Year: No, election was 2009, however action related to election as it was a campaign promise.
Governor: Chris Christie, Republican
Senate Majority: Democrat
Assembly Majority: Democrat
DEP Commissioner:
FYI: When Chris Christie was campaigning for Governor he pledged to reinstate the black bear season. Christie was elected and he did indeed reinstate the bear season in 2010.
Northern Bobwhite Closed 2011
Gubernatorial Election year? No
Governor: Chris Christie, Republican
Senate Majority: Democrat
Assembly Majority: Democrat
DEP Commissioner:
FYI: Citing an adult mortality rate of 91.4%, of which hunting accounting for 2.9%; NJ DEP closed the season for northern bobwhite; except on two state-stocked wildlife management areas, and on currently licensed commercial shooting preserves. The DEP indicates, per the state’s northern bobwhite conservation plan, that the conservation status of the state’s northern bobwhite would be reviewed in three years, assumedly meaning in 2014.
Mourning Dove Reclassified as Game Species with a Closed Hunting Season 2012
Gubernatorial Election year? No
Governor: Chris Christie, Republican
Senate Majority: Democrat
Assembly Majority: Democrat
DEP Commissioner:
FYI: This reclassification authorized the Fish and Game Council to set a hunting season for mourning doves since January 2012; but the Council has not acted. Under NJ’s system, the Fish and Game Council may enact any regulation which passes by the Legislature. The DEP does not set the regulations, nor does the Legislature. The DEP merely makes recommendations; lawmakers pass laws as they see fit, and it is then up to the Council to motion them into regulation or not to. The (*)Fish and Game Council is comprised of seven persons appointed by the Governor from the six from the hunting/fishing community; three from the agriculture community; one public member “knowledgeable about land use practices and soil conservation;” and the Chairperson of the Endangered and Nongame Species Committee. This is an unpaid, voluntary staff. The Council is not employed by the DEP nor are they wildlife biologists. Through personal communication from one source employed by the DEP and two members of the NJ hunting community, we were informed that there was discussion about reinstating a mourning dove hunting season as a “replacement” for the closed northern bobwhite season. We were further told that the hunting community and the DEP have a shared concern over litigation by anti-hunting organizations if a mourning dove season was reinstated; and as a result of that concern, a mutual decision was made to not reinstate the season. We find that incredulous for several reasons. First, both entities were not only willing to take bear hunting to court against anti- hunters; but the hunting community and the DEP even went to court against each other in 2004, with the sportsmen not even giving up on a lower Court’s decision and filing an appeal. Perhaps they ran out of money fighting each other over black bears there was no money left for litigation over doves? That is actually what has been implied. Second, no verifiable proof has been provided that this decision was made by the entire hunting community, rather than a few who are connected to organizations, the Division, or the Council. Therefore, it is not only reasonable, but wise, to assume this was a decision made by a few, without transparency.
(*)FISH and GAME COUNCIL
The Fish and Game Council, appointed by the Governor, oversees the Division's operations and appoints a Director (subject to the Governor's approval). The council meets monthly.
History
The Fish and Game Council was created by Law in 1945 (N.J.S.A.13:1B-24) and succeeded the former Board of Fish and Game Commissioners. The Fish and Game Council was transferred to the Department of Conservation in 1948 and its powers were to be "exercised and performed through the Division of Fish and Game in the department." The Division of Fish and Game was placed under the supervision of a director who was given the power to "administer the work of such Division under the direction and supervision of the commissioner." The commissioner in turn was charged by the legislature with the responsibility for the administration of the work of the department, to appoint and remove officers and other personnel and to generally perform all of the executive functions necessary to administer the department.
Composition
This law established the composition of the Council as follows: three members of council shall be farmers, recommended to the Governor for appointment by the agricultural convention; six members shall be sportsmen, recommended to the Governor for appointment by the New Jersey State Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs; and two members shall be commercial fishermen. One farmer representative and two sportsmen representatives in the council shall be chosen from among residents of any of the following counties - Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Passaic, Sussex and Warren; one farmer representative and two sportsmen representatives in the council shall be chosen from among residents of any of the following counties - Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Somerset and Union; and one farmer representative and two sportsmen representatives shall be chosen from among residents of any of the following counties - Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem. With the creation of the Marine Fisheries Council in 1979, the commercial fishing representatives were replaced on the Fish and Game Council with the Chairman of the Endangered and Nongame Species Advisory Committee and a public member "knowledgeable in land use management and soil conservation practices."
Powers and Duties
The Legislature has empowered the Fish and Game Council with the independent responsibility to adopt a Fish and Game Code for the purpose of providing a system for the protection and conservation of fish and game. In addition, the Council has been authorized to perform an advisory and recommendatory function in the development of comprehensive policies in this general area and to:
a. Consult with and advise the Commissioner and director of the Division of Fish and Wildlife with respect to the work of such Division.
b. Study the activities of the Division of Fish and Wildlife and hold hearings with respect thereto as it may deem necessary or desirable.
c. Report to the Governor and the Legislature annually, and at such other times as it may deem in the public interest with respect to its findings and conclusions.
The council appoints the director who is required to be a "person with special training and experience in wildlife management". The council's appointment is subject to the approval of the Governor and the director can only be removed by action of the Governor.
The sole responsibility for the executive administration of the Division of Fish and Wildlife has been placed in the Director of the Division subject to the direction and supervision of the Commissioner. Therefore, Council has no authority under the statutes to issue administrative or executive directives to either the commissioner or the director.
This analysis of the governing statutory provisions has been reinforced by a decision of the New Jersey Supreme Court in Humane Society, supra. Although the issue in that case was concerned with the composition and membership of the Council, the court had occasion to comment on its unique and specialized responsibilities:
"The Fish and Game Council is invested with certain regulatory powers aimed at protecting and developing an adequate supply of fish and game for recreational and commercial purposes. These powers are expressed primarily by the Council's determinations as to when and where in the State hunting and fishing shall take place, and which freshwater fish, game birds, game animals, and fur bearing animals may be taken and in what numbers. The wildlife thus regulated is those animals which are the focus of the sports of hunting and fishing. In addition, the Council supervises a program of wildlife propagation, the expenses of which are supported by fees for hunting and fishing licenses paid for by sportsmen and commercial fishermen"
Therefore, the Council's essential and primary responsibility as noted by the Supreme Court is aimed at protecting and developing an adequate supply of fish and game for recreational and commercial purposes. This limited responsibility is implemented through adoption of the Fish Code and the Game Code and in the development of comprehensive policies for the consideration of the Commissioner of Environmental Protection, the Governor and the Legislature.
Current Members (April 2015)
Fish and Game Council
Dave Burke, Acting Chair
Cathy Blumig
Phillip Brodhecker
Dr. Barbara Brummer
Joseph Demartino
Agust Gudmundsson
Joe DeMartino
Jeffrey Link
Robert Puskas
Dan Van Mater
Vacant
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 3, 2015
Contact: Bob Considine (609) 292-2994
Lawrence Hajna (609) 984-1795
NEW JERSEY FISH AND GAME COUNCIL APPROVES PROPOSED UPDATED COMPREHENSIVE BLACK BEAR MANAGEMENT POLICY
(15/P18) TRENTON – Based upon research by the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, the New Jersey Fish and Game Council today approved a proposed updated Comprehensive Black Bear Management Policy that continues the annual December hunt, adds an October hunt beginning in 2016, and calls for enhanced public education efforts in parts of the state that are experiencing black bear encounters for the first time, among other measures.
“The annual hunting season in the northwestern part of the state has been an important tool in a comprehensive plan designed to control the bear population and reduce conflicts between bears and people,” said Division of Fish and Wildlife Director David Chanda. “The comprehensive policy proposed today continues to stress the importance of research and public education, and is based on the most up-to-date science and population estimates.”
Specifically, the proposed Comprehensive Black Bear Management Policy unanimously approved today:
Research over the past five years that included surveys, captures of previously tagged bears, den studies, reproduction analyses and density analyses confirm that northwestern New Jersey continues to have one of the nation’s densest black bear populations.
The Division of Fish and Wildlife utilized studies conducted by Penn State University along with widely accepted population estimate methodologies known as the Lincoln-Petersen Index and linear regression modeling to conservatively estimate the size of the black bear population in northwestern New Jersey at 3,500, about the same as when the hunt was first authorized in 2010.
The population has not decreased significantly because reproduction rates, known as recruitment, have exceeded mortality from hunting and natural causes. The number of bears harvested in the five hunts has steadily dropped from 592 in the first season, to less than 300 animals in subsequent seasons, due in large part to poor weather at that time of year and a more wary bear population.
In addition, the December hunt coincides with the time when bears are becoming less active and beginning to den. The December hunt, coinciding with the annual firearm deer hunting season, was purposely planned for this time of year to be conservative as biologists assessed the first five years of hunting.
The hunting zone as approved in 2010 encompassed a roughly 1,000-square-mile area of northwestern New Jersey north of Interstate 78 and west of Interstate 287. This area includes all or portions of Hunterdon, Passaic, Morris, Somerset, Sussex, and Warren counties, and a small portion of Bergen County. This area is home to the majority of the state’s black bears.
While the December hunting season appeared to be helping to reduce overall nuisance complaints, the numbers increased in 2014, probably due to lower-than-expected harvest numbers and population increases due in part to black bear reproduction rates that are higher than in other parts of the nation. The number of bear-human interactions in the northwestern part of the state increased from 1,231 to 1,951 over the past year, a 60 percent increase.
The new policy proposed today continues to emphasize the importance of public education and research to reduce conflicts and strives to maintain a sustainable and robust bear population, recognizing its importance as a natural resource valued by the residents of the state and as being important to ecological balance. Future re-adoption cycles for the policy will coincide with seven-year Game Code re-adoption cycles. The Fish and Game Council met at the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area office in Upper Freehold.
The proposed policy will be sent to Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin, who must approve the policy before it is published in the New Jersey Register and
opened for a 60-day public comment period and public hearing.
The New Jersey Fish and Game Council is a volunteer board that is mandated by law to create and finalize hunting and fishing regulations that manage wildlife resources for the benefit of all residents. The Council’s Game Committee and the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife thoroughly reviewed all available data in making recommendations for the proposed policy changes.
The Council may make changes based on comments before taking a final vote to approve the policy later this year.
For more information on black bears in New Jersey and a copy of the proposed Comprehensive Black Bear Management Policy, please visit: http://www.nj.gov/dep/fgw/bearfacts.htm
Copyright © State of New Jersey, 1996-2015
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
New Hampshire
Wild Turkey 1980
Gubernatorial Election year? Yes
Governor: Hugh Gallen, Democrat
State Senate Majority: Unknown
State Assembly Majority: Unknown
FYI:
New York
Wild Turkey 1959
Gubernatorial Election Year? YES
1958 Governor: W. Averell Harriman, Democrat
1959 Governor: Nelson Rockefeller, Republican
1958 State Senate Majority: Republican
1958 State Assembly Majority: Republican
1959 State Senate Majority: Republican
1959 State Assembly Majority: Republican
DEC Commissioner: Sharon J. Mauhs 1958; Harold G. Wilm 1959
DEC Chief of BOW (Bureau of Wildlife):
FYI: “NY’s first modern wild turkey hunting season was in the fall of 1959; one year after the Legislature granted the Conservation Department the authority to regulate turkey hunting”. 1958 was a State Legislature election year, and 1959 was a Gubernatorial election year.
Use of dogs for black bear hunting 1990
Gubernatorial Election year? Yes
State Legislature Election year? Yes
Governor: Mario Cuomo, Democrat
State Senate Majority: Republican
State Assembly majority: Democrat
DEC Commissioner: Thomas C. Jorling
FYI: In 1990, the ASPCA (American Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) took the NY DEC to court over the use of dogs in bear hunting and the court enjoined any bear hunting with dogs in NY.
Present and Past DEC Commissioners
Commissioners of the Department of Environmental Conservation
Joe Martens, March 2011 - Present
Pete Grannis, April, 2007 - October 2010
Denise M. Sheehan, February 3, 2005 - January, 2007
Erin M. Crotty, March 2001 to February 2, 2005
John P. Cahill, January 1997 - March 2001
Michael D. Zagata, March 1995 - December 1996
Langdon Marsh, March 1994 - March 1995
Thomas C. Jorling, June 1987 - February 1994
Henry G. Williams, January 1983 - June 1987
Robert F. Flacke, January 1979 - December 1982
Peter A. A. Berle, May 1976 - January 1979
Ogden Reid, January 1975 - May 1976
James L. Biggane, December 1973 - December 1974
Henry L. Diamond, July 1970 - December 1973
Commissioners of the Conservation Department
R. Stewart Kilborne, January 21, 1966 - 1970
Harold G. Wilm, 1959 - January 20, 1966
Sharon J. Mauhs, September 1956 - 1958
Louis A. Wehle, January 1, 1955 - August 1956
Perry B. Duryea, Sr., April 11, 1945 - 1954
John A. White, 1943 - December 31, 1944
John H. Halpin, January 1, 1943 - September 1, 1943
John T. Gibbs, November 7, 1942 - December 31, 1942
Lithgow Osborne, March 2, 1933 - November 6, 1942
Henry Morgenthau, Jr., January 1, 1931 - March 1, 1933
Alexander McDonald, 1929-1930
(Also served as Commissioner of the Conservation Commission 1922-1928)
Ohio
Mourning Dove 1994
Gubernatorial Election year? Yes
Governor: George Voinovich, Republican
State Senate Majority: Republican
State Assembly Majority: Democrat
FYI:
Ontario, Canada
Mourning Dove 2013
FYI:
Rhode Island
Whitetail Deer 1957
Gubernatorial Election year? Unkown
Governor: Dennis J. Roberts, Democrat
State Senate Majority: Unknown
State Assembly Majority: Unknown
FYI:
Wild Turkey 1980
Gubernatorial Election year? Yes
Governor: John Garrahy, Democrat
State Senate Majority: Unknown
State Assembly Majority: Unknown
FYI:
South Dakota
Mountain Goat 2015
Gubernatorial Election year? No
Governor: Dennis Daugaard, Republican
State Senate Majority: Republican
State Assembly Majority: Republican
FYI:
Sunday Hunting
Firearm, bow, or both?
State:
Election Year?
Governor:
State Senate Majority:
State Assembly Majority:
FYI:
Vermont
Wild Turkey spring hunting 1973
Gubernatorial Election year? No
Governor: Thomas P. Salmon, Democrat
State Senate Majority: Unknown
State Assembly Majority: Unknown
FYI:
Wild Turkey fall hunting 1975
Gubernatorial Election year? No
Governor: Thomas P. Salmon, Democrat
State Senate Majority: Unknown
State Assembly Majority: Unknown
FYI:
Wisconsin
Mourning Dove 2003
Gubernatorial Election year? No
Governor: Jim Doyle, Republican
State Senate Majority: Republican
State Assembly Majority: Republican
FYI:
In the early 1900’s most states banned wild turkey hunting and around 25 banned mourning dove hunting. Most of these bans were reversed between 1970 and 1995. Today, wild turkey hunting is allowed in 49 states and mourning dove hunting is allowed in 41 states.
While turkey hunting was easily re-instated, mourning dove hunting was contested.
This report is not a comprehensive survey of every re-instated hunting season; however, it details the political climate surrounding the reinstatement of hunting seasons for a variety of game; large and small, furred and feathered in different states throughout the US.
Based on the findings, we conclude that political majority does not influence reinstatement of hunting seasons and hunters need to work with both political parties and seek bi-partisan legislation.
ASPCA Lawsuit against NY DEC
Gubernatorial Election year? Yes
State Legislature Election year? Yes
Governor: Mario Cuomo, Democrat
State Senate Majority: Republican
State Assembly Majority: Democrat
DEC Commissioner: Thomas C. Jorling
FYI: In 1990, hunting black bear with dogs was legalized in NY. However, the ASPCA (American Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) took the NY DEC to court over the use of dogs in bear hunting and the court enjoined any bear hunting with dogs in NY.
Colorado
Spring Black Bear Hunting 2012
Gubernatorial Election year? No
Governor: John Hickenlooper, Democrat
State Senate Majority: Democrat
State Assembly Majority: Democrat
FYI:
Connecticut
Black Bear Pending Approval 2015
Gubernatorial Election year? No
Governor: Dannel P. Malloy, Democrat
State Senate Majority: Democrat
State Assembly Majority: Democrat
Wild Turkey 1981
Election year? No
FYI:
Delaware
Wild Turkey 1991
Gubernatorial Election year? No
Governor: Pierre S. Du Pont, Republican
State Senate Majority: Democrat
State Assembly Majority: Republican
FYI:
Falconry - Nationwide
Presidential Election year? 2008-Yes
President of the USA: George W. Bush preceding Barack Obama
US Senate Majority: Even
US Congress Majority: Democrat
Secretary of the US Department of the Interior: Sally Jewell succeeded Ken Salazar
Director of the US Fish and Wildlife Service: Dan Ashe
Election year?
Governor:
State Senate Majority:
State Assembly Majority:
DEC Commissioner:
FYI: NY DEC website indicates: ”Sport Falconry Legalized in the 1970s”. New federal regulations (50 CFR 21.29); phased out federal permitting for falconry/hawking and delegate that responsibility to the individual states. This change was adopted in 2008 and allowed states time to develop a falconry program. In the interim, the USFWS would continue to issue federal permits. Most of the states, including New York, had developed a falconry program and permitting system between January 2010 and January 2012.
Florida
Black Bear 2015
Gubernatorial Election year? No
Governor: Rick Scott, Republican
State Senate Majority: Republican
State Assembly Majority: Republican
FYI:
Illinois
Bobcat 2014 pending
Gubernatorial Election year? Yes
Governor: Pat Quinn, Democrat
State Senate Majority: Democrat
State Assembly Majority: Democrat
FYI:
Indiana
Mourning Dove 1984
Gubernatorial Election year? Yes
Governor: Robert D. Orr, Republican
State Senate Majority: unknown
State Assembly Majority: unknown
FYI:
Iowa
Mourning Dove 2011
Gubernatorial Election year? No
Governor: Terry L. Branstad, Republican
State Senate Majority: Democrat
State Assembly Majority: Republican
FYI:
Massachusetts
Wild Turkey 1980
Gubernatorial Election year? No
Governor: Edward J. King, Democrat
State Senate Majority: unknown
State Assembly Majority: unknown
FYI:
Michigan
Wild Turkey 1965
Gubernatorial Election year? NO.
Governor: 1965 George W. Romney: Republican
1965 Senate Majority: Democrat
1965 Assembly Majority: Democrat
FYI:
Mourning Dove 2004
Gubernatorial Election year? No
Governor: Jennifer Granholm, Democrat
State Senate Majority: Republican
State Assembly Majority: Republican
FYI: Mourning dove hunting banned again in 2006. In 2006, the Senate Majority and the Assembly Majority was Republican. That year was an election year. Incumbent Democrat Governor Jennifer Granholm was reelected.
Minnesota
Mourning Dove 2004
Gubernatorial Election year? No
Governor: Tim Pawlenty, Republican
State Senate Majority: Democrat
State Assembly Majority: Republican
FYI:
National Wildlife Refuges
National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act 1997
Presidential Election year? No, 1996 was election year
President of the USA: Bill Clinton, Democrat
US Senate Majority: Republican
US Congress Majority: Republican
Secretary of the US Department of the Interior: Bruce Babbitt
Director of the US Fish and Wildlife Service: Jamie Rappaport Clark
FYI: In 1997, Congress passed the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act. This law also clarified management priorities by declaring that certain wildlife-dependent recreational uses are appropriate activities on refuges.
Priority Public Uses
The National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act also declares that compatible wildlife dependent recreational uses are legitimate and appropriate priority general public uses of the Refuge System. There are six uses— hunting, fishing, wildlife observation and photography, and environmental education and interpretation—that receive enhanced consideration in planning and management over all other general public uses of the Refuge System. When compatible, these wildlife-dependent recreational uses are to be strongly encouraged.
50 CFR 32.2 - What are the requirements for hunting on areas of the National Wildlife Refuge System?
CFR
Updates
Authorities (U.S. Code)
§ 32.2 What are the requirements for hunting on areas of the National Wildlife Refuge System?
The following provisions shall apply to each person while engaged in public hunting on areas of the National Wildlife Refuge System:
(a) Each person shall secure and possess the required State license.
(b) Each person 16 years of age and older shall secure and possess a Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp while hunting migratory waterfowl.
(c) Each person shall comply with the applicable provisions of Federal law and regulations including this subchapter and the current Federal Migratory Bird Regulations.
(d) Each person shall comply with the applicable provisions of the laws and regulations of the State wherein any area is located unless further restricted by Federal law or regulation.
(e) Each person shall comply with the terms and conditions authorizing access or use of wildlife refuges, including the terms and conditions under which hunting permits are issued.
(f) Each person must comply with the provisions of any refuge-specific regulations governing hunting on the wildlife refuge area. Regulations, special conditions, and maps of the hunting areas for a particular wildlife refuge are available at that area's headquarters. In addition, refuge-specific hunting regulations for migratory game bird, upland game, and big game hunting appear in §§ 32.20 through 32.72.
(g) The use of any drug on any arrow for bow hunting on national wildlife refuges is prohibited. Archers may not have arrows employing such drugs in their possession on any national wildlife refuge.
(h) The unauthorized distribution of bait and the hunting over bait is prohibited on wildlife refuge areas. (Baiting is authorized in accordance with State regulations on national wildlife refuges in Alaska).
(i) The use of nails, wire, screws or bolts to attach a stand to a tree, or hunting from a tree into which a metal object has been driven to support a hunter is prohibited on wildlife refuge areas.
(j) The use or possession of alcoholic beverages while hunting is prohibited.
(k) You may possess only approved nontoxic shot while in the field, which we identify in 50 CFR 20.21(j), while on Waterfowl Production Areas, or on certain other areas of the National Wildlife Refuge System as delineated on maps, leaflets and/or signs, available at each refuge headquarters or posted at each refuge, or as stated in refuge-specific regulations. Where we allow turkey and deer hunting, you may use slugs and shot containing lead to hunt these species unless prohibited by refuge-specific regulations and/or State law.
(l) The refuge-specific regulations (§ 32.20 through § 32.72) may include the items discussed in § 32.3(b). Refuge permits and brochures should also include those items and any special conditions allowed by paragraph (f) of this section.
[58 FR 5064, Jan. 19, 1993, as amended at 63 FR 46914, Sept. 3, 1998; 65 FR 30777, May 12, 2000; 67 FR 58943, Sept. 18, 2002]
The Case for Hunting on National Wildlife Refuges
Harvey K. Nelson, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1986
http://animalstudiesrepository.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=acwp_hmap
New Jersey
Spring wild turkey hunting 1981
Gubernatorial Election Year: YES
1981 Governor Brenden Byrne: Democrat
1981 Senate Majority: Democrat
1981 Assembly Majority: Democrat
Fall wild turkey hunting season 1997
Gubernatorial Election Year? YES
1997 Governor Christie Todd Whitman: Republican
1997 Senate Majority: Republican
1997 Assembly Majority: Republican
New Jersey Black Bear
Black Bear reinstated 2003
Gubernatorial Election Year: No
Governor: Jim McGreevey, Democrat
Senate Majority: Even, no majority
Assembly Majority: Democrat
DEP Commissioner:
Black Bear Closed 2004
Gubernatorial Election Year: No
Governor: Acting Governor Richard J. Codey
Senate Majority: Democrat
Assembly Majority: Democrat
DEP Commissioner:
FYI: DEP Commissioner closed black bear hunting season. NJ hunting community, assumedly the NJ Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs, filed a court challenge which was rejected by the court. NJ DEP argued: 1) “NJ has a variety of legal game to hunt”. 2) NJ residents wishing to hunt black bear can do so in other states”. The Court ruled in favor of the DEP, stating that “the plaintiffs did not show irreparable injury to hunters”. However, an appeals court ruled against the DEP, citing that the NJ DEP Commissioner overstepped his/her authority.
Black Bear Closed 2006
Gubernatorial Election Year: No
Governor: Jon Corzine, Democrat
Senate Majority: Democrat
Assembly Majority: Democrat
DEP Commissioner: Lisa Jackson
FYI: The exact details about what occurred next are unclear until further investigation can be completed. It is known that Chris Christie was campaigning for Governor and during his campaign he pledged to reinstate the black bear season. Christie was elected and he did indeed reinstate the bear season in 2010. Perhaps the hunting community did not want to incur or was unable to incur, more legal expenses. Or, perhaps members of the Fish and Game Council who are appointed by the Governor did not want to act contradictory to the Corzine administration.
Black bear Reinstated 2010
Gubernatorial Election Year: No, election was 2009, however action related to election as it was a campaign promise.
Governor: Chris Christie, Republican
Senate Majority: Democrat
Assembly Majority: Democrat
DEP Commissioner:
FYI: When Chris Christie was campaigning for Governor he pledged to reinstate the black bear season. Christie was elected and he did indeed reinstate the bear season in 2010.
Northern Bobwhite Closed 2011
Gubernatorial Election year? No
Governor: Chris Christie, Republican
Senate Majority: Democrat
Assembly Majority: Democrat
DEP Commissioner:
FYI: Citing an adult mortality rate of 91.4%, of which hunting accounting for 2.9%; NJ DEP closed the season for northern bobwhite; except on two state-stocked wildlife management areas, and on currently licensed commercial shooting preserves. The DEP indicates, per the state’s northern bobwhite conservation plan, that the conservation status of the state’s northern bobwhite would be reviewed in three years, assumedly meaning in 2014.
Mourning Dove Reclassified as Game Species with a Closed Hunting Season 2012
Gubernatorial Election year? No
Governor: Chris Christie, Republican
Senate Majority: Democrat
Assembly Majority: Democrat
DEP Commissioner:
FYI: This reclassification authorized the Fish and Game Council to set a hunting season for mourning doves since January 2012; but the Council has not acted. Under NJ’s system, the Fish and Game Council may enact any regulation which passes by the Legislature. The DEP does not set the regulations, nor does the Legislature. The DEP merely makes recommendations; lawmakers pass laws as they see fit, and it is then up to the Council to motion them into regulation or not to. The (*)Fish and Game Council is comprised of seven persons appointed by the Governor from the six from the hunting/fishing community; three from the agriculture community; one public member “knowledgeable about land use practices and soil conservation;” and the Chairperson of the Endangered and Nongame Species Committee. This is an unpaid, voluntary staff. The Council is not employed by the DEP nor are they wildlife biologists. Through personal communication from one source employed by the DEP and two members of the NJ hunting community, we were informed that there was discussion about reinstating a mourning dove hunting season as a “replacement” for the closed northern bobwhite season. We were further told that the hunting community and the DEP have a shared concern over litigation by anti-hunting organizations if a mourning dove season was reinstated; and as a result of that concern, a mutual decision was made to not reinstate the season. We find that incredulous for several reasons. First, both entities were not only willing to take bear hunting to court against anti- hunters; but the hunting community and the DEP even went to court against each other in 2004, with the sportsmen not even giving up on a lower Court’s decision and filing an appeal. Perhaps they ran out of money fighting each other over black bears there was no money left for litigation over doves? That is actually what has been implied. Second, no verifiable proof has been provided that this decision was made by the entire hunting community, rather than a few who are connected to organizations, the Division, or the Council. Therefore, it is not only reasonable, but wise, to assume this was a decision made by a few, without transparency.
(*)FISH and GAME COUNCIL
The Fish and Game Council, appointed by the Governor, oversees the Division's operations and appoints a Director (subject to the Governor's approval). The council meets monthly.
History
The Fish and Game Council was created by Law in 1945 (N.J.S.A.13:1B-24) and succeeded the former Board of Fish and Game Commissioners. The Fish and Game Council was transferred to the Department of Conservation in 1948 and its powers were to be "exercised and performed through the Division of Fish and Game in the department." The Division of Fish and Game was placed under the supervision of a director who was given the power to "administer the work of such Division under the direction and supervision of the commissioner." The commissioner in turn was charged by the legislature with the responsibility for the administration of the work of the department, to appoint and remove officers and other personnel and to generally perform all of the executive functions necessary to administer the department.
Composition
This law established the composition of the Council as follows: three members of council shall be farmers, recommended to the Governor for appointment by the agricultural convention; six members shall be sportsmen, recommended to the Governor for appointment by the New Jersey State Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs; and two members shall be commercial fishermen. One farmer representative and two sportsmen representatives in the council shall be chosen from among residents of any of the following counties - Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Passaic, Sussex and Warren; one farmer representative and two sportsmen representatives in the council shall be chosen from among residents of any of the following counties - Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Somerset and Union; and one farmer representative and two sportsmen representatives shall be chosen from among residents of any of the following counties - Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem. With the creation of the Marine Fisheries Council in 1979, the commercial fishing representatives were replaced on the Fish and Game Council with the Chairman of the Endangered and Nongame Species Advisory Committee and a public member "knowledgeable in land use management and soil conservation practices."
Powers and Duties
The Legislature has empowered the Fish and Game Council with the independent responsibility to adopt a Fish and Game Code for the purpose of providing a system for the protection and conservation of fish and game. In addition, the Council has been authorized to perform an advisory and recommendatory function in the development of comprehensive policies in this general area and to:
a. Consult with and advise the Commissioner and director of the Division of Fish and Wildlife with respect to the work of such Division.
b. Study the activities of the Division of Fish and Wildlife and hold hearings with respect thereto as it may deem necessary or desirable.
c. Report to the Governor and the Legislature annually, and at such other times as it may deem in the public interest with respect to its findings and conclusions.
The council appoints the director who is required to be a "person with special training and experience in wildlife management". The council's appointment is subject to the approval of the Governor and the director can only be removed by action of the Governor.
The sole responsibility for the executive administration of the Division of Fish and Wildlife has been placed in the Director of the Division subject to the direction and supervision of the Commissioner. Therefore, Council has no authority under the statutes to issue administrative or executive directives to either the commissioner or the director.
This analysis of the governing statutory provisions has been reinforced by a decision of the New Jersey Supreme Court in Humane Society, supra. Although the issue in that case was concerned with the composition and membership of the Council, the court had occasion to comment on its unique and specialized responsibilities:
"The Fish and Game Council is invested with certain regulatory powers aimed at protecting and developing an adequate supply of fish and game for recreational and commercial purposes. These powers are expressed primarily by the Council's determinations as to when and where in the State hunting and fishing shall take place, and which freshwater fish, game birds, game animals, and fur bearing animals may be taken and in what numbers. The wildlife thus regulated is those animals which are the focus of the sports of hunting and fishing. In addition, the Council supervises a program of wildlife propagation, the expenses of which are supported by fees for hunting and fishing licenses paid for by sportsmen and commercial fishermen"
Therefore, the Council's essential and primary responsibility as noted by the Supreme Court is aimed at protecting and developing an adequate supply of fish and game for recreational and commercial purposes. This limited responsibility is implemented through adoption of the Fish Code and the Game Code and in the development of comprehensive policies for the consideration of the Commissioner of Environmental Protection, the Governor and the Legislature.
Current Members (April 2015)
Fish and Game Council
Dave Burke, Acting Chair
Cathy Blumig
Phillip Brodhecker
Dr. Barbara Brummer
Joseph Demartino
Agust Gudmundsson
Joe DeMartino
Jeffrey Link
Robert Puskas
Dan Van Mater
Vacant
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 3, 2015
Contact: Bob Considine (609) 292-2994
Lawrence Hajna (609) 984-1795
NEW JERSEY FISH AND GAME COUNCIL APPROVES PROPOSED UPDATED COMPREHENSIVE BLACK BEAR MANAGEMENT POLICY
(15/P18) TRENTON – Based upon research by the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, the New Jersey Fish and Game Council today approved a proposed updated Comprehensive Black Bear Management Policy that continues the annual December hunt, adds an October hunt beginning in 2016, and calls for enhanced public education efforts in parts of the state that are experiencing black bear encounters for the first time, among other measures.
“The annual hunting season in the northwestern part of the state has been an important tool in a comprehensive plan designed to control the bear population and reduce conflicts between bears and people,” said Division of Fish and Wildlife Director David Chanda. “The comprehensive policy proposed today continues to stress the importance of research and public education, and is based on the most up-to-date science and population estimates.”
Specifically, the proposed Comprehensive Black Bear Management Policy unanimously approved today:
- Continues the annual six-day December firearm hunting season. The hunt may be extended by up to four days if poor weather or other conditions result in a reduced harvest. This year’s hunt will begin December 7.
- Adds an additional six-day October hunting season beginning in 2016, three days for bow hunting only and three days for bow hunting and hunting with muzzle loading guns. The bow hunting season will enable hunting of nuisance bears that can be difficult to hunt by gun in certain areas.
- Increases the allowable per-hunter harvest from one bear to two bears beginning next year, provided the first bear is taken during October bow/muzzle loading hunt and the second is taken during the December firearm hunt.
- Increases, effective this year, the current zones in which hunting is permitted to include the remainders of Hunterdon, Somerset and Morris counties, a small additional portion of Passaic County, and a small portion of Mercer County. This will help control the population in areas where reports of bear and human encounters have been increasing due to bears expanding their habitat.
- Calls for work toward developing an estimate for a statewide bear population.
- Reemphasizes the importance of ongoing public education efforts, trash management and research. Efforts will be focused on urban areas and parts of the state where bears are expanding their range.
Research over the past five years that included surveys, captures of previously tagged bears, den studies, reproduction analyses and density analyses confirm that northwestern New Jersey continues to have one of the nation’s densest black bear populations.
The Division of Fish and Wildlife utilized studies conducted by Penn State University along with widely accepted population estimate methodologies known as the Lincoln-Petersen Index and linear regression modeling to conservatively estimate the size of the black bear population in northwestern New Jersey at 3,500, about the same as when the hunt was first authorized in 2010.
The population has not decreased significantly because reproduction rates, known as recruitment, have exceeded mortality from hunting and natural causes. The number of bears harvested in the five hunts has steadily dropped from 592 in the first season, to less than 300 animals in subsequent seasons, due in large part to poor weather at that time of year and a more wary bear population.
In addition, the December hunt coincides with the time when bears are becoming less active and beginning to den. The December hunt, coinciding with the annual firearm deer hunting season, was purposely planned for this time of year to be conservative as biologists assessed the first five years of hunting.
The hunting zone as approved in 2010 encompassed a roughly 1,000-square-mile area of northwestern New Jersey north of Interstate 78 and west of Interstate 287. This area includes all or portions of Hunterdon, Passaic, Morris, Somerset, Sussex, and Warren counties, and a small portion of Bergen County. This area is home to the majority of the state’s black bears.
While the December hunting season appeared to be helping to reduce overall nuisance complaints, the numbers increased in 2014, probably due to lower-than-expected harvest numbers and population increases due in part to black bear reproduction rates that are higher than in other parts of the nation. The number of bear-human interactions in the northwestern part of the state increased from 1,231 to 1,951 over the past year, a 60 percent increase.
The new policy proposed today continues to emphasize the importance of public education and research to reduce conflicts and strives to maintain a sustainable and robust bear population, recognizing its importance as a natural resource valued by the residents of the state and as being important to ecological balance. Future re-adoption cycles for the policy will coincide with seven-year Game Code re-adoption cycles. The Fish and Game Council met at the Assunpink Wildlife Management Area office in Upper Freehold.
The proposed policy will be sent to Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin, who must approve the policy before it is published in the New Jersey Register and
opened for a 60-day public comment period and public hearing.
The New Jersey Fish and Game Council is a volunteer board that is mandated by law to create and finalize hunting and fishing regulations that manage wildlife resources for the benefit of all residents. The Council’s Game Committee and the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife thoroughly reviewed all available data in making recommendations for the proposed policy changes.
The Council may make changes based on comments before taking a final vote to approve the policy later this year.
For more information on black bears in New Jersey and a copy of the proposed Comprehensive Black Bear Management Policy, please visit: http://www.nj.gov/dep/fgw/bearfacts.htm
Copyright © State of New Jersey, 1996-2015
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
New Hampshire
Wild Turkey 1980
Gubernatorial Election year? Yes
Governor: Hugh Gallen, Democrat
State Senate Majority: Unknown
State Assembly Majority: Unknown
FYI:
New York
Wild Turkey 1959
Gubernatorial Election Year? YES
1958 Governor: W. Averell Harriman, Democrat
1959 Governor: Nelson Rockefeller, Republican
1958 State Senate Majority: Republican
1958 State Assembly Majority: Republican
1959 State Senate Majority: Republican
1959 State Assembly Majority: Republican
DEC Commissioner: Sharon J. Mauhs 1958; Harold G. Wilm 1959
DEC Chief of BOW (Bureau of Wildlife):
FYI: “NY’s first modern wild turkey hunting season was in the fall of 1959; one year after the Legislature granted the Conservation Department the authority to regulate turkey hunting”. 1958 was a State Legislature election year, and 1959 was a Gubernatorial election year.
Use of dogs for black bear hunting 1990
Gubernatorial Election year? Yes
State Legislature Election year? Yes
Governor: Mario Cuomo, Democrat
State Senate Majority: Republican
State Assembly majority: Democrat
DEC Commissioner: Thomas C. Jorling
FYI: In 1990, the ASPCA (American Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) took the NY DEC to court over the use of dogs in bear hunting and the court enjoined any bear hunting with dogs in NY.
Present and Past DEC Commissioners
Commissioners of the Department of Environmental Conservation
Joe Martens, March 2011 - Present
Pete Grannis, April, 2007 - October 2010
Denise M. Sheehan, February 3, 2005 - January, 2007
Erin M. Crotty, March 2001 to February 2, 2005
John P. Cahill, January 1997 - March 2001
Michael D. Zagata, March 1995 - December 1996
Langdon Marsh, March 1994 - March 1995
Thomas C. Jorling, June 1987 - February 1994
Henry G. Williams, January 1983 - June 1987
Robert F. Flacke, January 1979 - December 1982
Peter A. A. Berle, May 1976 - January 1979
Ogden Reid, January 1975 - May 1976
James L. Biggane, December 1973 - December 1974
Henry L. Diamond, July 1970 - December 1973
Commissioners of the Conservation Department
R. Stewart Kilborne, January 21, 1966 - 1970
Harold G. Wilm, 1959 - January 20, 1966
Sharon J. Mauhs, September 1956 - 1958
Louis A. Wehle, January 1, 1955 - August 1956
Perry B. Duryea, Sr., April 11, 1945 - 1954
John A. White, 1943 - December 31, 1944
John H. Halpin, January 1, 1943 - September 1, 1943
John T. Gibbs, November 7, 1942 - December 31, 1942
Lithgow Osborne, March 2, 1933 - November 6, 1942
Henry Morgenthau, Jr., January 1, 1931 - March 1, 1933
Alexander McDonald, 1929-1930
(Also served as Commissioner of the Conservation Commission 1922-1928)
Ohio
Mourning Dove 1994
Gubernatorial Election year? Yes
Governor: George Voinovich, Republican
State Senate Majority: Republican
State Assembly Majority: Democrat
FYI:
Ontario, Canada
Mourning Dove 2013
FYI:
Rhode Island
Whitetail Deer 1957
Gubernatorial Election year? Unkown
Governor: Dennis J. Roberts, Democrat
State Senate Majority: Unknown
State Assembly Majority: Unknown
FYI:
Wild Turkey 1980
Gubernatorial Election year? Yes
Governor: John Garrahy, Democrat
State Senate Majority: Unknown
State Assembly Majority: Unknown
FYI:
South Dakota
Mountain Goat 2015
Gubernatorial Election year? No
Governor: Dennis Daugaard, Republican
State Senate Majority: Republican
State Assembly Majority: Republican
FYI:
Sunday Hunting
Firearm, bow, or both?
State:
Election Year?
Governor:
State Senate Majority:
State Assembly Majority:
FYI:
Vermont
Wild Turkey spring hunting 1973
Gubernatorial Election year? No
Governor: Thomas P. Salmon, Democrat
State Senate Majority: Unknown
State Assembly Majority: Unknown
FYI:
Wild Turkey fall hunting 1975
Gubernatorial Election year? No
Governor: Thomas P. Salmon, Democrat
State Senate Majority: Unknown
State Assembly Majority: Unknown
FYI:
Wisconsin
Mourning Dove 2003
Gubernatorial Election year? No
Governor: Jim Doyle, Republican
State Senate Majority: Republican
State Assembly Majority: Republican
FYI: