Ian

That would be cool. I have a meeting that might make it tight to go to the book signing, but I’ll try. How many days will you be around?

Feel free to email me offline to set something up.

Neil

The discussion of who pays for what and hunters and fisherman vs. other types of appreciation is an interesting one. I do think that other wilderness goods should be taxed, particularly since a good deal of hunting takes place on private land, whereas almost all camping does not.

But mostly I wanted to point out that in regards to the 80 million vs 16 million number there are a couple of things to keep in mind. First, to hunt one must usually be more engaged than to count as a “wildlife watcher”, which could consist of almost anything for the purposes of a survey. Secondly, the overlap is considerable. There seems to be an assumption that the two are diametrically opposed. I car camp, backpack, gather plants, nature watch, and hunt. I use both BLM and Parks. I actually don’t hunt on Government land much. I, and many others are probably in both groups. I would also say that many wilderness users are positive and an even greater number neutral about hunting. So it’s hardly a black or white, this or that, issue. If anything I would say perceptions of hunting are on the upswing, and that’s in my famously liberal city of San Francisco.

But mostly I wanted to point out that in regards to the 80 million vs 16 million number there are a couple of things to keep in mind. First, to hunt one must usually be more engaged than to count as a “wildlife watcher”, which could consist of almost anything for the purposes of a survey. Secondly, the overlap is considerable. There seems to be an assumption that the two are diametrically opposed. I car camp, backpack, gather plants, nature watch, and hunt. I use both BLM and Parks. I actually don’t hunt on Government land much. I, and many others are probably in both groups. I would also say that many wilderness users are positive and an even greater number neutral about hunting. So it’s hardly a black or white, this or that, issue. If anything I would say perceptions of hunting are on the upswing, and that’s in my famously liberal city of San Francisco.