New work model needed at agencies
February 2010
The events of recent months have revealed more problems with agencies that manage fish and wildlife in North Carolina.
Smoke reveals fire in appointments
January 2010
Sportsmen have suspected for a long time that people “bought” seats on the N.C Wildlife Resources Commission by paying elected officials.
Is Gordian knot a solution for nets?
December 2009
The problem of more wisely managing North Carolina’s saltwater resources may require a “Gordian knot” solution. And it could happen soon.
To bait or not to bait: a bear of a problem
October 2009
Wes Seegars, former chairman of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, became so upset last year when the agency’s “conservation partners” opposed ideas for regulation changes that came out of the Big Game Committee’s summer meetings, he decided the commission wouldn’t make public the schedule for future meetings.
Media marginalize hunters, fishermen
September 2009
Entities that manage how and when topics are presented in the media (newspapers, radio, television) control public perception of those topics.
Government officials ignore fish and game
July 2009
I think the one aspect of representative government that upsets citizen voters the most is we elect politicians to represent us wisely — hey, sometimes folks want laws passed that aren’t good ideas, and our politicians must make the final call — but too often they ignore us when we’re in the right because we ain’t got the cash to change their minds.
Loopy bills just keep on coming these days
June 2009
“You cannot administer a wicked law impartially. You can only destroy, you can only punish. And I warn you, that a wicked law, like cholera, destroys everyone it touches — its upholders as well as its defiers.”
— Spencer Tracy as lawyer Henry Drummond in “Inherit the Wind”
Why prime pump when well is dry
March 2009
March is upon us, and some cold weather remains. But cold-weather fishing has become popular and very productive, especially for blue catfish, crappie and bass. For many years, anglers have fished the Santee Cooper lakes of Marion and Moultrie during the winter and made outstanding catfish catches. Now, they’re working to catch a variety of species.
Sportsmen not likely to forget
February 2009
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve watched many of the treasured qualities of youth erode. Can’t turn on a fastball; takes me longer to read the newspaper; can’t play hoops at the YMCA for two hours and skip lunch.
Our change not for change’s sake
January 2009
I was intending to talk about North Carolina Sportsman’s new look last month, but if you stumbled across this page in the December 2008 issue, you know I had other topics on my mind.
Come to a WRC hearing for a change
December 2008
My original intent this month was to write a Christmas column, but, as one national political candidate said, gosh darn it, wink, wink, more pressing topics have arisen.
North Carolina’s sportsmen have a month before the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission’s January public hearings begin, meetings to hear comments about proposed changes of 2009-10 fishing, hunting and trapping laws. That’s happened for years, and we’ve been to plenty of these meetings. But this one will be decidedly different.
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