Shrinking Opportunities
Unfortunately, another change has affected hunting during these intervening years. We have become a nation of litigation-happy citizens. Landowners are reluctant to allow hunters onto their lands for fear of being sued should someone be injured. In addition, landowners are weary of finding trash that hunters have left behind and fires that have been poorly attended. Family enterprises are having a tough go of it financially, and many landowners are simply realizing that charging a hunting fee, or trespass fee, is another source of much-needed revenue. Many of today's ranchers spend as much time outfitting and guiding hunts as they do tending to their cattle. These folks are proud and independent, and I certainly don't begrudge their finding alternative uses for the land to support their families.

I think the days of free hunting are numbered. In its place will be fee hunting and guided hunts. This isn't the bad deal it might seem. While we may have more money to spend on such things as guns and hunting, our free time has become more precious simply because there's less of it. With a good outfitter who knows his game and the area, you can move in to a hunting camp and often achieve a higher success rate and do it in less time. Around the world, paid, guided hunts are the most common method of hunting. It's also the type of hunting with the highest success rate and the best chance to collect a trophy animal.

Get In The Fight
One of the greatest problems the modern hunter faces is the antihunting movement, which wants to reduce hunting seasons and bag limits. In some cases, spring bear hunting as an example, they want to outlaw traditional hunting techniques altogether. People smarter than I have established that the ultimate goal of these groups is to do away with all hunting. And for some of them the end of hunting will then do away with any justification for the private ownership of firearms. What worries me is that these antihunting groups are very well organized and have a large war chest to use in carrying out their goals.

And they may be far better organized than we hunters are. For example, this past year between 14 and 15 million hunting licenses were issued across the country, yet the National Rifle Association has only something like four to five million members. Where are those other 10 million hunters? Do they just not care, or are they content to ride on the coattails of the few who provide financial support to protect our sport?

I've had a life membership in the NRA for years. But I decided recently that just wasn't enough. I joined Safari Club International (SCI). SCI has a splendid reputation for fighting the antihunting crowd. It also has numerous programs that teach young people safe, successful hunting techniques. The way I have it figured, the NRA is primarily focused on protecting our Second Amendment rights and SCI is focused on defending our hunting rights. What's more important is that both organizations respect and support each other.

You know, folks, this isn't football. In the hunting sports you can follow more than one team. The National Rifle Association and Safari Club International are my choices. But if you aren't on any teams to protect your gun and hunting rights, isn't it about time to change that?