What is the status on lions? Anyone know for sure?

So far all I've seen mentioned is ele.

If the responses I’ve seen on this thread are indicative to most hunters then our sport is in serious danger.
I posted a news article about Trump’s stance on hunting with quotes and citations.
People responded by stating they didn’t believe the source, saying they didn’t believe it until they saw it on another outlet, calling it fake news, slammed the news outlet, badmouthed the person the president ran against, etc, etc.
What I didn’t see was a lot of ideas on how to combat the president’s words nor have I seen suggestions on how the groups that represent hunting – most of whom wholeheartedly endorsed Trump, congratulated his victory, and stated publicly how he would work for hunting and conservation – will respond to his words.
I hope we as a group can come together on this.

Gayne,
Surely you are not naïve and know the 2 ingredients for accomplishing anything politically: 1) money 2) unification

One can get a good idea of unification on here and the money pales in comparison to out opposition.

quote:

Originally posted by Gayne C. Young:
If the responses I’ve seen on this thread are indicative to most hunters then our sport is in serious danger.
I posted a news article about Trump’s stance on hunting with quotes and citations.
People responded by stating they didn’t believe the source, saying they didn’t believe it until they saw it on another outlet, calling it fake news, slammed the news outlet, badmouthed the person the president ran against, etc, etc.
What I didn’t see was a lot of ideas on how to combat the president’s words nor have I seen suggestions on how the groups that represent hunting – most of whom wholeheartedly endorsed Trump, congratulated his victory, and stated publicly how he would work for hunting and conservation – will respond to his words.
I hope we as a group can come together on this.

I think you are right. We do need to come together.

One massive problem is that your local guy who hunts deer for meat does not see this as a threat to them. They are so wrong. This is just a first step. It is easier to go after the elephants than deer. Trust me the ARA people know this.

I have an idea. I have bounced if off some people . They think it is a good idea. There is not a chance is hell that I will post it here. Why? Does the military give away their plans before an attack? Hell no. We ARE being monitored here. That is a 100% certainty.

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:

quote:

Originally posted by ledvm:
Let me tell you guys something. First let me say that I am not happy about this at all. But, how many of you know that GWB almost gave us a leopard import suspension. You can check that fact with John Jackson.

The point I am trying to make is this: no other candidate running in the GOP primary (with Cruz being the possible exception) was likely to do us any better.

Big 5 hunting is politically unpopular with Republicans as well.

The Russian witch hunt has just made it worse...especially with them going after Don Jr.

I still believe Zinke will carry the mail in the end.

And, since the Clinton Foundation orchestrated the ivory import suspension...she would have likely given us a permanent ban.

How wonderful!

You were very harsh on SCI, and quite rightly so too.

Now the Orange Topped Dickhead is screwing everything up, you are making all the excuses for him!

Zinke did deliver, but the idiot in the White House could not keep his bloody mouth shut!

Saeed,
How many times have I stated that I am deeply disappointed? Well here it is again...I am. He was still the best bet for hunting in our choices put forth.

The Clinton Foundation orchestrated the ivory import suspension.

quote:

Originally posted by jorge:

quote:

Just wait until t egruth comes out of how much Russian money is in Trump Incorporated!

Better than democrat money...

+1

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:

quote:

Originally posted by Gayne C. Young:
If the responses I’ve seen on this thread are indicative to most hunters then our sport is in serious danger.
I posted a news article about Trump’s stance on hunting with quotes and citations.
People responded by stating they didn’t believe the source, saying they didn’t believe it until they saw it on another outlet, calling it fake news, slammed the news outlet, badmouthed the person the president ran against, etc, etc.
What I didn’t see was a lot of ideas on how to combat the president’s words nor have I seen suggestions on how the groups that represent hunting – most of whom wholeheartedly endorsed Trump, congratulated his victory, and stated publicly how he would work for hunting and conservation – will respond to his words.
I hope we as a group can come together on this.

I think you are right. We do need to come together.

One massive problem is that your local guy who hunts deer for meat does not see this as a threat to them. They are so wrong. This is just a first step. It is easier to go after the elephants than deer. Trust me the ARA people know this.

I have an idea. I have bounced if off some people . They think it is a good idea. There is not a chance is hell that I will post it here. Why? Does the military give away their plans before an attack? Hell no. We ARE being monitored here. That is a 100% certainty.

AR members along with SCI and DSC members are the true deplorables.

Trump who would support neo Nazi, fascists and other questionable characters wants nothing to do with big game African trophy hunters including his sons.

Tells you how good scientific backing and conservation track record can be discarded and a negative public opinion image created.

I don't see that negative public image changing anytime soon, in my lifetime or maybe ever.

I am surprised facebook still allows one to post trophy pictures.

Glad we have AR where the deplorables from around the world can share information.

Mike

If you wade through the hysteria over the decision, the underlying causation is quite correct from where I sit.

Simply consider the millions of dollars that are raised through African hunting for the various governments involved. Very little of that money ever gets back to ground level conservation. When the government agencies responsible for conservation and enforcement cannot find the money to fuel their vehicles and pay their staff, you know someone, somewhere is pocketing fists full of cash.

So do we hunters turn a blind eye to it all and simply demand our trophies or do we collectively agree to put pressure on the governments to clean up their act and become responsible for funding their own conservation and not their growing fleet of Mercedes, helicopters, private jets, and estates?

Here is everyone's chance to prove they are behind conservation first and trophies second or I want my trophies at all cost.

I seem to recall being told here that Trump via Zinke was going to the savior of African hunting just because his sons hunted there. Well, we now know better. Trump leans whichever way the popular winds are blowing. It’s all about getting re-elected.

quote:

Originally posted by jdollar:
I seem to recall being told here that Trump via Zinke was going to the savior of African hunting just because his sons hunted there. Well, we now know better. Trump leans whichever way the popular winds are blowing. It’s all about getting re-elected.

Zinke did take the right action. Trump stopped him. It will be interesting to see if Zinke stays or resigns.

If Trump leaned the way the popular winds blew, why is his approval rating so low? This is quite simple. Trump has children whose thoughts on the matter are polar opposite.

quote:

Originally posted by ledvm:

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:

quote:

Originally posted by ledvm:
Let me tell you guys something. First let me say that I am not happy about this at all. But, how many of you know that GWB almost gave us a leopard import suspension. You can check that fact with John Jackson.

The point I am trying to make is this: no other candidate running in the GOP primary (with Cruz being the possible exception) was likely to do us any better.

Big 5 hunting is politically unpopular with Republicans as well.

The Russian witch hunt has just made it worse...especially with them going after Don Jr.

I still believe Zinke will carry the mail in the end.

And, since the Clinton Foundation orchestrated the ivory import suspension...she would have likely given us a permanent ban.

How wonderful!

You were very harsh on SCI, and quite rightly so too.

Now the Orange Topped Dickhead is screwing everything up, you are making all the excuses for him!

Zinke did deliver, but the idiot in the White House could not keep his bloody mouth shut!

Saeed,
How many times have I stated that I am deeply disappointed? Well here it is again...I am. He was still the best bet for hunting in our choices put forth.

The Clinton Foundation orchestrated the ivory import suspension.

Here is what is so ironic Lane: even Obama never said the crap that Trump is spewing about us.

For sure Hillary would have been bad; no one is arguing that point. But any other Republican nominated could have beat Hillary, and we would not find ourselves in this mess today.

The lion got through cause organizations like SCI kept quiet....the opposite happened with the Elephant. We should have kept our mouths shut and just let it happen, without all the back slapping / congratulations over who was supposedly responsible for it.

Because of opposition sentiment and the wide spread use of social media now, some things are better kept under wraps....we failed in this course of action on this one.

quote:

But any other Republican nominated could have beat Hillary, and we would not find ourselves in this mess today.

Maybe...but most likely not.

quote:

Originally posted by ledvm:

quote:

But any other Republican nominated could have beat Hillary, and we would not find ourselves in this mess today.

Maybe...but most likely not.

No way any of the other Rs would have beaten the hildebeast. Trump's victory was a revolution of sorts and MANY democrats voted for him, because they were sick and tired of what ostensibly was an anti-American, racist in the presidency.

PS: the ‘only one’ with that possibility, AAW, was Cruz. Any of the other in the GOP field would not have even gotten as close as we did with Trump.

quote:

Originally posted by Aaron Neilson:
The lion got through cause organizations like SCI kept quiet....the opposite happened with the Elephant. We should have kept our mouths shut and just let it happen, without all the back slapping / congratulations over who was supposedly responsible for it.

Because of opposition sentiment and the wide spread use of social media now, some things are better kept under wraps....we failed in this course of action on this one.

Correct.

Somebody needs to explain the politics of the issue to Trump. The crowd he is pandering to will never vote for him. The crowd he is angering is his base. The NRA needs to play hard ball now!

Here is the real problem:

The Democrats are almost 100% unified against hunting...especially iconic species of Africa hunting.

When you go to GOP fundraisers even in municipalities in Texas like Dallas...GOP leadership is just about 50/50 split on hunting iconic Africa species...elephant for sure. I see it regularly.

quote:

Originally posted by ledvm:
Here is the real problem:

The Democrats are almost 100% unified against hunting...especially iconic species of Africa hunting.

When you go to GOP fundraisers even in municipalities in Texas like Dallas...GOP leadership is just about 50/50 split on hunting iconic Africa species...elephant for sure. I see it regularly.

Lane

I think you might see that 50/50 split at Ducks Unlimited, Billfish foundation, and other hunting and fishing organizations too. The death of an elephant or lion is tough to sell in the public opinion marketing sense regardless of the scientific evidence.

Mike

Total BS

Only one group,the NRA, had the political capitol to push this dunce in the right direction. Their silence is deafening.As I said from the get go when some said the NRA was going to swoop in and save the day for international hunting, they would not, if push came to shove, use 1 cent of political capitol in this fight. NRA is a gun rights \ 2nd amendment org. PERIOD. The have a friendly White House, and are not going to risk their primary issue by boxing with this guy on elephant or lion import issues.
And before anyone starts bleeding from the ears because I pointed this obvious fact out, I do support the NRA on their gun right work, am A Life Member and all that stuff But...They ARE NOT, as they promised at several trade and industry shows I attended last year, the new voice for International Hunting.
That was seen as a potential new source of income since donations were way down once Trump took the White House. When Trump sold out Zinke, science, and a 19 page enhancement report from his own USF&WS, the NRA backed quietly out of the picture.
The shame is that they alone could have pressured Trump on this issue.
Clinton would have been worse, but Trump, who I voted for and gave me such hope early on, has lost me.
Useful idiot comes to mind, 10% useful, 90 % idiot. Words in after the election I would not think I would ever have to say.

OMG, This "ban" effects a whopping 2 countries and its not like its the only 2 countries that have elephants. Both countries with known problems. The first of which just put Uncle Bob out to pasture and replaced him with a man named "The Croc" and the second just revoked operators license and will be "re-bidding." I would wait too and for this you want to dump Trump. The man who brought you a booming economy where more folks can afford spending on non-essential thing like hunting. Give me a break. Flame away!

quote:

Originally posted by Dave Fulson:
Only one group,the NRA, had the political capitol to push this dunce in the right direction. Their silence is deafening.As I said from the get go when some said the NRA was going to swoop in and save the day for international hunting, they would not, if push came to shove, use 1 cent of political capitol in this fight. NRA is a gun rights \ 2nd amendment org. PERIOD. The have a friendly White House, and are not going to risk their primary issue by boxing with this guy on elephant or lion import issues.
And before anyone starts bleeding from the ears because I pointed this obvious fact out, I do support the NRA on their gun right work, am A Life Member and all that stuff But...They ARE NOT, as they promised at several trade and industry shows I attended last year, the new voice for International Hunting.
That was seen as a potential new source of income since donations were way down once Trump took the White House. When Trump sold out Zinke, science, and a 19 page enhancement report from his own USF&WS, the NRA backed quietly out of the picture.
The shame is that they alone could have pressured Trump on this issue.
Clinton would have been worse, but Trump, who I voted for and gave me such hope early on, has lost me.
Useful idiot comes to mind, 10% useful, 90 % idiot. Words in after the election I would not think I would ever have to say.

Trump has done a lot of good things, things he doesn't get credit for or for that matter are rarely discussed. On the other hand, there are some actions that leave a lot to be desired, some have been down right disappointing if not downright stupid. Regardless, I do not regret voting for him when I consider what the alternative was.

I would not count the NRA out of the hunting arena just yet. They have been heavily involved in an awful lot of serious things. This may be a battle that was not winnable under the circumstances. Some battles one just has to walk away from. That does not mean that one walks away from the war. I don't see them walking away from the war.

quote:

Originally posted by Wesheltonj:
OMG, This "ban" effects a whopping 2 countries and its not like its the only 2 countries that have elephants. Both countries with known problems. The first of which just put Uncle Bob out to pasture and replaced him with a man named "The Croc" and the second just revoked operators license and will be "re-bidding." I would wait too and for this you want to dump Trump. The man who brought you a booming economy where more folks can afford spending on non-essential thing like hunting. Give me a break. Flame away!

+1

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:

quote:

Originally posted by Dave Fulson:
Only one group,the NRA, had the political capitol to push this dunce in the right direction. Their silence is deafening.As I said from the get go when some said the NRA was going to swoop in and save the day for international hunting, they would not, if push came to shove, use 1 cent of political capitol in this fight. NRA is a gun rights \ 2nd amendment org. PERIOD. The have a friendly White House, and are not going to risk their primary issue by boxing with this guy on elephant or lion import issues.
And before anyone starts bleeding from the ears because I pointed this obvious fact out, I do support the NRA on their gun right work, am A Life Member and all that stuff But...They ARE NOT, as they promised at several trade and industry shows I attended last year, the new voice for International Hunting.
That was seen as a potential new source of income since donations were way down once Trump took the White House. When Trump sold out Zinke, science, and a 19 page enhancement report from his own USF&WS, the NRA backed quietly out of the picture.
The shame is that they alone could have pressured Trump on this issue.
Clinton would have been worse, but Trump, who I voted for and gave me such hope early on, has lost me.
Useful idiot comes to mind, 10% useful, 90 % idiot. Words in after the election I would not think I would ever have to say.

Trump has done a lot of good things, things he doesn't get credit for or for that matter are rarely discussed. On the other hand, there are some actions that leave a lot to be desired, some have been down right disappointing if not downright stupid. Regardless, I do not regret voting for him when I consider what the alternative was.

I would not count the NRA out of the hunting arena just yet. They have been heavily involved in an awful lot of serious things. This may be a battle that was not winnable under the circumstances. Some battles one just has to walk away from. That does not mean that one walks away from the war. I don't see them walking away from the war.

Very sage words.

quote:

But any other Republican nominated could have beat Hillary,

Nope. I don't believe it, no other had a chance. And further I believe if Sanders had gotten the dem nomination he would have beaten Trump.

quote:

Trump has done a lot of good things, things he doesn't get credit for or for that matter are rarely discussed. On the other hand, there are some actions that leave a lot to be desired, some have been down right disappointing if not downright stupid. Regardless, I do not regret voting for him when I consider what the alternative was.

I would not count the NRA out of the hunting arena just yet. They have been heavily involved in an awful lot of serious things. This may be a battle that was not winnable under the circumstances. Some battles one just has to walk away from. That does not mean that one walks away from the war. I don't see them walking away from the war.


Very sage words.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
J. Lane Easter, DVM
Hunter/Conservationist

DSC Life Member
NRA Life Member
APHA Honorary Member

A born Texan has instilled in his system a mind-set of no retreat or no surrender. I wish everyone the world over had the dominating spirit that motivates Texans. – Billy Clayton, Speaker of the Texas House

Yes Sir! Very sage words!

.

quote:

Originally posted by JTEX:

quote:

But any other Republican nominated could have beat Hillary,

Nope. I don't believe it, no other had a chance. And further I believe if Sanders had gotten the dem nomination he would have beaten Trump.

I think some of you are forgetting why the dems lost. It wasn't so much what Trump was saying as what Hillary was. My brother is a union plumber - never voted R in his life, but he voted R in 2016 because he is sick and tired of the D platform's focus on immigration et al.

Personally, Kasich could have won; I know a lot of D's that said they would have voted for him that didn't vote for Trump. Jeb Bush could not have won, but a host of others could have given HRC a run for her money.

One thing is for sure: I never thought I would see a presidential candidate brag about grabbing pussy and get elected. If it was anyone but HRC I think it would have been a different outcome.

Larry
Your words are well spoken, as they usually are. There was no choice other than Trump for our side, and I stumped for him endlessly.Perhaps because this is my business ( elephant, lions, and Africa) it strikes a bigger cord in me than in some. Kind of like being the owner of a Ford Dealership and the President thinks pickups simply use too much gas, thus they will be banned from production. You get the point. OUCH.
I think Don JR would be well advised to not come calling at the two big safari shows again, hat in hand raising money for dad. I assure you, lots of burned bridges there at the moment.His reception was predictable at the SHOT show, but will be far different elsewhere I believe.
I believe you will agree Larry, that NRA is indeed the ONLY outfit that, if it chose to engage, could pressure Trump on this issue. But I will stand by my prediction until proven wrong. And a HAPPY DAY that will be, for I will apologize from the rooftop!! I pray I am wrong here. But I believe that I am not. Crickets so far.
Is everything going to hell since Trump? No, of course not, but I am ready to see some mature, think before you tweet, talk, text leadership from a guy I increasingly believe is not capable of such leadership.
Africa is so much of my life, this just hurts on every level, to see him bend to a mob that hates the very fact that he breathes, much less the fact that he is their President.

There has been news lately about how celebrities are paying certain companies to create followers for them on social media so it looks like they have millions of followers more than they have. So now I am questioning the outrage that has been been going on the last few years towards trophy hunting on social media and wether it is mostly been manufactured by animal rights groups to shape policy.

quote:

Originally posted by AnotherAZWriter:

quote:

Originally posted by JTEX:

quote:

But any other Republican nominated could have beat Hillary,

Nope. I don't believe it, no other had a chance. And further I believe if Sanders had gotten the dem nomination he would have beaten Trump.

I think some of you are forgetting why the dems lost. It wasn't so much what Trump was saying as what Hillary was. My brother is a union plumber - never voted R in his life, but he voted R in 2016 because he is sick and tired of the D platform's focus on immigration et al.

Personally, Kasich could have won; I know a lot of D's that said they would have voted for him that didn't vote for Trump. Jeb Bush could not have won, but a host of others could have given HRC a run for her money.

One thing is for sure: I never thought I would see a presidential candidate brag about grabbing pussy and get elected. If it was anyone but HRC I think it would have been a different outcome.

And if John Kasich were elected it would have been a permanent ivory import ban. Kasich and at least 50% of the GOP establishment are anti-iconic-African-species hunting.

Besides maybe Cruz...Trump was the best hope we had/have.

quote:

Originally posted by Dave Fulson:
Larry
Your words are well spoken, as they usually are. There was no choice other than Trump for our side, and I stumped for him endlessly.Perhaps because this is my business ( elephant, lions, and Africa) it strikes a bigger cord in me than in some. Kind of like being the owner of a Ford Dealership and the President thinks pickups simply use too much gas, thus they will be banned from production. You get the point. OUCH.
I think Don JR would be well advised to not come calling at the two big safari shows again, hat in hand raising money for dad. I assure you, lots of burned bridges there at the moment.His reception was predictable at the SHOT show, but will be far different elsewhere I believe.
I believe you will agree Larry, that NRA is indeed the ONLY outfit that, if it chose to engage, could pressure Trump on this issue. But I will stand by my prediction until proven wrong. And a HAPPY DAY that will be, for I will apologize from the rooftop!! I pray I am wrong here. But I believe that I am not. Crickets so far.
Is everything going to hell since Trump? No, of course not, but I am ready to see some mature, think before you tweet, talk, text leadership from a guy I increasingly believe is not capable of such leadership.
Africa is so much of my life, this just hurts on every level, to see him bend to a mob that hates the very fact that he breathes, much less the fact that he is their President.

Then don’t join them Dave. Many of your words above...would make “them” feel joy.

Before you give me a f•••you...I share in your disappointment...but I am not going to aid and abet the enemy.

Gentlemen, I am as disappointed as anyone.

The only time we have lost is when we have given up. I have not given up. I have no plans to anytime soon.

I think that we all forget one simple thing. There are things that are so incredibly obvious to us that others do not get at all. We live and breath Africa every day. The people making the decision do not. They are so far wrong on even the most basic things. Not that they are stupid, well, maybe some are. They have not seen what we have seen.

I was at a function in Nebraska this weekend. Ivan Carter was there. He said something which is very true and has stuck with me. It went something like this. One cannot solve third world country problems with first world country solutions. Think about it. These ARA idiots sitting all safe and sound have never have their lives threatened because of wildlife. Their ideas are often idiotic.

Minds can be changed. My wife was an anti-hunter. Not a foaming at the mouth anti-hunter but an anti-hunter nonetheless. To make a long story short, she took the time to learn and investigate after seeing elephants (which she thought were gentle giants) trying to kill us in one of my videos and also seeing the effort that went into the hunt . She found out that she was not only wrong but she was way wrong. You all should hear her now. She has done a 180.

We have to realize that we are making massive mistakes. The fighting. The classing warfare (why should I care if some rich guy gets to kill a elephant?). The apathy. The stupidity in the of social media. The words we use to describe our sport. The fact that we don't publicize all that we do for the wildlife. Why?

I am going to post a link below. Watch it. Why is it that people like us are the only people who are aware of things like this?

https://vimeo.com/165256789

DO NOT GIVE UP!

Yes, I will call him ass for that reason, but overall he is what I hoped for
Unfortunately, we will never get a perfect man up there and that’s a fact
I do also share Dave’s disappointment about African Big Ones (4)
Hard to swallow that bitter pill but nothing ever lasts forever so let’s hope when wind dies down, things might change

https://blog.humanesociety.org...zimbabwe-zambia.html



Ongwe,

Lions are mentioned in this article.



Breaking news: President Trump confirms he’ll ban elephant trophy imports from Zimbabwe and Zambia
January 28, 2018

President Trump has confirmed, in an interview airing Sunday night with the British journalist and animal advocate Piers Morgan, that he has directed his administration to ban the import of hunting trophies from African elephants and other rare wildlife from Zimbabwe and Zambia. Trump’s commitment, the best single action he’s taken on animal welfare during his term in office, contradicts the maneuver, according to the president, “from a very high level government person” to resume imports of hunting trophies and give the green light to American hunters to target these animals. The president called the decision by that individual “terrible.”

In November, after Trump learned about a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decision to allow imports of tusks and heads of elephants and lions from two African countries, he called for putting a hold on the decision, calling trophy hunting of elephants and other animals “a horror show.” His declaration to Piers Morgan airing today confirms that he’s sticking with his initial decision. In December, a U.S. Court of Appeals held that the process the Fish and Wildlife Service used to authorize the imports of elephants and lions from Zimbabwe and Zambia was invalid, and The HSUS has filed a lawsuit to ensure that those decisions are taken off the books.

“I didn’t want elephants killed and stuffed and have the tusks brought back into this [country] and people can talk all they want about preservation and all of the things that they’re saying where money goes towards ― well, money was going ― in that case, going to a government which was probably taking the money, OK?,” the president said in comments first obtained and reported by The Huffington Post.

African elephants and African lions are protected under the provisions of the Endangered Species Act, and their populations have been in steep and steady decline, as a consequence of a variety of human-caused factors, including trade in the parts of these animals. The primary tool the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services invokes to influence outcomes on the ground for foreign-listed species under the authority of the Endangered Species Act is to restrict imports of parts of animals into the United States. In short, if American trophy hunters cannot import the heads, tusks, and hides of the animals, they are unlikely to kill them in the first place.

Keeping elephants and lions alive is a key to economic progress in so many African nations. Millions of tourists trek to natural areas throughout Africa to see elephants, lions, and the extraordinary wildlife on the continent, collectively contributing billions to the economies of wildlife-rich nations. Trophy hunters, who are dramatically fewer in number than wildlife watchers, generate minuscule dollars in relative terms. What’s more, trophy hunting robs these nations of their greatest resources, diminishing the wildlife-watching experiences of so many tourists. Any U.S. sanctioning of trophy hunting sends a particularly contradictory message at a time when the world has been rallying to save elephants and lions.

A number of African nations, including Botswana, Kenya, and Rwanda, ban all trophy hunting.

In early December 2017, The HSUS commissioned a national survey of American attitudes, revealing that by a margin of more than five to one, respondents oppose allowing American trophy hunters to import tusks and heads into the United States. The survey showed that 78 percent of American voters oppose elephant and lion imports, with 15 percent taking a contrary view. Those trophy imports are opposed by 76 percent of Republicans, 84 percent of Democrats, and 75 percent of non-partisan voters.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service should heed sentiment and science and formally prohibit such imports for elephant, lions, leopards, and other threatened and endangered species across the board. We hope the Trump administration will forbid elephant and lion imports from all other African countries where American trophy hunters kill these animals for their tusks, and that includes Cameroon, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Tanzania.

We don’t allow trophy hunting of threatened or endangered species living in the United States, and there’s no logical reason to recognize it and enable it as a tool for dealing with foreign-listed threatened and endangered species.

Our intolerance for animal cruelty, especially when it is purposeful, wasteful, and done for boastful, selfish purposes like trophy hunting and dogfighting, is an American characteristic that binds us together as a nation and is something we should be proud of. President Trump has keenly tapped into this American value by imposing a ban on the imports of trophy-hunted elephants and lions from two countries, and we hope that’s just a start.

Trump and Trump enterprises owns Hunting Legends a very high end safari company. He can not in the present climate do anything that will increase the profit of one of his businesses. The Democrats would impeach him for imposing executive actions that would personally increase profits for his business.

Lane, no FU coming from me brother. Far from. I know you and I, and Larry, and the rest of the AR family want the same thing. We are ALL Disappointed with Trump's reversal of the science based decision of his own USF&W policies findings. Look, I'm not going to vote DEM for GOD sake, but I am praying for another choice in the GOP ticket that is more in line with my values, wishes, conservation ideas, and has the feel of a true leader of this nation, not the rich kid on the playground. I was there at his NRA speech last year, and he put the defense of hunting right up there with protection of 2nd ammendment issues. He miserably failed, if not outright lied to us in this, his first test on the issue. Like it or not, that is the fact. And that is why Trump, not the GOP, has my ire at the moment. Not giving up, or in by a long shot, but do not like being lied to.

quote:

Originally posted by Dave Fulson:
Lane, no FU coming from me brother. Far from. I know you and I, and Larry, and the rest of the AR family want the same thing. We are ALL Disappointed with Trump's reversal of the science based decision of his own USF&W policies findings. Look, I'm not going to vote DEM for GOD sake, but I am praying for another choice in the GOP ticket that is more in line with my values, wishes, conservation ideas, and has the feel of a true leader of this nation, not the rich kid on the playground. I was there at his NRA speech last year, and he put the defense of hunting right up there with protection of 2nd ammendment issues. He miserably failed, if not outright lied to us in this, his first test on the issue. Like it or not, that is the fact. And that is why Trump, not the GOP, has my ire at the moment. Not giving up, or in by a long shot, but do not like being lied to.

Well said Dave.

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:
Gentlemen, I am as disappointed as anyone.

The only time we have lost is when we have given up. I have not given up. I have no plans to anytime soon.

I think that we all forget one simple thing. There are things that are so incredibly obvious to us that others do not get at all. We live and breath Africa every day. The people making the decision do not. They are so far wrong on even the most basic things. Not that they are stupid, well, maybe some are. They have not seen what we have seen.

I was at a function in Nebraska this weekend. Ivan Carter was there. He said something which is very true and has stuck with me. It went something like this. One cannot solve third world country problems with first world country solutions. Think about it. These ARA idiots sitting all safe and sound have never have their lives threatened because of wildlife. Their ideas are often idiotic.

Minds can be changed. My wife was an anti-hunter. Not a foaming at the mouth anti-hunter but an anti-hunter nonetheless. To make a long story short, she took the time to learn and investigate after seeing elephants (which she thought were gentle giants) trying to kill us in one of my videos and also seeing the effort that went into the hunt . She found out that she was not only wrong but she was way wrong. You all should hear her now. She has done a 180.

We have to realize that we are making massive mistakes. The fighting. The classing warfare (why should I care if some rich guy gets to kill a elephant?). The apathy. The stupidity in the of social media. The words we use to describe our sport. The fact that we don't publicize all that we do for the wildlife. Why?

I am going to post a link below. Watch it. Why is it that people like us are the only people who are aware of things like this?

https://vimeo.com/165256789

DO NOT GIVE UP!

An even more sage post!