Dungbeatle,



Your addy says it all................... You do know what dung beatles eat, don't you ???

Muskrat,

I fully agree with all of what you've said here and you've nailed it dead center without one word too many nor one word too few. And you're preaching to the choir. Anyone who may have read or recalls my comments on the several previous and earlier threads concerning this knows where I stand on it. In exchanging notes with Tony, we agreed, hey, these guys (USO) are good. They picked their legal battle ground carefully, executed the plan and - Zap, yagotwhatcha got there in Az.

I view this whole issue as being negative for ALL Sportsmen no matter what state you're from, Resident, NR, it hits us all in some manner. USO is not through with this AND other Outfitters will follow suit challenging other weak spots that the rest of the western states have. There's never just 'one roach'.

This whole thing has actually taken State F&G's off of the hook with their own residents (It's not our fault, we have to abide the courts, etc.) and they will actually profit from the extra income from NR's. No help there for the local guys and gals, none at all.

Like you well say, it's a pistol hot topic. It just amazes me when folks say "It's a shame, etc, cause it's all about MONEY". Well, Duhhhh. We need to remember, like it or not, angry or not, USO played by the rules, did it legally by the laws of the land and they won. What Sportsmen and State F&G's need to be doing is getting their fat-a*sed lawyers up off of it and start reviewing their rules and making changes accordingly to mitigate some of these costly legal challenges. Again and like you said - "Apathy". It's just a lot easier to sit on your duff and scream about it. The human condition.

For my part, I maintain 2 residences with one those and a business being in Wyoming. I hope to make the full transition there complete by mid-06 and I'm thinking that, by then, the whole face of Wyoming hunting probably wont look at all like it presently does. Each year, I typically hunt La., Ky., Tx., Co., Wy. and Montana for turkey, Wt deer, Mulies, Elk, & lopes. I think all of that is about to change, too.

Just my .02$.

Dungbeetle.

The reaction of AZ residents was, understandably, both emotional and passionate. We were caught sleeping on this decision. Apathy had struck again... One of the downsides of such a heated reaction, is that, in some cases, it appeared that we were "anti-non resident" not "anti-USO". I fear that we may have alienated some potential allies.

The problem with USO is that they have taken greed to a new level. Profits over people, dollars over wildlife. Heck, there are lots of us trying to make a buck off of the hunting industry (I have a sideline as a Booking Agent), but they took this to a new level. Their goal lies far beyond Arizona. Also in their sites are Nevada, Montana, Kanasas, and a bunch of other States. If there is a dollar to be had, it's on the list.

I believe that they have effectively changed the face of hunting in the west as we know it. When they are done with the west, they will look east - mark my words... Arizonans should be reaching out to non-residents, as these folks are the next on the hit list. Granted, only a few have spoken harshly towards NRs, most have stayed focused on the real problem - USO.

For the people in other States - beware - this isn't just an Arizona problem.

Yeah, it's high fiber, complex carbohydrate and thanks for the query. By the way, Blowhummer, yor spellun are atroxiuos.

Dungbeetle