This could go in the political forum, but it is about our ability to own firearms to hunt, which is why most of us own them. So, it is more appropriate to post it here, right?

This is a letter written by Rich Pearson, who, for the past 15 years, was the chief lobbyist for the Illinois State Rifle Association. He lobbied Barack Obama extensively. It is worth a read.

Open Letter To Sportsmen

The thread belongs right where it is because of the complexity of the issue. Bigger picture than just political. Just the overall cost of hunting is out of control. Most leases and package hunts are just out of reach of lots of hunters. What Washington imposes on gun owners is one obsticle but the cost of travel, complications of travel, outfitter fees, increasing out of state license fees, the privelidge of hunting specific species in most cases I have to forego.

Leases and lack of public hunting ground will greatly affect the future of hunting unfortunately.

Hunters leaving an impression on private landowners especially when that impression is not a good one, also raises serious implications for those who want to hunt in the future.

This is an important subject as the average hunter is being slowly pushed out of the game. Hunting in Texas is becoming more difficult with limited public land and high cost of leases. Being here in the Southeastern part of the state I brave the public lands hunts close to me for hog hunting and make a couple trips to my brother-in-laws place near Mertzon/ San Angelo in the fall for deer and turkey and again in the spring for turkey. Point here is that I'm very blessed to have wife's brothers place to hunt. For the cost of a true year-round hunting lease a guy could do a 7 day plainsgame hunt in Africa or buy a nice package hunt in Alaska once a year or at least every other year without the maintenence. And then the political arena is getting very scary as no one really knows what the future of gun ownership is going to be. It is my understanding that Joe Biden wrote the '94 Clinton gun ban and we are all realizing what obama's feelings are to gun ownership. I think most sportsman know how to vote this year. Rodney.