mfha.proboards.com
Please join with us to keep our rights and hunting priveleges alive and to help fight back against orgs, such as PETA.
What we have formed the Alliance for:
To promote unity in like minded sportsman. To bring fishermen, duck hunters , coon hunters , turkey hunters , Trappers and so on together . To teach the uniformed, the importance of hunting, fishing and trapping. To educate them to the actual practices that are in use today as opposed to the stereotype of 150 years ago. By sharing our experiences we can kindle interest in these activities . The more people that become interested the more that will become involved.


Wildlife management studies, research and lobbying by interest groups, such as the Missouri Fur Harvesters Alliance, help designate times of the year when certain wildlife species can be legally harvested, allowing for surplus animals to be removed. In the United States, hunting season and bag limits are determined by guidelines set by the US Department of Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) for migratory game such as waterfowl and other migratory game birds. The hunting season and bag limits for state regulated game species such as deer are usually determined by State game Commissions, which are made up of representatives from various interest groups, wildlife biologists, and researchers.

Deer Hunters

Considerations

During the early 1900s, the population of deer in the United States had dropped to below half a million. Following a mass decline in the number of hunters, the population grew exponentially. By the end of the 20th century, there were approximately 25 to 30 million deer nationwide.

Features

The major benefit of harvesting deer is to regulate the overall deer population. While there are state-issued limits on the number of deer harvested by individual hunters, over 10 million deer are harvested annually.


Significance

Hundreds of people are either killed or injured in auto accidents involving deer every year. Additionally, over 1 billion dollars of damage is incurred in these accidents. By controlling the deer population, it limits the number of people killed or injured.

Misconceptions

Hunting deer has more benefits than just those that assist humans. Due to the large population of deer throughout the United States, many scientists are concerned that certain parts of the deer population can suffer from starvation due to lack of resources.

Trappers/ Coon Hunters

1. Regulated harvest helps to maintain wild populations (decreases the potential for negative interactions between humans and wildlife.)

2. Regulated harvest provides a local, healthy, organic source of food (or clothing) with minimal impacts to other resources. Contrast this to the production of beef, poultry, grains, vegetables, etc. which require the use of pesticides, fertilizers, hormones and antibiotics.

3. Regulated harvest maintains the ecological balance between wildlife populations and habitat. When wildlife is in balance with habitat, wildlife thrive.

4. Regulated harvest helps to protect declining, rare, threatened or endangered species by targeting specific predators that are negatively affecting recovery rates.

5. Regulated trapping has in fact aided in wildlife restoration efforts, some with striking success.

Predators are damaging to the quail populations as well as turkeys, deer etc. so if we could get/or maintain reasonable regulations on predator hunting/trapping and keep those predator numbers under control then that will benefit those populations and the people who like to hunt them.
We all know that if there is not already a serious otter problem there is one coming so if we could work with Missouri Department of Conservation to get control of that then that could help the fishers of the state.

Approach the Missouri Department of Conservation individually for something you may get a polite "we'll look into that", then it becomes forgotten, but if they are approached by a group with 50 or more trappers and 50 or 60 coon hunters, and 25 fishermen/fisher women that has an alliance with several chapters of quail unlimited and whitetails unlimited as well as some local hunting and fishing clubs they may take notice and say to themselves "we had better look into that".
Strength in numbers and across a broad segment of sportsmen is going to be key. but our main selling point should be that fur takers are, for want of a better term, "the bottom of the food chain" of sportsmen because almost all fur bearers are predators of some sort and the ones that aren't can be very damaging to habitat and property so if we can control the fur bearer populations better than the others will benefit.


Not to mention the revenue that we contribute to society.

As an alliance we stand a better chance of fighting back when things get bleak. Like banding together to stand against legislation that would hinder our rights to hunt, trap, fish, or take our rights to bear arms.
We as a group are strong. But with out an alliance we stand as sheep against wolves. Combining our voices against a issue will get more accomplished than one voice in the dark!

Educating people that fur harvesting is still going on. Educating the public to the new ideas and equipment we have. No longer are we in the dark as a group we can shine!

Join the forum today and remove this ad!

Please post some more information as far as contacting this group. I try to stay up on important issues in concerns to Missouri hunting regs. Please post so all can see.

http://mfha.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=register

M.F.H.A. Vice President
Bob Wheelbarger
Bogard, Mo 64622
(660) 731-5404
trappertough@yahoo.com

We have also started a petition to remove the mandatory sell date of furs. We hope that this will persuade the Missouri Department Of Conservation to lift the mandatory date. The loss of the fur market is slowly causing fur takers to lose interest in the sports we all love so much. We are trying to keep this alive so they don't phase us out, one by one, and State by State.
http://www.gopetition.com/online/30052.html

Mission Statement
To educate all people in the importance of proper furbearer management in the 21st century based on sound biological practices, and to form an Alliance with other like-minded people and organizations to achieve our goals.
The Missouri Fur Harvester's Alliance is an organization formed by trappers , raccoon hunters and predator hunters who's purpose is to provide both the sportsman and non-hunting public the reasons needed for proper furbearer management throughout to ensure a healthy and balanced wildife population in the future.


To do this we intend to form alliances with as many like-minded people and organizations as possible. If we can form liasons with groups like the National Wild Turkey Federation, Ducks Unlimited, Quail Unlimited, etc. we feel we will have the needed strength to get agendas carried out. All of these organizations benefit from proper furbearer management.

Thank you and I will check it out!

You are welcome, We need all the houndsmen we can get, we also need, rabbit hunters, fox hunters, coyote hunters, squirrel hunters, bird hunters, the whole works to join us in this. I think we can make many changes and help educate the public on our importance in the community in this day and age.
Folks do not realize that fur takers in general, such as coon hunters, trappers, etc etc.. Have an effect on all walks of life in the outdoors, including farmers, and land owners.
Bird hunters are effected by us, if we do not keep the predators in check then nest predatation will be on the increase, causing tons of quail, turkey, pheasant to decline in population.

Fisherman are effected by the otters that are over taking farm ponds and our "Secret" fishing spots. I have had several guys tell me that they used to catch fish out of these small streams all day long and now they have nothing in them.
If the fur market goes down the drain then things could be bad all the way around.

I just want people to know that I am a young hunter in my middle twenties and I would hate to see hunting rights taken from us. I believe the best way for us to go about preserving our hunting rights for generations to come is to stand together where ever we are from. Personally I am from Illinois, but the only way we are going to be able to continue to hunt ourselves and pass on the traditions to our children is if we have a united front. We need to get everybody involved that could possibly help us in our matters. Search for help from big organizations that can give us information about how to approach things such as the UKC and try to draw the support of business owners for help. Around here we have places like Farmking but the more we can expand the better it is for the sport now and tomorrow.