I asked Jimmy Wilkerson if I could forward his recent email to
TNbirds to Birdky. This is an issue that is also relevant in KY.
Hap Chambers
Murray, KY
Fellow Birders,
The Friday's issue of the "Times Free Press" here in Chattanooga
ran a front page story on the proposed Sandhill Crane hunt.
I did a little research and am able to document that if TWRA does go
through with the hunt as planned, there will be 733 drawing winners
who will be allowed to harvest 3 cranes each. At least in the first
hunt
season.
The only way to purchase a license in Tennessee is by buying a
combination hunting/fishing permit. You can't buy just either the
hunting
or the fishing license. The cost is $28.00 annually (Feb. to Feb.)
A hunter also has to purchase an additional permit to hunt waterfowl
which costs an additional $31.00.
Now lets do some math! 733 lucky hunters will be allowed to harvest
three each cranes. That's 2,199 total birds.
If the 733 lucky hunters have not already purchased their waterfowl
permit
they would have to do so in order to hunt Sandhill Cranes.
So, 733 hunters multiplied by $31.00 each equals $22,723.00 EXTRA
dollars
TWRA would stand to earn for the 2011-2012 hunting season. That works
out to a grand total of $10.34 per bird.
I propose we start a web-site much like Operation Migration has and
sponser a
bird for an X amount of money and send the proceeds to TWRA so they
can
have their $22,723.00 and stop this non sense about hunting our
Sandhill Cranes
in The Great State of Tennessee.
Jimmy Wilkerson
Hixson, TN
