TN-Birders: I am part of a multi-state/province team that has been examining the = issue of crane hunting in the eastern US over the past couple of years. = Anytime a hunting season is proposed for a species, ALL of the states/Canadian provinces that species breeds, migrates through, and winters in must be included in the management plan. We are currently trying to assess the population status of the cranes. There are good data from Wisconsin, = thanks to the excellent work of the International Crane Foundation, but there = are little data right now on the populations in other parts of the breeding range (e.g. MI, OH, MN, Ontario). We have information on the cranes' migration and wintering in east TN, but not much from other parts of the state. We have good data from FL for wintering numbers, but the data are old; crane surveys have not been conducted in quite a few years (we = can't use Christmas Count numbers because they don't take into account whether = the cranes people are counting are the Greater Sandhill Crane or whether = they are the resident Florida Sandhill Crane). Once we have all the data, we = can then determine whether the population can tolerate hunting and whether hunting is warranted. Hunting is not just for sport and food; it is also = a way of regulating population numbers. That is why we need such = comprehensive data on reproduction and survivorship. While Mr. Hodge claims the cranes = are everywhere, that was not always the case. In the 1930's, there were only = 25 breeding pairs in WI. It was only through wetlands protection, hunting = bans, and changes in agricultural practices that numbers have rebounded. The current estimate for the entire eastern population is ~40,000. The = bottom line is that there won't be a hunting season any time soon. We just = don't have the necessary information. If/when a hunting season is implemented, = the Whooping Crane issue will have to be taken into account. I am confident = that the vast majority of crane hunters will be responsible and not shoot a whooper. Sandhill Crane hunting occurs in a number of other states where Whooping Cranes are also found, and there has only been one casualty = that I am aware of (a hunter in Kansas shot a Whooping Crane a couple of years ago). Sandhill Cranes are also a valuable economic resource in the form = of tourism, and that aspect will be incorporated into the plan as well. = Crane hunting is an issue that is definitely important, and I encourage = everyone to participate in the process however they can. As I said, however, = there won't be any hunting for a while, so let's get too panicked. David Aborn Chattanooga, TN =================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER===================== The TN-Bird Net requires you to SIGN YOUR MESSAGE with first and last name, CITY (TOWN) and state abbreviation. You are also required to list the COUNTY in which the birds you report were seen. The actual DATE OF OBSERVATION should appear in the first paragraph. _____________________________________________________________ To post to this mailing list, simply send email to: tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx _____________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, send email to: tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field. ______________________________________________________________ TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s) endorse the views or opinions expressed by the members of this discussion group. Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ------------------------------ Assistant Moderator Andy Jones Cleveland, OH ------------------------------- Assistant Moderator Dave Worley Rosedale, VA __________________________________________________________ Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society web site at http://www.tnbirds.org * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ARCHIVES TN-Bird Net Archives at //www.freelists.org/archives/tn-bird/ EXCELLENT MAP RESOURCES Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp Tenn.Counties Map at http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/states/tennessee3.gif Aerial photos to complement google maps http://local.live.com _____________________________________________________________