Ohio Hunting Groups spend over $1 Million in Conservation Programs

All too often hunters get a bad rap. Between the anti-gun crowd, PETA, and the gazillion other tree-hugging groups out there - someone always has it in for hunters. Besides being stereotyped by these groups as cretins, knuckle-draggers, and killers, etc... they often send members to disrupt hunting activities. The anti-gun groups - attack our guns, PETA would rather see an animal starve then being taken under legal methods and the tree-huggers want any and all stand of trees/forests off-limits for hunting so they can go hiking or bird watching.

Many hunters (and it is true) will tell you WE are some of the biggest conservationists around and groups like Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever put their money where their mouth is. As a former member of Pheasants Forever, a gun-dog owner ( English Springer Spaniel & English Setter), and an avid upland bird/waterfowl hunter, articles like this make me proud...

From Buckeye Firearms --

For the third consecutive year, Ohio's Pheasants Forever (PF) and Quail Forever (QF) chapters have surpassed the $1 million mark in expenditures, spending $1,066,731 on the organization's wildlife habitat mission in 2008.

During the year, Ohio chapters completed 949 habitat projects impacting 6,001 acres; planted 18,685 trees and shrubs for winter cover; engaged 1,224 youth in mentor hunts, 487 youth in target shooting, 194 youth in conservation camp and 2,563 youth in other related outdoor events; issued $1,510 in sponsoring educational workshops and offered 18 scholarships for $4,550. Additionally, a 90-acre property in Union County became the second property in the nation donated to PF/QF's Forever Land Trust, and a pilot program in northwest Ohio called the Ohio Upland Habitat Initiative (OUHI) was launched to focus habitat funding in a specific focus area.

Ohio has 36 PF/QF chapters accounting for 6,100 members statewide. Those chapters have spent more than $7.5 million to complete over 15,000 habitat projects. Those projects have benefited 123,000 acres for wildlife.

Combined with the above conservation efforts, many of the wildlife groups offer opportunities and educational programs for children to experience the outdoors and teach them about something other than video games. It is because of groups like these and through their work with ODNR that the wildlife populations in OH all up and down the food chain have soared.

It is because of all this work - I don't think a true value can be put on groups like PF & QF. So if you are a tree-hugger, an anti-gun nut or a PETA member - next time you see a hunter go hug him. If it wasn't for him - you would have less animals to protect and less trees to hug.