Doug Howlett Photo

Today’s state wildlife agencies are changing. Some critics might call it metastasizing and it could spell trouble ahead for the hunting traditions Americans have enjoyed for centuries.

Colorado’s Parks and Wildlife Commission (CPW) recently confirmed two new appointees to the state agency that oversees and administers hunting and wildlife regulations. The concern is that these new commissioners have anti-hunting activist backgrounds. Both were confirmed by Colorado’s Senate after being nominated by Gov. Jared Polis. A third nominee was held over until May 9, after the state’s legislature ends the legislative session.

The two appointees confirmed to their positions are Jessica Beaulieu and John (Jack) Murphy. They will serve terms until July 1, 2027. The concern is that both aren’t hunters at all. In fact, they’re the polar opposite. Both have previously held positions with anti-hunting organizations. Now, they’re two of the 11 voting members of CPW that will administer wildlife, hunting and conservation policies in Colorado.

Anti-Hunting Activists

Murphy’s background advocating for hunting conservation is non-existent. He co-founded Urban Wildlife Rescue, which provides “humane solutions” to wildlife conflicts, wildlife education and wildlife rehabilitation, according to MeatEater. He has also served on the Colorado Nongame Conservation and Wildlife Restoration board and the board of Colorado Animal Protectors.

Beaulieu will serve as representative for Colorado’s outdoor recreation and parks utilization. That’s not exactly her background though. She manages the Animal Law Program at the University of Denver’s Strum College of Law. She was also a fellow at the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD). If that sounds familiar, it’s because CBD is the anti-hunting group infamous for the “sue and settle” scheme with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). In 2021, CBD sued the Trump administration over the 2.3 million acre expansion for hunting and fishing on National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs). They alleged that expanding hunting and fishing would harm endangered species that live on or around the refuges.

MeatEater reported that Beaulieu told Colorado’s Senate that she’s not anti-hunting but admittedly lacks the statutory qualifications to be a wildlife commissioner, with the exception that she’s a “park user.” She couldn’t say how many annual park passes she’s purchased.

Beaulieu’s history with CBD is concerning for hunting and conservation. The CBD is a nonprofit membership organization known for its anti-hunting efforts and work protecting endangered species through legal action, scientific petitions, creative media and grassroots activism.

The American Council on Science and Health says that the CBD aren’t wildlife conservationists at all. “In reality, it’s largely a group of lawsuit-happy lawyers.” The Council added, “CBD’s website lists about 170 staff members, with more than 50 having ‘attorney’ or ‘counsel’ in their job titles. So, that’s a law firm, not a scientific organization.”

Inversely, the group has only 10 individuals with “scientist” in their job title.

This organization is known for suing the federal government to force through policy initiatives that are devoid of science. They’re also notorious for then getting the taxpayer to pay their legal fees when they settle their frivolous lawsuits.

In February 2022, the Biden administration, represented by Interior Sec. Deb Haaland and USFWS Director Martha Williams, filed a joint request for the Court to stay proceedings while both parties engaged in settlement agreements even before they filed with the court an answer to the complaint. NSSF denounced the cozy agreement. NSSF intervened in the case early on to stop this dangerous legal theory at its inception, however an appeals court later dismissed the effort.

This is the same organization that sued USFWS for allowing traditional ammunition to be used in the Kaibab National Forest. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed a lower court’s dismissal of that case in September 2023. CBD, citing the Resource Conservation Recovery Act (RCRA), alleged the USFWS was allowing the industrial dumping of lead in the national forest because it didn’t ban traditional ammunition.  The case had a long and tortured procedural history and was the third time being heard in the Ninth Circuit.

Emotion, not Science

Colorado is facing serious wildlife concerns. The state began reintroducing wolves from Canada, an initiative that was approved through a ballot measure instead of sound science and input from stakeholders, like most other wildlife policy decisions. Those wolves have ranged far since their reintroduction and some residents are concerned as there were previous reports of wolves migrating into Colorado and preying on ranchers’ stocks. Two of the recently-introduced wolves came from Oregon, where they had a history of preying on livestock, even though Colorado Parks and Wildlife Director Jeff Davis and his staff testified before the House Agriculture Committee on Sept. 12, 2023, that they would do everything possible not to bring “problem” wolves to Colorado.

Those wolves are a concern for hunting in Colorado. Colorado estimates that $3.25 billion is generated into their economy annually from hunting and fishing, impacting all 64 counties and supporting over 25,000 full-time jobs. A large part of that is Colorado’s elk population, which numbers over 300,000. Harsh winters and habitat impacts cause some biologists to be concerned for the near-term herd sustainability. CPW already warned that big game licenses would be reduced for the coming year. Introducing wolves to the mix has Colorado guides worried.

“It would devastate rural Colorado, absolutely devastate us,” said Colorado hunting guide Jim Johnson to KRDO in December. “So we need to have animals to hunt. And if there’s no animals to hunt, there’s no hunting.”

Those wildlife policy decisions should be based on scientific evidence, not anti-hunting or preservationist sentiment. Adding anti-hunting activists to CPW’s commission threatens that.

It’s not just Colorado. Vermont’s Senate considered adding nonhunters to the state’s Fish and Wildlife Board. That proposal received considerable pushback and a veto threat from the governor. A revised version of S. 258 would still include members to “provide balanced viewpoints,” which replaced requirements to include wildlife watchers, photographers and birders. That’s not much of an improvement to give hunters reassurance. The new bill would also transform the Wildlife Board from a decision-making body to one that advises and oversees Vermont’s Fish and Wildlife Department, which would assume decision-making authority for wildlife policies.

Hunting in Colorado, and in the United States, could be drastically impacted by decision makers who don’t understand, or don’t want to understand, the critical role hunting fulfills in wildlife conservation. Dr. Kim Thornburn was once a Washington state wildlife commissioner. She’s admittedly a non-hunter but understood the need for hunting and sound scientific-data to drive conservation decisions. She spoke with Outdoor Life about her opposition to the state’s conservation policy that de-emphasized the role of hunters and is critical of commissioners who ignore science to pursue an anti-hunting agenda.

D.C. Directives

Those problems aren’t just in the western states. They’re showing up at the USFWS. For the past couple years, USFWS has played a “bait-and-switch” game with hunters across America. Director Williams has opened more National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) to hunting and fishing but at the expense of a phased plan to ban the use of traditional lead ammunition. That decision was made without sound site-specific scientific data. USFWS officials claimed that traditional ammunition is harmful to California condors and the American bald eagle. Yet, some of those NWRs that are slated to ban the use of traditional ammunition are on the East Coast, where condors have never flown. Bald eagles are fully-recovered and have been delisted from both the Endangered and Threatened Species Lists. Bald eagle populations are soaring all across the United States.

Demands to ban traditional ammunition were also made by the Center for Biological Diversity when they filed a petition to the USFWS to create a national rule banning the use of traditional ammunition on NWRs. USFWS rejected that petition after considerable pressure from the American Wildlife Conservation Partners (AWCP), a coalition of 41 conservatist groups, of which NSSF is one.

Hunting conservation is under threat from anti-hunting activists who appear to be conservationists in hunters’ clothing. Really, they’re activists in lawyers’ suits who are threatening the gains made for true conservation.

 

Editor’s Note—For those non-hunting gun owners quick to declare this a “Fudd” problem, these same agencies oversee a number of public land shooting ranges and areas where people can go shoot for both fun and practice. If you think the parasites squirming their way onto these boards are going to support your continued right to shoot on public lands anymore than they care about hunting, you are likely in for a huge shock and disappointment. From the “I don’t need an AR Fudd” to the “I’m strapped and ready for the zombie apocalypse tactard” and everyone in between, we need to stand together and focus on the common ground we share, or we all stand to lose in today’s culture wars.

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58 COMMENTS

  1. More pseudo intellectual “watermelons” – green on the outside, red straight through – implanted into what should be a relatively politically neutral organization with the full intent of subverting it into something completely opposite of what it was established as. This is how the leftist/statist/fascist scum continue to infect our culture and they’re not going to stop.

  3. They sticks in the mud are there because public perception of hunters is they are a bunch of lowlifes who need pasty mouth big government pompous liberal guidance. Expect things to work out like EV sales. In the meantime the Pizza Hut in our area had a $12.00 any large any crust deal that may put a smile on your face. The Supreme pan we scored weighed a ton and had toppings piled a mile high…enjoy.

    • …. and debby only eats at pizza huts with three phase power going into the building.
      she won’t stuff her piehole with just any old thing youknow

      • Pizza hut is the equivalent of hungarian pistols – they look alot alike on the outside but dont perform like the real thing. But what would you expect from Yum!, the Pepsico spinoff that has grown into the largest fast-food conglomerate in the world. I’d prefer to spend the extra on the real thing for both products deb.

        • unicornbread…Are you trying to say you lack the skills to make a Hungarian firearm run? And are you trying to say posting a pizza deal warrants some overblown farfetched corporate this and that reply?
          Here’s how replies work…you and alleytrash can post a better deal and/or try to tell me something about Gunsmith-ing I don’t know or stfu.

        • Deb, which guilds are you currently a member of – perhaps we could see your thesis builds. And if your idea of great pizza is one thrown together with pre measured ingredients on a machine made crust, by all means enjoy !

        • Debbie, yesterday I bought a 4″ S&W model 28 Highway Patrolman in 98 percent condition for $550. I think that Trump’s your pizza deal. (Did you see what I did there? Trump, deal?)

        • Gadsden I picked up a 4″ 28-2 with mild holster wear for $600 a couple weeks ago.By the serial # made in 71. Has the smoothest da trigger and the sa is like the proverbial glass rod.

        • Im picking up a Ruger LC carbine in .45 acp next week. Will be my first experience with .45. The dies and 1,000 pcs of starline brass arrived this week. Still need some boolits but the wife has ixnayed my gunm spending for awhile. Aint that a predicament!?!

        • Shouldn’t a pistol generally be expected to run without specialized gunsmithing at this point? Otherwise unless it is some emotional or heirloom piece it would seem like expensive junk.

        • “Has the smoothest da trigger and the sa is like the proverbial glass rod.”

          That was the 7-inch Super Redhawk in .44 mag I sold off when times got tough.

          I believe when I replace it, it will be the Ruger Super Redhawk Alaskan in .44 mag with laser grips added to it, in a chest rig…

  4. alleyboy…If you have something against pizza deals, 3 phase and women just say so little man.

    • Debbie downer this is the truth about guns not the truth about crappy pizza. try to stay on topic or stfu yourself.

      • Tired, you did well. Good S&W revolvers are commanding premium prices. Have been for awhile. Better investment than pizza. I don’t care who made it.

  5. … debby, i liked you alot better with your piehole full.
    and i like women, just not real sure you actually are one.

    • I was glad to see a post not be about bigots and racism for a change. We slam her for posting the same thing all the time, then we slam her for posting something different. Lol tough crowd

      • It is new enough so no need to jump her for stale content, especially when it actually had a thought somewhere.

        • I’m not a fan of commercial pizza brands, but I do like canik pistols and own three – none of which needed any “smithing” to run right out of the box. Also, they are building a manufacturing facility in Florida for US builds… stay tuned.

      • “We slam her for posting the same thing all the time, then we slam her for posting something different. Lol tough crowd”

        She earned every last bit of it with her perpetual, never-ending shit-posting… 🙁

  6. AQ, I understand, but what does pizza have to do with firearms? At least she was able to make some sort of a tenuous relationship between racism and firearms ownership. Apparently she didn’t get the memo that shit ended around 100 years ago. I have African American friends who purchase firearms on a regular basis. Retail and private sales. No one bats an eye.

    • “I have African American friends who purchase firearms on a regular basis. Retail and private sales. No one bats an eye.”

      Preach it. When I was working gun and pawnshops, the very best customers were were the Latino migrant farm workers. Easy to deal with, polite, they always paid in cash, and what impressed me the most was that their kids were always well-behaved, unlike some other kids…

  7. AQ, if you ever find yourself in N FL and want a real pizza, go to a little town called Havana. It’s about halfway between Tallahassee and the GA line. Nice little town. Lots of antique shops. There’s also a little Italian restaurant called Oscar’s. Belongs to a friend of mine. His name is Bob. Go figure. He has had a Carcano hanging on the wall since day one. There’s also a cabinet in the dining area. When I was there recently the cabinet was stocked with couple of different types of Mil-Surp 7.62 NATO, Norma handgun ammunition in 9mm, 10mm and .45 ACP. There a dozen, or more surplus HK-91 mags for sale (like me, Bob likes HKs), as well as firearms cleaning supplies, etc. All can be added to your dinner check. I don’t know about Debbie’s Pizza Hut, but that’s my idea of a pizza joint.

  8. @ AQ April 6, 2024 At 13:03

    “Im picking up a Ruger LC carbine in .45 acp next week. Will be my first experience with .45. The dies and 1,000 pcs of starline brass arrived this week. Still need some boolits but the wife has ixnayed my gunm spending for awhile. Aint that a predicament!?!”

    You’re gonna like that gun. I bought one a couple months ago. I don’t reload, but factory ammo shoots well, including Underwood 255gr HCFN. I put a Holosun & a linear comp on it, and got a couple KCI 26rnd mags also.

  9. I was certain that only hunting was protected by the Second Amendment.

    Did I miss something?

  10. Great idea, introduce things with teeth and claws, tusks and jaws then ban the gunms and develop a lot of Nature Trails.

      • Oh hah hah hah on you.
        I bought an Ozark Trails compass from Walmart, it broke so I couldn’t find my way back to Walmart to throw a bitch fit.

        • Haha. Good idea. Did you see where the head guy in Botswana (that’s a real place, not a slang term for the internet) told the woke Germans “if you like elephants so much, l will send you 20,000”? Hot prospect, there…

          And maybe Colombia 🇨🇴 will send us some of Escobar’s hippos.

  11. Never forget they voted for it. They voted for this f@sc!st/c0mmun!st h0-m-0sex-u@l government in Colorado. They’re all comfortable slaves enjoying their legal b-u-t-t sex and drugs.

  12. Well, there is no rational or moral reason for the general population to have machine guns. Since the 2A is about hunting.

    It’s just a waste of ammo to try hunting with machine guns. And besides you will just tear up the meat and ruining the harvest.

    You can trust the government.There’s no reason for every american family to have at least one rapid-fire weapon in their home.

    • My girlfiend has chimpanzee grip strength, she can wield 3 cast iron skillets at a time while throwing mutiple plates with her feet while hanging from the ceiling fan.
      That’s some rapid fire weapons there I tell yah.

      • “…she can wield 3 cast iron skillets at a time while throwing mutiple plates with her feet while hanging from the ceiling fan.”

        Yeah, but I bet the makeup nookie is nice, Possum… 😉

    • “You can trust the government.There’s no reason for every american family to have at least one rapid-fire weapon in their home.”

      I’m here to tell ya’, when you are a lonely old man….anything that goes fast is a treat.

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