# Attention Michigan Hunters



## bowsmacker (Jun 8, 2006)

*For more information on Proposal 3....*

go to the Citizens for Wildlife Conservation Committee website:

http://www.cwccmi.org/


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## bowsmacker (Jun 8, 2006)

*WHA's David Farbman Speaks out on Proposal 3*

*Sportsmen speak out on Proposal 3; Sterling town hall meeting Monday at 7 *

Author: Mike Spencer 
Date: October 6, 2006 
Publication: Bay City Times, The (MI) 
Page: C1 

In six months Dave Farbman hopes to have the No. 1 website in hunting. 
But first the founder of the World Hunting Association (www.worldhunt.com), who just completed his first professional hunting tournament at Gladwin’s Lost Arrow Resort on the Water and successfully launched a site targeting youth and even the non-hunters of the world, took time to talk about what’s really happening in the northern Michigan 
neck of the woods. 

It’s Proposal 3 on the statewide ballot Nov. 7. And the avid hunter and Detroit area realtor/developer, who hunts regularly further north in Ellsworth, wants your vote. “The Hunt is on and the WHA is off to an awesome start, but there is something more serious going on in our state right now,” said Farbman. “It’s Proposal 3. “The Anti's are attempting to stop us from having the right to hunt plain and simple.” 

Proposal 3 deals with dove hunting, but Farbman says it goes beyond that. “This is a matter of our rights as outdoorsman,” said Farbman. “Today it’s doves, tomorrow it’s deer or it’s fishing limits. The WHA stands 100 percent behind voting yes on Proposal 3 and we will continue to join in on the fight for the rights of hunters.” Farbman has spent the last month in Gladwin County watching eight hunters compete and launch his WHA Tour, but he’s not the only one organizing efforts to pass Proposal 3. 

Don Kroczaleski and the Sterling Sportsmen Association will hold a town hall meeting on Monday at 7 p.m. at the Sterling Sportsmen Club, 339 Melita Road. Be there! And bring a non-hunter, Kroczaleski says. A group of outdoorsmen, including Lee Zeidler, of the Citizens for Wildlife Conservation, State Sen. Jim Barcia, D-Bay City and Keith Charters of the Natural Resources Commission will be among the featured speakers. Hunters, if you can’t make it, just remember what the late Fred Bear once said, “If you’re not helping to save hunting, you’re helping to outlaw it.” “What people don’t realize is that we’re also fighting the bird lovers,” said Kroczaleski, a SSA board member. “And once that vote gets out, we’re in trouble. “And the whole Michigan economy is in trouble if it keeps going.” 

Meanwhile back at Lost Arrow, hunters earlier this week finished a 14-day archery, muzzleloader and rifle deer hunt. The next hunt is next month Nov. 16-Dec. 1. Farbman wouldn’t disclose the hunter who took home the $35,000 top prize. That will announcement will be made through a series new weekly shows on his FREE website beginning this month. “The tourney was great. Let’s just say that they’ve been humbled, but they’ve also been doing some good shooting,” said Farbman. “The guys who were optimistic and believed every time they went out that they were going to get game, by no coincidence were the guys scoring. And that was cool to see.” 

Farbman is hoping to show off all aspects of hunting online, from scouting and deer management to the actual harvesting of trophy bucks. He’s even added a special attraction, the WHA girls. “Hunting has everything,” said Farbman. “There’s excitement, strategy, skill, anticipation, adrenaline and euphoria. “And we’re giving youth and non-hunters a portal to get excited about this sport.” Farbman, who used interactive cameras, global positioning and the footage from each hunter’s cameraman who also participated in the hunt, plans to make hundreds of videos and DVD from out-takes of bloopers to the real hunt. “It’s all free,” said Farbman, who down the road plans to have live feeds of the hunt. “Our goal is to drive people to our website.” Farbman says his website is unlike any other. “It is very clear that the work being done in most outdoors shows is done in a studio somewhere with voice-overs,” said Farbman. “The difference in what we’re doing, on top of being a realty show/competition, is that we’re in the field. “And we’re showing the real communication between a cameraman and a hunt. We’re trying to keep it “In your face.’”


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## Tropicalfruitmo (Mar 17, 2005)

Thanks for the link and the info. I've been talking to a lot of people about Prop 3 and the prop to earmark funds.


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## sisu (Aug 24, 2006)

Thanks for the news. My mother lives in Da Yooper Land and we own a few acres of good white tail hunting there. I'll tell her about the proposal.


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## applewhacker (Oct 12, 2006)

*Yes on 3!*

I was in Detroit today and I was surprised to see so many signs in the City for Yes on 3. It was great to see and I didnt see one sign that said No. Fortunately there will be a very large voter turnout from the City with the Affirmitive action issue on the ballot (Prop 2?).....Anyway the push really does need to be in detroit with the numbers they will turn out this year. Everyone really does need to get on the CWC site and get the yard signs and paste them everywhere!


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## applewhacker (Oct 12, 2006)

I just searched the issue and didnt find much recent publicity in favor of the antis. I did find another article on yahoo regarding the WHA and proposal 3...Apparently they are on the CWCC board.

This stuff really needs to hit the major publications in Detroit. (Free Press and News) *All Michigan hunters should be emailing the outdoor writers there and getting them to get this stuff in front of the Michigan voters.*

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/061016/dem025.html?.v=57

WHA Warns Michigan Voters That Opponents of Proposal 3 Threaten to Turn Hunters Into the Hunted

Monday October 16, 2:57 pm ET 
Maintaining a hunting season for mourning doves secures hunters' rights 

DETROIT, Oct. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- The World Hunting Association (WHA) -- the global competitive sporting establishment dedicated to organizing and promoting the sport of hunting -- supports Michigan's Proposal 3, which would authorize the Natural Resources Commission to establish a hunting season for mourning doves. WHA contends that a ban on dove hunting sets a precedent that threatens the rights of all citizens and the continued existence of hunting as a sport.

WHA warns voters that the emotional appeal presented by opponents of dove hunting is a disguise for their ultimate goal of banning all hunting, trapping and even fishing. Anti-hunting groups are using the dove issue as a stepping- stone toward the complete eradication of hunters' rights. WHA also argues that anti-hunting groups place a higher value on animal rights than human rights.

"Since the beginning of time, mankind has hunted. By allowing anti- hunting groups to revoke man's right to hunt, we become dangerously close to becoming a hunted animal ourselves, whose liberties are decided by others with self-serving interests," says WHA Commissioner David Farbman. "Whether or not one is a hunter, everyone should be concerned about the protection of civil rights and liberties and should be wary of any group that intends to threaten our rights."

Farbman continues, "Data shows that as one of the 10 most numerous bird species in the continental U.S., mourning doves are not in imminent threat of endangerment. Anti-hunting groups fail to mention that in the 40 states where doves are hunted, there is no significant effect on the population."

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services found that the harvesting of mourning doves "has not been considered detrimental to long-term population status," and that there is essentially no difference in population trends of the species among states where dove hunting is permitted and states where it is banned.(1)

"Anti-hunting groups use the emotional appeal of animal rights to gain support. Voters need to be aware that these groups are dangerous and a threat to our rights as hunters and humans," Farbman said. "Today, they are challenging dove hunting. Tomorrow it will be deer, then ducks and then fish. It won't end unless we stop them right now."

The World Hunting Association(TM) is a global competitive sporting establishment dedicated to organizing and promoting the sport of hunting. The Association includes a ground-breaking, professional competitive hunting tour, spotlighting some of the world's greatest skilled hunters competing for hundreds of thousands of dollars in prize money, as well as the latest technologies in the field and on the website that take hunting to a new level.

The WHA will enhance the image and experience of hunting today and for tomorrow's generations. The WHA was created by entrepreneur and hunting enthusiast David Farbman. For more information, visit http://www.worldhunt.com.

(1) Mourning Dove National Strategic Harvest Management Plan. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services. July 2003.


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## tclow (Feb 22, 2006)

ttt


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## applewhacker (Oct 12, 2006)

*Everyone should email Chris Christoff and tell him what you think*

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061023/NEWS06/610230347/1001/NEWS

Animal activists, hunters square off
Proposal 3 would make doves fair game

October 23, 2006

Mourning dove vote

If approved, the state would set a mourning dove hunting season. Hunters would be required to get a small-game license and a $2 mourning dove stamp.
One of a series of Free Press reports on five statewide issues on the Nov. 7 ballot. Come back Tuesday for a look at Proposal 1, which mandates the use of recreation fees to support recreation programs.

One choice on the Nov. 7 ballot is a matter of life and death. That is, if you're a mourning dove.

Proposal 3 would allow the hunting of mourning doves in Michigan. Actually, it was made legal in 2004 when lawmakers and Gov. Jennifer Granholm ended the state's 99-year ban on dove hunting.

That autumn, 28,000 doves were bagged in a limited season in six counties.

But in 2005, dove lovers and animal protection groups collected enough petition signatures to suspend dove hunting and force a statewide vote on the question this November. A yes vote would allow dove hunting; a no vote would throw out the law that legalized it.

While other election issues command more attention, the notion of shooting mourning doves incites passions on both sides of the hunting divide.

Opponents say there's no good reason to hunt the gentle, cooing bird. They make their point in an emotionally charged TV ad that concludes with the sound of a gunshot and video of a shot dove flapping its wings in the throes of death.

Dove-hunting enthusiasts say 40 other states allow it and that opponents' ultimate goal is to ban all hunting, a charge anti-dove hunters deny.

Advocates say dove hunting could pump millions of dollars into the state's economy -- money that goes to other states where hunters go to shoot the migrating birds. Opponents point to a study that shows there's little economic benefit.

Granholm angered animal rights groups by signing the bill in 2004, despite her assurance to them in 2002 that she would not support dove hunting. The compromise law only allowed dove hunting in six Michigan counties that border Ohio and Indiana, states where dove hunting is legal.

The Department of Natural Resources was to monitor dove populations for three years, after which hunting could be allowed in other parts of the state.

Surveys estimate 4 million mourning doves migrate from Michigan each year, according to the nonprofit, nonpartisan Citizens Research Council of Michigan.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos supports dove hunting.

Challenging target

Leading the campaign for dove hunting is Citizens for Wildlife Conservation Committee (CWCC), a coalition led by the Michigan United Conservation Clubs, the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance and the National Rifle Association. They say doves are the most popular game bird in the United States and are so plentiful that hunting won't diminish their numbers.

Dove hunters say the bird is a challenging target in flight and tasty to eat. Doves typically are hunted in September in farm fields, not residential areas, where they can be seen in backyards.

Steven Lawire-Smith, 41, of Rives Junction said he favors allowing a hunt. He doesn't hunt himself but allows friends to hunt deer and turkeys on 25 acres he owns in Jackson County.

"I don't see a problem with it, if it's controlled, like deer hunting is," he said. "I see it as a source of revenue."

Other Michiganders say they think it's a bad idea.

Eileen Berry of Plymouth Township said doves are urban and suburban birds, not like wild turkeys, and that she once had a pair nesting in a crevice of the exterior of her home.

"Come on. Just because they're not endangered, you're going to shoot them?" she said. "What are we going to shoot next, robins?"

The argument that other states allow dove hunting doesn't sway her.

"They allow capital punishment in other states, but I don't go along with that, either," she said.

Advocates tried for 20 years to legalize dove hunting in Michigan. A pro-dove hunting rally at the state Capitol in 2003 featured rock star and hunter Ted Nugent, who pumped up the crowd with the memorable rally cry, "Doves are food!"

"I've hunted doves in other states, and it's a festive kind of thing. It's like the opening bell, usually the first hunting season of the year," said Rob Sexton, vice president of the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance.

Protecting the birds

On the other side is the Committee to Keep Doves Protected, led by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the Michigan Audubon Society and Michigan Humane Society. They say Michigan's long history of protecting doves as songbirds should continue and that shooting doves offends most people.

The Detroit Free Press-Local 4 Michigan Poll in late August showed 50% of Michigan voters were opposed to dove hunting and 40% were in favor.

Dove hunting is gratuitous and unnecessary, said Wayne Pacelle, president of the HSUS.

"We don't allow hunting of everything," Pacelle said. "It's biologically sustainable to shoot robins or cardinals, too, but we have social values to say that conduct is out of bounds. ... They're too small to make a meal. They aren't a nuisance, there's no population rationale."

Hunting advocates claim Pacelle's organization wants to stop all hunting. They point to the HSUS Web site, which denounces hunting for recreation as cruel to animals.

"The bottom line is this issue is about way more than doves. It is really about our rights to hunt, our liberties, period," said David Farbman, head of the World Hunting Association and founder of the Farbman Group real estate company in Southfield.

Last January, state elections records showed that the HSUS donated $535,000 of the $803,500 raised by the Committee to Restore the Dove Hunting Ban.

The pro-hunting CWCC hasn't come close to raising the $3.2 million it had targeted for the campaign, according to Sexton. He said the group plans to soon air radio ads urging voters to pass Proposal 3.

Contact CHRIS CHRISTOFF at 517-372-8660 or [email protected].


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