Approval was given to send a letter to the director of the Missouri Department of Conservation by the Ozarks Property Rights Congress at their meeting last Thursday which specifies what the group will do in response to the MDC proposals of rules changes regarding deer and turkey hunting by landowners.
State Rep. Don Wells, Van Kelly and Rep.-elect Tony Dugger met with the group and reported on their on-going efforts to stop the new proposed rules while acknowledging that the state legislature as a body has little control over MDC.
The MDC proposal to raise the acreage owned requirements from 5 to 80 acres to qualify for a no cost permit along with a requirement that landowners register their property with the MDC are the main points of concern to the property rights group.
The letter sent to the director by the OPRC states that beginning July 2009:
1. We will buy no deer or turkey tags. Period.
2. There will be no hunting on our private property by anyone with deer or turkey tags.
3. Our properties will be posted as follows: No Hunting except by landowner or resident until MDC regulations are changed.
4. There will be a fund set up to help pay fines for those who may be ticketed funded by what otherwise would be spent on tags.
5. We will not register our property with you (MDC) in order to be able to hunt on our own land for free.
The letter goes on to point out that the MDC claims it needs more funds but is one of the richest wildlife departments in the nation. The 1/8-cent sales tax they collect brings them more than $100 million each year and constantly increases in addition to licenses, fees and federal funds. Missouri out spends all other states by about $3 to $1 on a per capita basis on their conservation departments, the letter states. It also notes that the MDC is the largest single landowner in the state and has some 2,300 employees.
Director John Hoskins is challenged by the property owners as a public employee with a $150,000 annual salary who should be competent to run a department within its means without coming back to the public for more funds as other mismanaged entities are doing.
The property rights group maintain the landowner is the one who actually feeds and raises the game and should not be charged to harvest a part of it.
Several OPRC members reported gathering signatures in protest of MDC proposals. Rep. Wells said he has delivered petitions directly to MDC personnel. He offered to deliver petitions for anyone who is gathering them. Each of the representatives encouraged OPRC members to contact MDC personally and let their opinions be known.