Sportsmen Make Presence Known At State Capitol
Sportsmen in Wisconsin have always been large in numbers and now they want to make sure that those numbers translate into political clout at the state capitol. That was the purpose behind the first annual “Sportsmen’s Day” recently conducted in Madison. The event, sponsored by the newly formed Hunters Rights Coalition attracted many of the most powerful political figures in the capitol city.
The Wisconsin Bear Hunters’ Association is a founding member of the Hunters Rights Coalition.
Among those attending and speaking to coalition members were Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch (R-West Salem), Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen, Joint Finance Chairman Senator Russ Decker (D-Schofield), and Assembly Natural Resources Chairman Scott Gunderson (R-Waterford).
Among those representing the WBHA were Board members Scott Meyer, Rob Stafsholt, and Al Lobner. Coordinating the entire event were WBHA team members Bob Welch, Joe Handrick, and Kasey Kolberg.
“We are very pleased with how this unfolded in this our first year,” said Greg Kazmierski, President of the Dairyland Chapter of Safari Club International, “The politicians know we’re here and we had good luck in letting them know about important issues that are out there.
WBHA board member Scott Meyer concurred with Kazmierski as to the importance of this type of grass-roots lobbying. “This is how grass roots lobbying is supposed to work – they (the politicians) all know we’re here.”
Joining the WBHA were representatives from the six Wisconsin chapters of Safari Club International (SCI), the Wisconsin Bear Hunters’ Association (WBHA), the Wisconsin chapters of the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF), The United States Sportsmen’s Alliance (USSA), the NRA, and Sporting Heritage Inc.
Following the information meeting at the capitol, coalition members visited nearly all capitol offices with information packets about hunting issues in Wisconsin and background on coalition members.
Issues covered included efforts to open more land to hunting, wildlife management, and increasing opportunities for youth hunting through mentoring and hands-on training.