Conference vmsnet::hunting$note:hunting

501.0. "Fur Bearing Animal Population " by PCCAD1::RICHARDJ (Bluegrass,Music Aged to Perfection) Thu Oct 05 1989 16:18

I discovered a great outdoor magazine. Its called Massachusetts Wildlife.
My wife subscribed to it about a year ago, and I thought it was just
a conservation magazine. They have great articles on hunting, fishing,
and trapping. I recommend it over Outdoor Life or Field & Stream.
    
    I started going through my wife's old copies and found an article on
    fur bearing animals. With all the negative publicity towards trapping,
    and the pressure put on people to not buy fur garments, fur bearing
    animals are starting to populate to a such a degree, that the Wildlife
    department people are concerned. People don't realize that fur bearing
    animals were normally called varmints. The reason was because they
    carry disease, cause destruction, and are for the most part a pain
    in the butt when they populate areas near humans. Well the game
    department is concerned because they are seeing a fast growing
    population of fur bearing animals. The beaver for instance is now
    in every part of New England, to such an extent, that they cannot
    relocate them. Unknown to most anti-fur people, the beavers stool
    carries  bacteria that can be lethal to humans when water supplies
    are infested. Fisher cats will kill pets, destroy gardens, and even
    cause damage to your home. In all the article gives a clue to what's
    going to come about as the fur industry slides downhill, because
    of the misinformation the anti-fur people are giving out. We'll be
    shooting fur bearing animals just for the sake of getting rid of
    them, rather that using the furs for a useful purpose. 

    Jim

    JIM, YOUR RIGHT THE BEAVER POPULATION IS GROWING FAST ALONG WITH OUTHER
    FUR-BEARING ANIMALS. THEY SHOULD BE CONTROLLED BY TRAPPING AND HUNTING
    THERE A RENEWABLE RESOURCE AND SHOULD BE USED WISELY, WHICH THEY ARE.
    IT'S TIME ALL SPORTSMAN UNITE, THE HUNTER, TRAPPER AND YES EVEN THE 
    FISHERMAN TO PROTECT OUR SPORT'S. 
    
          MIKE