Local News
Bob Haase’s Another Can Of Worms
Hunting, Fishing, and Other Outdoor Sports
Last week I wrote about the $500,000 DNR grant to the United Sportsmen of Wisconsin. This grant was suppose to be used to get people, especially youth, interested in hunting and fishing in Wisconsin. After all the corrupt and negative things were exposed about the United Sportsmen of Wisconsin and the way the grant was given to them, our Governor had no choice but to rescind the grant.
Using the term sportsmen does not necessarily make the organization representative of sports men and women. The name was used as a mask to hide the real purpose of the organization which was to promote the mine in northern Wisconsin and the commercial development of wetlands. It is unfortunate that they used the name United “Sportsmen” of Wisconsin because this group is not for sportsmen, and is not representative of the good things most sportsman’s clubs and organizations do. The president of this group was fined for illegally hunting bear in Wisconsin and remained as president. In most sportsman’s clubs, the person would have been kicked out for such an act, and not kept on as president.
We are lucky in the Fond du Lac area, and most of the state, to have a number of great hunting and fishing clubs that work hard to protect and enhance our natural resources and work hard to introduce youth and others to the sport of hunting and fishing. You can go on-line at www.winnebagoland.org or just Google “Winnebagoland Conservation Alliance” and it will take you to a website that lists most of the sportsman’s clubs in the Fond du Lac area, and provides contact information for them. These are good clubs and you should consider checking them out and possibly becoming a member of one or more of them.
These clubs are made up of some great people that take on projects that help protect and enhance our wetlands, not destroy them. They work on fish stocking and habitat work to improve fishing on area waters. They host kids fishing programs to introduce kids to the sport of fishing. Some or the work they do benefits not only hunting and fishing, but hiking, bird watching, and other outdoor sports. Some clubs are local and others have ties to a national organizations, but they all work together to make things better for everyone today and for future generations! These clubs are the real sportsman’s clubs unlike United Sportsmen of Wisconsin.
Bob Haase is the host of “Outdoors Thursday” heard Thursday mornings at 9:10 a.m. on News-Talk 1450 KFIZ.