I saw these problems coming in 1990. I told a few friends we are about to enter a period in Whitetail hunting where we are going to have to create our own destiny. Most men will not control themselves.......if they would be able to.........we would have never had to reintroduce whitetials back into Indiana, let alone the Elk we lost in the Midwest due to those that ravaged our natural resources.

Most men will not change..........they shoot till they are out of game or out of bullets. Their hunting experience is not what they make of it......but what they TAKE, and simply move on then to TAKE again somewhere else when they run out of things to TAKE due to their own lack of foresite or recognition of value in the resource. The words "management", and "restraint" mean nothing to them.

With that in mind.......I built some areas in several counties I hunt here in Indiana that will give me the experience I want no matter what the IDNR says at this point. I surround myself with others with the same mindset.

We have 3 goals that are working.......

1) Build the experience we want by doing what few have the desire to do.....and repeat it year after year.

2) Accept we will lose a few on our borders. This situation is getting worse due to "TAKERS" running out of good areas to hunt now......but our cores are protected/managed and policed well.....still yielding what we want, and in most cases exceeding our expectations.

3) Wreak absolute stern biblical HAVOC on those takers that push the envelope to "illegal" behavior on our land. We have a "zero" tolerance policy, even with "first offenders". In my book, there is no such thing as a "first offender"......it simply is the first time they have been CAUGHT. And we make each of them pay via the legal system everything we can throw at them. This is working well....and we have few problems anymore......but we do not let our guard down for one second.

But this is what puzzles me the most...........the ones that say they don't want to do what we do, or regulations that will help keep in check those that have no "compass".......are the ones that would give their left nut to hunt on my pieces of dirt.

"They don't want it/our methods of hunting"........but they line up on our borders 'cause they know it works. LOL!! And they will continue to be the ones on the outside looking in.

My hat is off to those that had/have foresite........truly practise management.......and smoke those that test them with a good dose of "legal ramification" that earn it. The next wave of tension in this state is going to come from the "TAKERS" that have run to the borders of the "MANAGERS". This situation is and will continue to get worse as those with no foresite continue to be the IDNR's drones and just pop, pop, pop cause the regs say you can. This will be the next step in tearing apart hunters vs hunters and neighbors vs neighbors with ugly endings. The IDNR regs in place are just accelerating this "future hunting societal acid" in hunter/hunter and neighbor/neighbor relationships.

Keep in mind though, Life is good, Hunting CAN be good........just have the courage to be a "good guy" with "good intent", and a "stick that stings" when tested.

It works........

Mark Twain said it best......"Do the right thing, and you will please a few......and astonish many"