The Great Outdoors
Unified Sportsmen score first-round knockdown By now you have probably heard the court ruled in favor of the Unified Sportsmen of Pennsylvania in their lawsuit against the PGC for “capricious and arbitrary” management of our deer herd.
The three-judge panel ruled that sportsmen indeed have standing. Frankly, standing is a major victory in this fight that has just begun.
Had the judges denied standing, the PGC would have scored a first round knockout. An appeal to a higher court would have been necessary. Instead, Unified won the first round with a knockdown.
The scorecard reads 10-8 Unified. (I love boxing analogies.) The judge has asked Unified to modify its complaint and come out swinging for round two.
Regardless of the PGC spin, standing is a major victory. State wildlife agencies across the country are watching this case very closely. I know this for a fact because I have interviewed them.
Wildlife managers in all states now realize that if Unified prevails, they too may actually have to listen to their sporting class. What a concept. Think about it. Sportsmen pay their salaries, but wildlife managers fear they may actually be forced to listen to their hunters.
So far, Attorney Don Bailey of Harrisburg has done an excellent job of handling this case. It is no small task for citizens to prevail against government.
Unfortunately, his work has just begun. A great deal must be done to get this case into court. Court is exactly where Unified wants this matter to go. Under the scrutiny of public, open courtroom testimony volumes will be learned about the special interest underpinnings of the PGC.
In the weeks and months ahead expect the PGC to downplay the entire matter. You will see frequent press releases declaring they have done nothing wrong. Unified will be criticized. Some will go as far as attempting to brand Unified an anti-hunting organization.
I have seen this before. It has happened to me. It is interesting that every time the PGC gets embroiled in a controversy, they predict swift and decisive victory. Frankly, I don’t remember the last time they were victorious. I believe they over-simplify many of the situations in which they become involved. Anytime one goes to court, one basically rolls the dice.
The PGC must be cognizant that Unified may continue to be successful and this matter will evolve into depositions, interrogatories and ultimately, court. PGC personnel will be called in for direct questioning. Certainly the mantra of 1.6 million deer will come under a microscope.
Things could get ugly and embarrassing. Our Commissioners will certainly be involved and asked to justify their votes. Retired Commissioners may be called in for their opinion. Deer Project Leaders may be called in from other states to review the deer data. Expert witnesses could be called in. The judges may request a complete deer census be completed before the case goes too far.
We will probably see Gary Alt declared as a single point failure and thrown under the bus. The lack of accurate deer numbers and harvest data will become obviously early in the questioning.
Acid rain and its impacts most likely will get dragged into the fiasco. PGC forestry practices, including their stand improvement cuts, could be visited in detail.
Yes, this complaint may indeed open Pandora’s box. The PGC probably doesn’t want to think in those terms, but anything can happen when one goes to court.
We know now that the PGC claim that they own the deer and will manage as they see fit has been shot down. They need to adjust their thinking and attitude from this point forward. The entire game is about to change.
In the end and when the smoke settles, I believe this will be a very positive experience. We may see some early retirements at the PGC. Our legislators may get involved and put together some curative legislation. Let us not forget deer reduction in the magnitude of the current program was not something to be taken lightly. Obviously, it is why the PGC is being dragged into court.
Let’s hope in the future the PGC will listen to our sporting class when their words rise to the level of outrage. After all, this entire matter could have been avoided if the PGC listened to their revenue producing license buyers and compromised. They did not listen and they were sued.
Hey, it’s America. These things happen everyday. It can happen again, tomorrow.
Jim Slinsky is the host and producer of the “Outdoor Talk Network”, a nationally syndicated, outdoor-talk radio program. For a station near you or to contact Jim, visit his website at www.outdoortalknetwork.com