Posted on 02/28/2012 10:53:32 PM PST by SmithL
California Fish and Game Commission President Daniel Richards said Tuesday that there is "zero chance" he will resign over a photograph showing him grinning as he holds up the body of a mountain lion he shot, killed and ate in Idaho recently.
In a letter addressed to Assemblyman Ben Hueso, D-San Diego, one of dozens of public officials who called for Richards' resignation in recent days, Richards blasted lawmakers and others for their criticism of his hunting expedition and mocked their condemnation of the kill.
Richards wrote that he did eat a cougar for dinner, did not use a high-powered rifle and said he has "consistently supported" conservation efforts as a commissioner when they were backed by scientific evidence. He compared his actions to a California official gambling in Nevada.
While it's legal to kill the big cats in Idaho, California has banned the hunting of mountain lions since 1972, and voters have twice renewed that restriction. After the photo surfaced online this week, at least 40 lawmakers and Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom called for his resignation.
Newsom, in a letter, said the "actions call into question whether you can live up to the calling of your office," and "do not reflect the values of the people of California."
Richards was unapologetic.
"Do you really think a California commissioner is actually obligated to follow California laws across these United States? Really?" Richards wrote on Fish and Game letterhead in a two-page correspondence he also sent to the entire Legislature, the governor, the California secretary of Natural Resources, and members of the Fish and Game Commission.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Frankly, I don’t consider cats edible. Ever watch them lick their butts?
So if I were to kill an elk legally in Wyoming, I should resign my political office here in Wisconsin where it is ILLEGAL to kill an elk? Absurd!
Makes me wonder what the hell has happened to this country that I used to know? Not only absurd but, INSANE!
His job.......He doesn't make the law, his job is to enforce it. In fact, considering the state he works in, I think he has a very healthy attitude towards hunting.....
It’s his eating habits that peg him as strange.
No, it's not polite to stare......
Why not read the entire thread, nut////
That's the primary way they bear hunt in northern Michigan.....when I was a kid, my uncles in northern michigan were hardcore bear hunters and had some of the best dogs around.
I could say the same thing about folks who enjoy pickled beets or lima beans.......LOL!
“Frankly, I don’t consider cats edible. Ever watch them lick their butts?”
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Guess you’ve never worked on or even visited a cattle ranch. Not trying to be mean, just saying that ALL breeds of cattle are notorious butt-lickers.
Cattle are bigger ~ longer distance to travel.
First I have heard the mountain lion is good eatin’.
Does it taste like chicken?
If I remember correctly, the voters of California banned mountain lion hunting by referendum in 1992. They also passed a motorcycle helmet law in 1990, and extended the two week waiting period to long guns within the same time frame.
Seeing the writing on the wall, I moved away shortly thereafter (1994).
just don’t eat the tongue....
That's what I heard....so I bought a can of tuna...hoping it would taste like mountain lion.
Made a mountain lion casserole with it.
I only have one question. Which way did he skin his cat?
There is more than one way to do it, but if you're short on time I recommend using a chain saw.
“A cat like that has a range of about 120 square miles. As fat as it is someone has been baiting for the commissioner. His term in office is soon up if he is not fired. He will never get reapproved.”
Are you confused or did you just fall down? As fat as the cat was means it was feeding on Elk and Deer with great abandonment. Mountain Lions have no natural predators except humans. If you get too many of them they decimate the herds. That is why the State of Idaho issues a certain number of hunting tags to keep the numbers in check. Looking at the chart so far this year it appears a lot of the tags will go unfilled.
He didn’t break any laws, but he does seem to have hurt some feelings.
He didn’t break any laws, but he does seem to have hurt some feelings.
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