Holly Heyser in a photo shoot for Cabela's women's waders.
Some ideas are so obviously good that it’s hard to imagine anyone had to do any work to make them happen. Like the G.I. Bill: Serve in our military, and our country will reward you with an education.
Well, duh! Isn’t that the least we can do for soldiers who put their lives on the line?
The idea Maj. Darin Harper sent to me in an email last week was just as much of a no-brainer: Current members of the armed services should be able to pay resident fees to hunt in any state in the Union.
Well, yeah! They put their lives on the line for us, and their job requires them to travel all over the country (and world). Isn’t it the least we could do to say, “Hey, we’ll cut you a break on fees?”
Maj. Harper, an instructor at the Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, isn’t greedy about it. Some people think soldiers shouldn’t have to pay any license or tag fees at all, but he doesn’t agree. “I think states do a lot to preserve hunting rights and lands, and they deserve that money,” he said.
But out-of-state fees can be prohibitive on a soldier’s paycheck.
Read the rest of NorCal Cazadora’s blog here and get involved in saying a big thanks to our troops through your efforts.
The Women's Outdoor News, aka The WON, features news, reviews and stories about women who are shooting, hunting, fishing and actively engaging in outdoor adventure. This publication is for women, by women. View all posts by The WON
AMEN! Being the mom of a Marine, I can totally identify. One thing I know my kid will want to do upon his return from deployment is go hunting with his Papa in NE Arkansas — but his permanent address is Florida. I guess it isn’t enough that he can trapse all the way to Afghanistan and protect the right of hunters, just to be charged an out-of-state fee. I’ll put my name on that support list NorCal!
Thanks, Melita! Make sure to contact a legislator about this. If you don’t know who represents you at your state capitol, my blog post will tell you how to find out. You can just email them a link to the blog post and say, hey, great idea – what can you do to help. It’s that simple!