I'll never tire of examining and providing insight on access issues, which fits pretty darn well with Access The Outdoors website doesn't it? And I've devoted a great deal of effort on access issues beyond elementary topics such as providing easier entrance to public land hunting area's. I've connected hunting age restrictions to adding hunter numbers which provide financial means through license fee's and excise taxes needed to maintain basic access. We've focused on public shooting range vandalism reducing all access and we'll continue to unearth old and new access topics. 

This time the access trail leads us from the country back into the city as we expand hunting access opportunities to cities as urban wildlife populations over past decades have spurred public and non-hunting citizens to search for relief from expanding urban geese, deer and even turkey populations. 

Historical and contemporary success implementing controlled hunting as a preferred wildlife management tool are deep and wide--save for the extreme animal rights activists--logical minded individuals understand the value hunting contributes to reducing or slowing expansion of wildlife and now that success is expanding access into previously uncharted waters. Across the nation urban archery deer hunts have been installed in cities of all sizes and regions with acceptance from non-hunting citizens and hunters embracing the opportunity to hunt close to home and help their community. And now welcome Long Island, New York as the next metropolitan area to ask hunters for assistance to reduce a turkey population with a five day hunting season leading upto 2009 Thanksgiving . The  goal fits most hunting seasons of slowing the expansion and providing backyard hunting access opportunities at the same time saving the expense of non-hunting control such as sharp-shooters or trapping and relocation. 

Turkey were trapped in upstate New York a couple decades earlier and relocated within Long Island, but growth exceeded expectations and I'll direct  blame and credit to the Department of Environmental Conservation for not having a trigger in place to deal with the population expansion, but also for not putting their head in the sand and waiting for disease,   starvation or incidental mortality such as cars and dogs to reduce the population. When it reaches those stages the damage to wildlife management and department confidence with the public is already tampered and control through hunting is less effective with an out of control population. 

Being personally involved in related urban wildlife issues and hunts, we also need to encourage hunters to take part. Simply put, city managers and wildlife agencies could design the safest, least intrusive hunt to ensure non-hunting parties have limited concerns with allowing expanded access to hunting in parks and opt-in landowners for urban hunts. But if the regulations and requirements are overly obtrusive, hunters have no obligation to take part. If  hunters don't take part the goal of slowing growth and/or reducing populations isn't within reach and the support for these hunts will fade away. We need to ensure hunters are involved in setting and framing the rules and regulations, to give heed to safety yet not yield to demands of the uninformed. 

I urge you to keep watch for opportunities in your community to provided new and expanded hunting access and opportunities. Access is more than just finding a spot to hunt, it's a never ending process of exploring all avenues. 

To read the story on Long Island New York establishing a turkey hunt click this link now