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PRESIDENT’S
MESSAGE
By
USP President Randy Santucci
As
the newly elected president of USP, I would first like to
say I am honored to represent such a respected and active
group of sportsmen and women. My involvement with USP started
a mere five years ago, and at that time I was looking for
a place fight to Pennsylvania’s misguided deer management
policies, that place was USP. Unified soon supported me as
a finalist for the PGC District 2 commissioner seat, an endorsement
I will not soon forget. As USP is involved in many sporting
issues, none is currently as important to Pennsylvania’s sporting
tradition as deer management, and USP continues leading the
way to put sporting interests back into the deer management
equation.
As
our lawsuit fell prey to an eleventh hour technicality and
the evidence was never heard, it strengthened my resolve to
continue fighting for a venue for the truths contained in
our evidence be exposed. Those truths still exist today, the
gross mismanagement of Pennsylvania’s deer herd and near total
neglect of sporting and economic interests! I recently compiled
and documented evidence of the enormous negative effects the
decimation of our deer herd has had on hunting license sales
and the linked economic demise. Adult Resident, Resident,
Youth
and Non-Resident sales alike, all reflect a drop better described
as cascading rather than declining. I recently met with members
of the governor’s staff accompanied by State Representatives
Bob Godshall and Dave Maloney, presenting evidence of the
damage being done by the current deer program, also accompanied
by my 16 year old son Gino, to give a firsthand representation
on youth declining interest.... and why!
Our
governor’s staff now has in their hands, indisputable evidence
that Pennsylvania’s drastically dropping hunter interest is
a direct response to the radical subjective decimation of
our deer herd. The PGC continually declares the drop in hunting
interests as a national phenomenon, that statement now is
exposed as misleading...the kindest description of their position
I can present. The data I presented shows undeniably neighboring
states as Ohio, NY and Michigan are not experiencing a decline
in license sales, youth and nonresident sales have actually
increased...significantly!
Even
as some other state’s sales slightly declined, none have seen
the drastic decline as Pennsylvania has since 2004; three
years after concurrent seasons decimated the herd.
Pennsylvania’s
rural economy is taking a severe hit along with hunting interests
from this program. How anyone can support the damage being
done is reprehensible. Over ten years of data now supports
the position of The Unified Sportsmen and women of Pennsylvania.
Fellow members, hold your heads high, as we will be known
as the only statewide sporting group that had it right and
still does today.
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