Tuffy and I often talked numbers and in various odd places. You see, we never set up proper meetings per se. He would just call and say "Hey , where are you at". If I had the ability, I would drive to meet him wherever he was which was often somewhere in the National Forest. He truly loved the Francis Marion and those turkeys and was heartbroken by what was going on there, especially as to the Waterhorn unit.
One day, about late May of 19, as we leaned against a gate in the back wood of the Francis Marion , he made mention that he was real tired and was probably leaving soon. I didn't prod but having heard his cough for several years I knew in my heart what he meant. Over the months to come that cough got worse and as you all know he recently move on to the Waterhorn above.
Now, in one of our last conversations he told me I was going to have to really apply my self to data analysis, as of course factual and accurate numbers are what speaks to those at the top where wild game management is concerned. In return, I said I offer the paper and medium to deliver to those who will listen but that he held the pen and the numbers. I informed him that if he planned on leaving that he had better get me someone to fill his shoes, one of his students perhaps.
Well, it seems as if Tuffy must have inquired at the gate before entering and left some instructions. Out of the blue CWS has gained a younger version of Tuffy that loves wild game and data analysis.
I will be posting other data analysis in the future and in far more detailed areas centered around various issues / individual species et al. So, lets start with these two comparisons and God Bless you Tuffy and same to the creator of these graphs.
First shows total waterfowl harvest on CAT 1s over the years.
This one shows harvest vs shots fired over the years ( which can be construed as opportunity to kill). This one I feel is very important as so many have said that harvest can't be used to judge management success. Well, if you think about it, shots fired =opportunity to kill ( mostly or at least something to shoot at ) which can be a measure of successful management , and here ya go.
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