BCJ_SPRING 17 Digital Edition

Alec Underwood photo
Jesse Alston photo
ta-Duluth studying habitat use by martens and fishers (members
of the weasel family), says hunting has helped him do better research
as well. “The quiet solitude of a deer stand is often a good
place for me to think deeply and critically about questions I’m
grappling with in my research,” he said. I can’t say that I disagree.
Hunting also helps with work in the field. “Hunting, in particular,
has helped me learn about navigation, dealing with harsh
weather and troubleshooting when something doesn’t go according
to plan,” he said. “It has certainly provided ample opportunity
for me to hone skills and to think about the factors that influence
animal behavior.”
Having hunters and anglers in game and fish agency positions
benefits other sportsmen, too. As Lindley said, “I think it’s vital
to have fishermen and hunters in wildlife management positions.
People who have a vested interest in the health of fish and wildlife
stocks are particularly well suited for positions of management.”
This leads into perhaps the biggest issue facing hunters and anglers
today: Conservation. Wildlife biologists rarely get to work
with species that are doing well. Despite our best efforts, our careers
are peppered with the death and destruction of the wildlife
we love. This can lead to tension with other groups who love wildlife
and think we could study and manage them better.
Fellow sportsmen are one of those groups and can both exacerbate
and alleviate this problem. “I know the sentiment among
many fishermen is that regulations are overbearing,” Lindley said.
“But I think the only reason stocks are starting to show an uptick
in the last few years is because managers and fishermen alike are
coming together to protect fish in new and inventive ways.”
In managing the demands of the public, biologists also often
face intense political pressure, from both above and below. As I’ve
heard one biologist I know say, expecting biologists not to advocate
for wildlife is like expecting dentists not to advocate for clean
teeth. But agency biologists often can’t advocate their positions
out of fear that the public might not agree.
Despite these difficulties, I’m convinced there’s no better job.
I’ve spent over half my workdays over the past few years in the
great outdoors, becoming a better scientist and a better sportsman
along the way. I’ve met a lot of great biologists and hope other
sportsmen can do the same. It’s easy to grumble about regulations,
but ultimately, no one has a greater stake in successful management
than sportsmen-biologists, and no one takes more pride in
a job well done.
McCarty captures this idea perfectly: “Managing wildlife resources
for the American people gives me a sense of pride and
patriotism similar to my time in the service.”
Among wildlife biologists, he’s far from alone. So next time
you meet one of us, let us know what you’re seeing in the field.
We’re glad to hear your stories, and we might have some for you
as well.
Jesse is a graduate student in the University of Wyoming’s zoology
and physiology department and a proud BHA member. You can check
out his research and field photography at jmalston.com or have a conversation
on Twitter @integratecology.
HUNTER-ANGLER-BIOLOGIST
BY JESSE ALSTON
I GREW UP IN THE BOONDOCKS of northeastern North Carolina,
spending the warm months chasing bass and bluegills in
local waterways and the colder ones chasing deer and squirrels in
the woods around my home. Robert Ruark’s The Old Man and
the Boy and Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea served as my
twin bibles, and I read Fur-Fish-Game magazine cover to cover
each and every month.
This love of all things outdoors led me to an environmental
studies major in college and, eventually, a decision to pack everything
I could fit in my car and head West to a wildlife technician
job with the U.S. Forest Service. As it turns out, I’m far from
alone in having a love for hunting and fishing lead to a career in
wildlife biology. At each step of my career, I’ve worked with great
biologists who were equally passionate sportsmen and women.
Jesse McCarty is one of these. A district biologist on the Rio
Grande National Forest in southwestern Colorado, he’s also an
avid bowhunter. After six years of service in the Navy, he wanted
to return to the Western landscapes where he grew up. “I wanted
to work outside where fresh air soothed my lungs instead of
recycled air onboard a ship,” he said. “I grew up hunting and
ranching and understood what a steward is. We took care of what
didn’t belong to us for the good of everyone, much like the work
I do now.”
Chester Lindley, an avid fly fisherman and graduate student
at the University of California, Santa Barbara, echoes that sentiment.
He’s spent the past two years doing fisheries research off
the coasts of Alabama and Maryland. “I’ve been fishing since I
was five,” he said. “Seeing the swings in the health of fish stocks
I targeted recreationally inspired me to try to learn more about
how fish were managed, and the chance to have part of my job
be something I enjoy doing on my personal time was something
that intrigued me.”
For sportsmen, studying the creatures we hunt and fish has its
advantages. “My time spent working in fisheries has made me a
better fisherman,” Lindley said. “I’ve gotten to study fish habitats,
water quality, fish behavior and fish diet. I think I’ve gotten a lot
better at fish targeting and captaining boats.”
That’s not to say the reverse isn’t also true. McCarty thinks
hunting and fishing have made him a better natural resource
steward. “My experiences hunting and fishing have changed the
way I do my work today. I feel I have a better understanding of
‘preservation,’ ‘conservation’ and ‘commercial’ mindsets and how
they can and should be implemented.”
Michael Joyce, a Ph.D. student at the University of Minneso-
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