In reply to:

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What issues? Please tell me why I have to think about the issues. I'm cynical about the whole thing, thats my opinion, I'm allowed to have one. You posted this on a public site and when someone has a different opinion you get a bit defensive.

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The issues as I see them are that in refusing to stand up and be counted in a survey of this nature:-

(1) You don't want to tell our decision-makers that feral pigs are a valuable recreational resource.
(2) Ditto that feral pigs are a valuable economic resource.
(3) You don't want them to consider the input of hunters.
(4) You don't want to tell them that alternative control methods to baiting are effective, efficient and viable.
(5) You don't want to tell them that baiting is unacceptable for a number of reasons.
(6) and you don't want to tell them that you won't be buying baits under any circumstances.

Now I have to question why any hunter with the welfare of his sport in mind would miss these opportunities..... and why you'd prefer that the only people that the researchers hear from are farmers and greenies who'd prefer to see feral pigs completely eliminated from Australia.

If you really think that this is money-making exercise, why on earth aren't you prepared to tell them that the market isn't going to be as big as they'd like to think?

I get my take on CRCs from a PhD qualified researcher who is also an avid hunter (yep, pigs too) and lobbyist for shooters' rights. The reason that she has chosen to work for a CRC when the money is better in private industry, is that the results of their research are allowed to stand on their own merits.... rather than being driven by profit.

Cynicism is a wonderful thing, as long as it isn't allowed to degenerate into an excuse to ignore evidence that contradicts your assumptions.
I've done my best to give you valid information relating to this issue so that you - and others reading this - can make an informed decision. Attempting to mislabel this as "defensive" doesn't strengthen your own argument or invalidate the information .

As for being defensive,,, you give me better information, and I'll change my opinion (I can't be fairer than that.). There's nothing sacred about opinions - they're nothing more than a position taken without enough information to form positive conclusions.
The issue with posting opinions in a public forum like this is that they influence others - and therefore you and I have a responsibility to ensure that our opinions are informed and not based simply on prejudice.

Now I've given you some issues as you requested. Play the ball rather than the man by adressing the list I've given you - point by point.

Please consider......... Peter

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"The only logical response to an animal that lives obsessed with avoiding capture is to chase it." - Jose Ortega y Gassett

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