GOP Senate candidate Rob Portman addresses League of Ohio Sportsmen

By Larry S. Moore

The League of Ohio Sportsmen recently held their 101st annual convention in Marietta, Ohio. I attended for a portion of the conference and the evening banquet. In addition to talking sportsmen and conservation club leaders from around Ohio, I wanted to hear Rob Portman's key note address. Portman is the announced Republican candidate for the Senate seat being vacated by Senator George Voinovich. I was aware of Portman's previous service as a Congressman from the Ohio Second District, Director of the federal Office of Management and Budget plus Trade Director. I wanted to hear what Portman had to say about sportsmen issues.

Portman provided some personal background noting, "I have been an avid outdoorsman my entire life, and I am glad to be here to support the League and the good work you do. I'm a lifelong hunter and fisherman, and a gun who believes I have a right to use firearms responsibly. As you may know, the NRA looked at all the votes I made during my 12 years in Congress regarding the Second Amendment, gave me an A rating. I remember that because I didn't get too many A's in high school or college." Portman, who is an attorney and well educated, drew a laugh.

Continuing a personal glimpse Portman noted the family history and heritage of gun ownership and hunting saying, "Hunting and Fishing is a family tradition for me. I learned it from my grandfather and father and I have tried to do the same with my kids. In fact, an important part of Portman family lore is that great-grandfather Portman died of a heart attack while hunting alone in a duck blind at age 85. The story is that he had a smile on his face and a 12-gauge pump across his lap. I have that gun at home today and still use it from time to time."

The issue of the firearms and ammunition manufacturer's reporting of the Pittman Robertson excise tax money to the federal government which is returned to the states based on hunting license sales. The money helps to fund the Division of Wildlife for a variety of efforts including promoting hunter education and the shooting sports. Portman explained, "We need to do everything possible to ensure that these self-imposed taxes are administered in a manner that is sustainable and is fair. Right now it is unnecessarily burdensome. For example, we need to replace the biweekly reporting requirement with a quarterly schedule that is consistent with other estimated tax payments. If elected, I will be working with a bipartisan group in Congress that shares my interest in removing this burdensome and unnecessary requirement."

Portman saluted the conservation efforts of the League of Ohio Sportsmen plus in general the hunters, anglers and trappers across our nation. "Sportsmen have always been our nation's foremost conservationists. Throughout the last one-hundred years, sportsmen's organizations have been partners to help state and federal fish and game agencies manage wildlife to ensure sustainable populations. They have contributed their own funds to restore and improve habitat, such as wetlands and streams. And of course sportsmen pay license fees and excise taxes on equipment, which this then used to fund game managers and habitat projects across the nation," he said.

The Portman record is solid on conservation. While Director of the Office of Management and Budget, he prepared an Executive Order that directed the federal agencies to improve and enhance habitat and outdoor recreation opportunities on federal land. It also directed the federal agencies to create a ten-year plan to reverse the decline in hunter participation, especially by our younger generations.

Portman helped obtain the budget for thinning our National Forests to help reduce the risk of catastrophic wild fires and improve the health of the forests so that wildlife populations increase. His efforts in the budget for wetland restoration and protection lead to Ducks Unlimited recognizing President Bush for his conservation policies in the areas of wetlands and migratory birds.

Recognizing that hunting, trapping and fishing access is a key sportsmen concern and, along with loss of habitat, a major reason for the decline in the number of sportsmen pursuing these activities, Portman noted that "part of the challenge is to create financial incentives to encourage access to fields and streams. Among other things we need to make permanent a new tax law that allows ranchers and farmers to take the full deductions of donating conservation easements on their land so that large open spaces stay that way. As OMB Director, I proposed that in the 2007 budget, and Congress passed a temporary 2-year extension. We also need to create similar incentives for landowners who donate hunting and fishing access easements or enroll their land in state access programs. And we need to be sure our public lands aren't going to be closed to outdoor recreation."

Portman pledged that, if elected, he would continue to work on these and other conservation issues. "We must work together to tackle the pressing issues of access for hunting and angling, funding for wildlife managers and habitat projects, and education of our youth so that we can reconnect future generations to the special joys of hunting and fishing," he concluded.

Portman's candidacy, NRA rating, experience and positions certainly provides a clear distinction between him and other candidates who have indicated interest in running for the Senate seat. While it is way too early to use the term "front-runner" or for the Buckeye Firearms PAC to talk about endorsements, Rob Portman has certainly caught my attention. Portman is exactly the candidate sportsmen need to protect our gun rights and our hunting, fishing or trapping heritage.

Outdoor writer and hunter education instructor Larry S. Moore is a long-time volunteer leader for Buckeye Firearms Association and winner of the 2005 USSA Patriot Award and 2007 League of Ohio Sportsmen/Ohio Wildlife Federation Hunter Educator of the Year.