I was out dove hunting this weekend, and it got me thinking about the Government's role in our lives. Most things are regulated well by the free market, but it seems to me "Fish and Game" are not. History has shown time and again that left to the free market some unscrupulous hunters/poachers will kill off more of a species than is environmentally appropriate. Without the use of force to back up Fish and Game regulations, they would be ignored. This seems to me the best argument I can conceive for minarchism over anarchism.

Private property goes a long way to prevent overhunting and overfishing. It's in my best interest when I own a lot of land to not over hunt it. I'm incentivized to ensure that, in an effort to gain top dollar, "over-lease" the land out to hunters. If I did so, there'd be nothing left to hunt and my income stream would dry up. I'm incentivized to maintain a healthy population.

But here's more food for thought, a few years ago when I had poachers on my hunting land, it took a family friend who was a retired game warden to notice the signs. Then, on top of that, it took a phone call to have wardens come out, stalk our property for the guy and bust him. I never would have noticed. The chance of a random encounter would be low even if I went out there every day. So, to play devils advocate with myself, private ownership of property is pointless if I can't watch it/protect it.

If the land is privatized and hunting rights are granted to individuals on the land, the property owner has an incentive to maintain the species population. Ironically, it's actually our desire to eat bison that's causing a resurgence in their population. Compare that to the myth of Native American environmental stewardship where they often did slash and burn and hunt something as common as the white-tailed deer to near extinction in some areas precisely due to the tragedy of the commons.

Anecdotally, something I've noticed growing up in the woods... Locals kill whatever the want anytime they feel like it. It's usually outsiders following the actual "limitations on prey" rules.

What are your thoughts?

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Can Anarcho-Capitalism Solve for OverHunting and OverFishing?

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