Post by cambygsp on Oct 28, 2005 5:19:23 GMT -5
www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051027/OPINION/510270375&SearchID=73224718776311
October 27, 2005
Today's editorial
Make clear laws to ban canned hunts
Our position:
Courts and lawmakers should uphold ban on canned deer hunting.
Shooting deer confined to a plot of land by high fences isn't sporting. It's also questionable as to whether it's true hunting or merely a prearranged slaughter in which 90 percent or more of paying customers walk away with their prize.
It's noteworthy that opposition to fenced-in hunting doesn't emanate solely from animal rights activists. Groups such as the Indiana Deer Hunters Association, the Indiana Bow Hunters Association and the Indiana Sportsmen's Roundtable also oppose hunting animals that often have been domesticated by being bred and fed in fenced areas where the concept of "fair chase" doesn't exist.
DNR Director Kyle Hupfer, a life-long hunter, said a series of five public hearings and about 1,300 e-mails running nearly three-to-one against the practice convinced him that Hoosiers overwhelmingly oppose fenced hunting. Hupfer earlier this year issued a ruling that banned high-fence hunting in Indiana.
Fifteen other states have taken similar action, and 21 states won't allow new canned hunting preserves to open.
Hupfer's decision, however, has prompted the owner of a Harrison County canned hunting preserve to sue. A pretrial conference is scheduled for Monday.
If that challenge doesn't succeed, owners of canned hunting operations, along with farmers who breed deer for the hunts, are expected to lobby state legislators to overturn the ban.
Judges and lawmakers should allow DNR's ruling to stand.
Hunters in Indiana have ample opportunity to shoot wild deer. Last year, hunters killed 84,551 deer during the firearms season, 21,953 during archery seasons and 16,554 during the muzzleloaders season. Most are not the "trophy deer'' that some high-rollers are willing to pay thousands of dollars to shoot, but hunting isn't just about capturing a rack of antlers to mount on a wall.
Deer raised in captive conditions also are highly susceptible to chronic wasting disease, a contagious brain disorder that has spread to wild deer populations in 12 states, including Illinois. It potentially could eradicate Indiana's wild deer population, costing the state an estimated $168 million generated by licensed hunting.
Absent DNR's ruling, Indiana laws are murky about the status of fenced hunting operations. The statutes ought to be clear that animals should be hunted only in the wild, not behind fences.
October 27, 2005
Today's editorial
Make clear laws to ban canned hunts
Our position:
Courts and lawmakers should uphold ban on canned deer hunting.
Shooting deer confined to a plot of land by high fences isn't sporting. It's also questionable as to whether it's true hunting or merely a prearranged slaughter in which 90 percent or more of paying customers walk away with their prize.
It's noteworthy that opposition to fenced-in hunting doesn't emanate solely from animal rights activists. Groups such as the Indiana Deer Hunters Association, the Indiana Bow Hunters Association and the Indiana Sportsmen's Roundtable also oppose hunting animals that often have been domesticated by being bred and fed in fenced areas where the concept of "fair chase" doesn't exist.
DNR Director Kyle Hupfer, a life-long hunter, said a series of five public hearings and about 1,300 e-mails running nearly three-to-one against the practice convinced him that Hoosiers overwhelmingly oppose fenced hunting. Hupfer earlier this year issued a ruling that banned high-fence hunting in Indiana.
Fifteen other states have taken similar action, and 21 states won't allow new canned hunting preserves to open.
Hupfer's decision, however, has prompted the owner of a Harrison County canned hunting preserve to sue. A pretrial conference is scheduled for Monday.
If that challenge doesn't succeed, owners of canned hunting operations, along with farmers who breed deer for the hunts, are expected to lobby state legislators to overturn the ban.
Judges and lawmakers should allow DNR's ruling to stand.
Hunters in Indiana have ample opportunity to shoot wild deer. Last year, hunters killed 84,551 deer during the firearms season, 21,953 during archery seasons and 16,554 during the muzzleloaders season. Most are not the "trophy deer'' that some high-rollers are willing to pay thousands of dollars to shoot, but hunting isn't just about capturing a rack of antlers to mount on a wall.
Deer raised in captive conditions also are highly susceptible to chronic wasting disease, a contagious brain disorder that has spread to wild deer populations in 12 states, including Illinois. It potentially could eradicate Indiana's wild deer population, costing the state an estimated $168 million generated by licensed hunting.
Absent DNR's ruling, Indiana laws are murky about the status of fenced hunting operations. The statutes ought to be clear that animals should be hunted only in the wild, not behind fences.
