This is getting a LOT of press...Hunting
Global league planned for fallEric Lacy / The Detroit News
Plans for a world-wide professional hunting league were announced Tuesday by a local real estate executive who said it will revolutionize the sport and benefit Michigan's economy.
The World Hunting Association will be a competitive tour that uses an animal-friendly "catch-and-release format," said David Farbman, league commissioner and chief executive officer.
Farbman said the league plans two tournaments, with a purse of $300,000 each, in Gladwin, Mich., this fall.
"This is my lifelong dream since I was 12 or 13 years old," Farbman said. "The goal will be to showcase the greatest hunters in the world and get others interested in the sport. It will be like the NASCAR of hunting."
Farbman, 34, is president and chief operating officer of The Farbman Group, a Southfield real estate and development firm. He said the World Hunting Association will be funded by Michigan investors. Farbman, however, declined to say how much money has been raised or how much the league will need to flourish. It was unclear who will compete in the tournaments and if an entry fee will be charged.
Competitors will use sedatives on the animals, Farbman said. After being scored, the animals would be released back into the wild.
Local hunters such as Paul Bachor, 42, of Clarkston, are curious about the league. Bachor, president of the North Macomb Sportsmen's Club, is concerned about what sedatives could do to the animals. He also wonders if the league will only cater to the rich.
"I know I can't afford a $20-30,000 hunt, if that's how much it costs," Bachor said. "Not many middle-class people can."
Farbman said he expects "thousands" of jobs to be created once the league is established.
"We want the sport to gain in popularity but we also want Michigan to grow jobs and produce from this," said Farbman, who expects to team up with state companies and national corporate sponsors.
Hunting could use a boost in Michigan, where the number of licenses continues to plummet. In 2004, sales of state deer-hunting licenses were down about 87,000 -- nearly 5 percent -- compared with the same period in 2002. State officials have cited an aging population, lack of interest among young people and fewer parcels of land on which to hunt as reasons for the decline.
Lou Grace, a co-owner of an outdoor manufacturer in Memphis, Mich., that is working on a tranquilizer dart for the league, is hopeful it can be a positive for the industry and economy. Hunting contributes more than $500 million a year to the Michigan economy, according to the state Department of Natural Resources.
"This (league) will get more people exposed to hunting," Grace said. "Hopefully it will get rid of some of the negative connotations that come with the sport."
A major goal is to have competitions around the world, including in Africa, New Zealand and Russia by its third year.
The Internet is one vehicle that will be used to give the league's audience an interactive and behind-the-scenes look at how game is hunted.
For information about the World Hunting Association, visit
www.worldhunt.com.
You can reach Eric Lacy at elacy@detnews.com.
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