We received some very good news yesterday in that Senate President Long has buried HB1265 (Shooting Preserves bill) which should effectively kill it for this session.
As he says, canned hunting is "...not real hunting. It fences in these animals. Almost every real hunter that I talk to says it's a terrible idea and they don't support it."
Thank you to anyone who took the time to write and call your legislators, write your letters to the Editor, etc. All of your efforts were of great value in this fight.
HOWEVER, we should not let our guard down yet. We must keep the letters and calls to your Senators and Representatives going just in case there is any move to bring this back to life in some other form. We cannot let our guard down until the session is actually over at the end of February.
We also want these legislators to know how seriously this issue is opposed by Hoosier conservationists so they don't want to bring it back in next year's session.
Lastly, Governor Daniels deserves a HUGE thank you from us as well for coming out with such a strong statement against Canned Hunting two days ago. Within 24 hours of his statement of opposition, the bill was dead.
Contact Senator Long (website, 317-232-9400) and Governor Daniels (website, 317-232-4567) today, and thank them for taking a strong stance against canned hunting!
In addition to violating hunters' ethical standards by eliminating fair chase and the long held tenet that wildlife are held in trust by the state and managed for all citizens,"hunting preserves" threaten the health of Indiana's wild deer herd.
Confined to the fenced-in area, deer easily contract and spread devastating diseases, such as Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) and Bovine Tuberculosis. TB was found in deer enclosures in southern Indiana in 2009 despite the best efforts of state agencies to prevent it.
As CWD spreads, costs add up: the state must implement surveilance programs, de-populate contaminated herds, and areas must be quarantined to contain the disease, costing millions of dollars. In most cases funds to pay for disease management must be diverted from existing wildlife programs.
Negative economic impacts are strongly felt in states where CWD is present. For example, Wisconsin DNR reports spending approximately $5 million annually to manage the disease.
Unhealthy or dead deer mean less hunting, which means less support for Indiana's economy. Deer hunting in Indiana contributes over $400 million annually and supports more than 2300 jobs.
Please consider the negative effects hunting preserves have on Indiana's wildlife, economy, and cherished pastimes. Please, vote NO HB1265.
