Action Alert: Shooting Over Bait Will Degrade Hunters' Image. Act now!

Sunday, September 05, 2010

Shooting Over Bait Will Degrade Hunters' Image. Act now!

You can take action on this alert by reading the information below and following the directions at the bottom.

Issue

HB 1285 (shooting deer over bait) will go before the House Game, Fish & Park Committee on Tuesday, Feb. 21. Take action and ask the committee members and your legislator to oppose the bill.

Background

LEGISLATION WILL ALLOW SHOOTING DEER OVER BAIT

Once again,the Georgia General Assembly has introduced legislation (HB 1285) to legalize shooting deer over bait. Last year similar legislation was introduced but never made it out of committee, thanks to action by the Camo Coalition. This new attempt would allow shooting deer over bait in the southern part of Georgia. There are many reasons why shooting deer over bait should not be made legal. One of the most important reasons is that it will result in the loss of support from the non-hunting public. Only 4% of the people of Georgia buy hunting licenses. 96% are non-hunters and some oppose hunting. If we remove fair chase from hunting we will loose the support of the non-hunting public. Some of those who oppose hunting would like to take away our right to hunt.

Baiting is defined as the placement of food, not grown on site, to attract, lure or entice deer to aid in harvesting. A hunter can be anywhere within site of the bait to shoot deer. Baiting is different from supplemental feeding, which is defined as the placement of food to increase the nutritional intake of deer. Current law allows a hunter to hunt within the vicinity of supplemental feed if the hunter is at least 200 yards away from and not within sight of the feed. The Camo Coalition supports the current law which does not allow shooting over bait. Luring a deer with bait is not hunting.

Studies done by other states that allow shooting over bait have shown that there are many negative consequences associated with this practice. The practice of baiting has been shown to increase deer reproduction and spread diseases, such as tuberculosis and chronic wasting disease, among herds. Some proponents think that shooting over bait will reduce the deer population, but just the opposite is true.

Hunters who do support shooting over bait should think about the negative consequences including the negative image this will give to hunters. To make responsible decisions one must be well informed on the issue. To become better informed on the issue of hunting deer over bait, click the more button.

Your message will be sent to each of the following targets:

Representative Al Williams
Representative Bob Lane
Representative Bobby C. Reese
Representative Cecily Hill
Representative David Knight
Representative Greg Morris
Representative Jon G. Burns
Representative Sharon Beasley-Teague
Representative Stephen Allison
Your State Representative

A sample message appears below, which you may edit before sending.

GA Sportsmen Opposed to Deer Baiting Bill

Dear Representative Williams,
As a Georgia sportsman I oppose H.B. 1285, shooting deer over bait. I support fair chase hunting. Shooting deer over bait is un-sportsman like and could damage the image of Georgia hunters. Shooting over bait is not the sportsman’s values that should be passed on to future generations.

Supporters of shooting over bait think that it will decrease the deer population. That is absolutely not true. This has been proven time and time again in the states that allow hunting over bait. Studies from these states have shown that it results in negative consequences such as increase in deer populations (due to an increase in their reproductive potential) and the spread of diseases among the herds. Several states that allow hunting deer over bait are trying to reverse that law in their state because of the negative consequences.

We need to learn from the negative impacts that some of the other states that allow hunting over bait have experienced. Please maintain or strengthen the current law of 200 yards and out of site to hunt in the vicinity of supplemental feed.

I would like to know your position on this issue.

Thank you!
Your name and address here

This Action Alert Campaign is Closed.