Well, here we go again...
Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2006 8:39 am
February 4, 2006
Bait bill advances
House OKs pilot program on hunting
By Laura Hipp
lhipp@clarionledger.com
And Bobby Cleveland
bcleveland@clarionledger.com
Baiting
Current law: It is unlawful to hunt, trap or kill any wild bird or wild animal of any kind with the aid of bait.
Proposed law: Wildlife officials shall establish a pilot project allowing hunting deer over grain in 30 counties.
Deer hunters who want to shoot over buckets of corn near their stands can do so based on a pilot program in a bill the state House approved Friday.
Hunters in 30 counties in south Mississippi and near Meridian could hunt deer as they feed on grain through 2010 under the proposal.
House Bill 1089 must be approved by the Senate and signed by the governor before becoming law.
"I can see it now," said Jackson resident Laura Reynolds, a deer hunter who is anti-baiting. "One day my husband and I will be at deer camp and we'll be skinning a deer and when we pull down the hide, one of the hind-quarters will be stamped USDA-approved corn-fed deer."
Hattiesburg deer hunter James Morris, a retired contractor, said he doesn't see baiting as all that bad.
"Hunters in other parts of the state might not see the need for it, but for south Mississippi, with all our pine forests, I think it's different," Morris said. "Besides, they can't enforce any wildlife laws anyway."
Whether to legalize baiting has been been a question among lawmakers for a decade.
A violation carries a fine of $25 to $100. The fine would change to $100 to $500 under House Bill 1089.
The practice is legal in Washington, D.C., and 20 states, including Louisiana, Texas, Florida and Arkansas. If lawmakers consent, Mississippi would join three other states that allow baiting in limited areas.
Friday's vote was the second time a bill legalizing the practice passed the House. In 2005, the House legalized baiting statewide with certain restrictions but met opposition in the Senate, which has never given baiting favorable consideration. A similar bill is alive in the House.
The movement is particularly strong in south Mississippi, where many people from Louisiana have moved.
"Baiting is a very contentious issue in Mississippi even between hunters," said Larry Castle, wildlife director at the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. "Baiting is confusing to hunters in Mississippi."
Fast facts
Baiting is legal in Washington, D.C., and 20 states, including Louisiana, Texas, Florida and Arkansas.
If House Bill 1089 is approved, Mississippi would join three other states - Michigan, South Carolina and Wisconsin - that allow the practice in limited areas.
Confusion stems from an existing law that allows people to feed deer. The animals just cannot be shot while they are eating food placed by a person.
The department does not take a stand on the issue, and did not request deer baiting, Castle said.
Studies have shown that deer eat at night more often where baiting is allowed, making them more difficult to hunt, he said.
Experts also worry about the spread of disease as deer share buckets of grain, he said. If baiting is allowed, more people will feed the animals.
Some hunters say it's just unsportsmanlike.
Britt Burt of Calhoun City said Mississippi has plenty of deer and no one should have trouble shooting one. But he has seen others bait.
"Most baiting up here is with sweet potatoes," he said. "You can sit in one spot on the highway and watch trailer after trailer and pickup-truck load after pickup-truck load going down the road, and you know they aren't headed to the market."
House Bill 1089, approved in a 63-46 vote, would require the wildlife department to report the results of the test program to the Legislature by the 2008 session. If enacted, it would take effect when deer season starts after July 1.
Rep. John Hines, D-Greenville, voted against the measure.
"Where's the sport when you're shooting Bambi while she's eating over a tub," he said.
Nicholson said hunters can plant grass and use scent to attract deer, which is the same practice.
"It's really been blown out of proportion," Nicholson said. "You bait every day you go fishing."
As the bill was debated, the number of counties where baiting would be allowed jumped from 24 to 30 as representatives added their home districts.
Jackson resident Ron Taylor wondered why lawmakers stopped at 30 counties and not all 82. Though he does not bait, he knows many people do.
"I think that anything they do to get more people to hunt is a good idea, and I do think we need to do anything that will help eliminate deer," Taylor said. "I drive a truck for a living and I'm tired of dodging them."
Bait bill advances
House OKs pilot program on hunting
By Laura Hipp
lhipp@clarionledger.com
And Bobby Cleveland
bcleveland@clarionledger.com
Baiting
Current law: It is unlawful to hunt, trap or kill any wild bird or wild animal of any kind with the aid of bait.
Proposed law: Wildlife officials shall establish a pilot project allowing hunting deer over grain in 30 counties.
Deer hunters who want to shoot over buckets of corn near their stands can do so based on a pilot program in a bill the state House approved Friday.
Hunters in 30 counties in south Mississippi and near Meridian could hunt deer as they feed on grain through 2010 under the proposal.
House Bill 1089 must be approved by the Senate and signed by the governor before becoming law.
"I can see it now," said Jackson resident Laura Reynolds, a deer hunter who is anti-baiting. "One day my husband and I will be at deer camp and we'll be skinning a deer and when we pull down the hide, one of the hind-quarters will be stamped USDA-approved corn-fed deer."
Hattiesburg deer hunter James Morris, a retired contractor, said he doesn't see baiting as all that bad.
"Hunters in other parts of the state might not see the need for it, but for south Mississippi, with all our pine forests, I think it's different," Morris said. "Besides, they can't enforce any wildlife laws anyway."
Whether to legalize baiting has been been a question among lawmakers for a decade.
A violation carries a fine of $25 to $100. The fine would change to $100 to $500 under House Bill 1089.
The practice is legal in Washington, D.C., and 20 states, including Louisiana, Texas, Florida and Arkansas. If lawmakers consent, Mississippi would join three other states that allow baiting in limited areas.
Friday's vote was the second time a bill legalizing the practice passed the House. In 2005, the House legalized baiting statewide with certain restrictions but met opposition in the Senate, which has never given baiting favorable consideration. A similar bill is alive in the House.
The movement is particularly strong in south Mississippi, where many people from Louisiana have moved.
"Baiting is a very contentious issue in Mississippi even between hunters," said Larry Castle, wildlife director at the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. "Baiting is confusing to hunters in Mississippi."
Fast facts
Baiting is legal in Washington, D.C., and 20 states, including Louisiana, Texas, Florida and Arkansas.
If House Bill 1089 is approved, Mississippi would join three other states - Michigan, South Carolina and Wisconsin - that allow the practice in limited areas.
Confusion stems from an existing law that allows people to feed deer. The animals just cannot be shot while they are eating food placed by a person.
The department does not take a stand on the issue, and did not request deer baiting, Castle said.
Studies have shown that deer eat at night more often where baiting is allowed, making them more difficult to hunt, he said.
Experts also worry about the spread of disease as deer share buckets of grain, he said. If baiting is allowed, more people will feed the animals.
Some hunters say it's just unsportsmanlike.
Britt Burt of Calhoun City said Mississippi has plenty of deer and no one should have trouble shooting one. But he has seen others bait.
"Most baiting up here is with sweet potatoes," he said. "You can sit in one spot on the highway and watch trailer after trailer and pickup-truck load after pickup-truck load going down the road, and you know they aren't headed to the market."
House Bill 1089, approved in a 63-46 vote, would require the wildlife department to report the results of the test program to the Legislature by the 2008 session. If enacted, it would take effect when deer season starts after July 1.
Rep. John Hines, D-Greenville, voted against the measure.
"Where's the sport when you're shooting Bambi while she's eating over a tub," he said.
Nicholson said hunters can plant grass and use scent to attract deer, which is the same practice.
"It's really been blown out of proportion," Nicholson said. "You bait every day you go fishing."
As the bill was debated, the number of counties where baiting would be allowed jumped from 24 to 30 as representatives added their home districts.
Jackson resident Ron Taylor wondered why lawmakers stopped at 30 counties and not all 82. Though he does not bait, he knows many people do.
"I think that anything they do to get more people to hunt is a good idea, and I do think we need to do anything that will help eliminate deer," Taylor said. "I drive a truck for a living and I'm tired of dodging them."
