Hunting Preserves are Safe, Humane
April 27, 2015
IndyStar
Opinion
April 25, 2015
I'd like to respond to unfounded criticism of House Bill 1453, which would expand deer hunting preserves in Indiana. Letter writer Jeff Wells asserted that the expansion of hunting preserves would pose a "significant threat to the health of Indiana's wild whitetail deer herd." This is false.
The interstate movement of deer is heavily regulated. Deer moved across state lines must come from a herd that is CWD certified, a program administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This program requires a facility to test 100 percent of its mortalities over 12 months of age for CWD and have no positive tests for a minimum of five years. Additionally, Indiana has its own regulations on the movement of deer. There's no significant threat to the free-ranging deer population by expanding hunting preserves in Indiana.
Further, Wells claims that the hunting preserves that exist in Indiana are allowed to operate because of a lawsuit they filed against the state Department of Natural Resources. This is a misleading characterization. The DNR tried to violate private property rights by shutting these ranches down 10 years ago, and the ranches stood up for their rights in court. So far, they've won, with the state Court of Appeals ruling in February that the DNR abused its power.
There's nothing wrong with ethically hunting deer on a private ranch that is hundreds or thousands of acres and provides for fair chase. A recent Outdoor Life poll of hunters found that 62 percent of hunters don't support banning game farms, while only 17 percent support a ban. A few vocal hunters may not like hunting preserves, but they don't have to hunt there. That's what this country is about — giving people choices to pursue different interests, even if you don't share them.
Charly Seale
American Cervid Alliance
Ayr, Neb.
www.indystar.com/story/opinion/readers/2015/04/25/hunting-preserves-safe-humane/26392169/
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