Canned hunts receive legislative blessing (CO, part 2)

[Oak]

Here's an article from the Denver Post today about the House Bill to eliminate canned hunts in Colorado.

"Colorado, which purports to be progressive in its attitudes about government and wildlife, missed an important chance last week to clean up its act regarding canned hunts. House Bill 1094, which would have banned shooting deer and elk inside fenced areas, was similarly executed inside a tight enclosure, which is the House Agriculture Committee.

Voting essentially along party lines, the ag committee killed the measure by a vote of 10-3, an outcome as predictable as sunrise. For those not yet familiar with the nether regions of Colorado politics, it should be noted that this committee is constituted chiefly for the promotion and protection of agriculture. Anyone who might look upon the business of growing and selling the state's foodstuffs with a critical eye need not apply."

Full Story Here

Oak

 

[Ithaca 37]

Interesting article. If more people understood how the Ag community treats wildlife (and has an effect on our hunting and fishing) they might understand why I hammer on the ranchers. This article pretty well lays it out.

 

[BuzzH]

Tom and Gilamonster should be happy.

 

[Tom]

I'm happy about the vote, but not happy the way the issue is played out. We don't have the conflicts like this between farmers and hunters here. We have good relationships between hunters and farmers in Texas. Its because the ranchers/farmers can make money sometimes off of hunting in part. There is a wildlife exemption, like the ag exemption for low property taxes provided they take care of wildlife, and there's a list of what they can do to qualify for the wildlife exemption. The ranch I hunted on last year has that, no cattle, no sheep, no high fence. The owners make money, about $2.40 per acre from the hunter's, don't work with cattle or sheep, pay low taxes. There's hunting leases. There's varmint control, the ranchers like hunters for that. One farmer I know would invite me to come hunt and bring people to kill wild hogs that would travel for miles to come eat about $5000 of his milo crop, if we didn't get after them. I need to check with that guy again.