Dear Representative xx,
The Indiana Bowhunter Association (IBA) has a membership of over 500 individual voting members. The IBA is committed to protecting hunting pursuits in Indiana for the thousands of bowhunters that take to the field every year. The IBA wishes to convey its position statement around the activity of “High Fenced” hunting, aka “Canned Hunting”, which is being contemplated through a bill amendment.
These amendments are being propagated by white-tail deer game breeders as a revenue option for Indiana and this is a false premise. While this activity will bring a select few the opportunity to profit, it will be at the expense of hunters, both in publically held view, and potential financial outcome. The following are facts that support this stance: • Lawful “High Fenced” hunting practices are under Attorney General appeal in Indiana. Until 2013, these activities were illegal in Indiana. In 2013, a poorly worded judgment in favor of a Harrison County preserve was passed in favor of this activity. There have been multiple bills around “Canned Hunting” introduced & not passed since 1999. Many operations have resorted to obvious misrepresentation in the face of the DNR’s continued steadfast resolution to not allow this activity in Indiana. • Most Hoosiers are opposed to allowing “High Fence” hunting of any type. The majority of national conservation and hunting organizations are opposed to canned hunting of any type. • The practice is a threat to our hunting heritage. The general population does not differentiate a “hunter” from a “shooter of penned deer”. Make no mistake; these are deer that are bred to be shot, not wild animals. • The practice increases the risk of introducing CWD into the wild deer herd of Indiana. CWD is spreading and canned shooting facilities are promoting the infestation. Plentiful free roaming deer in Indiana generates more than $400 million of economic activity. A CWD outbreak could have devastating effects on the free range hunting industry. There was a CWD scare in 2013 in a Jackson County preserve that cost taxpayers >$20k to depopulate. • The practice is a commercialization of wildlife. It does not follow the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, a doctrine that spells out wildlife are a public trust held by governments for the benefit of ALL the people. • Under most circumstances, Board of Animal Health regulations do not allow livestock to be shot in a pasture using regular hunting methods and put that meat in the human food chain. • It is just WRONG!
Through judicial games, the original sunset for these facilities has been delayed. Through this delay, game breeders have already posed an issue with the potential of risking Indiana’s wild deer herd to CWD. Indiana must restrict the importation of white-tailed deer from outside of Indiana. The revenue this activity will bring in will not go to the local economy. Rather it will line the pockets of those operating the shooting facilities. There will not be revenue shared to support the conservation efforts that today’s hunting promotes. “Canned Shooting Operations” are not farming, and should not be held to the same standards as other farming entities. These operations pose a threat of misunderstanding and labeling of hunters by the public; and a threat of destruction of Indiana’s wildlife along with a significant negative impact to Indiana’s revenue. Won’t you please join the Indiana Bowhunter Association, along with a myriad of other local, state, and national organizations in the belief that “High Fence” hunting is not morally ethical, and the risks it poses are too severe to be undertaken at any level? Please let it be known that you will not pass any bill that promotes this activity.
Respectfully,
Herb Higgins (IBA Treasurer) writing on behalf of the Indiana Bowhunter Association Executive Board
