BigHornyRam
New member
Here's a good example of what happens when we let the East Coasters or Left Coasters, or the city dwellers decide local issues such as hunting, forest management, preditor reintroductions, and so on. Wasn't elkdumber an advocate for such action?
Paul
Federal Bill to ban Bear Baiting must be stopped!
United States Rep. Elton Gallegly, R-Calif., is the key reason bear hunting is in jeopardy in the United States. Through an aggressive recruiting campaign, the congressman has persuaded 128 U.S. representatives to become cosponsors of HR 1472, a bill to ban the use of bait to hunt black bears on federal land.
Hunting black bears over bait is allowed in nine of the 27 states that permit black bear hunting. Out of the 42 members of Congress from those states, only five are cosponsors. Rep. Gallegly has recruited support for HR 1472 from 50 members of Congress who represent states that either do not permit black bear hunting or do not have bear populations. Astoundingly, 47 members of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus are cosponsors of the bill.
Democratic Rep. Nick Rahall of West Virginia has helped Gallegly’s efforts. Rep. Rahall is reported to have discouraged key democrats from testifying against the bill when the House Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife and Oceans subcommittee heard it on June 12. Although he is not a cosponsor, Rep. Rahall is the highest-ranking democrat on the committee, a powerful ally for the anti’s.
While some were deterred from testifying against the bill, animal rights groups including the Humane Society of the United States and Fund for Animals gave testimony to rally support for it.
Reps. Gallegly and Jim Moran, D-Va., are the primary sponsors of HR 1472. Because of Moran’s established anti-hunting and pro-gun control history, sportsmen have focused on his involvement in the issue. Unfortunately, it has been Rep. Gallegly who has turned the otherwise dead bill into a serious threat to sportsmen’s rights.
Take Action! To this point, the anti’s have outworked sportsmen on the issue; however, the game is not over. Sportsmen nationwide should tell their representatives that bear management, including hunting practices, is a state issue that should be left to state wildlife agencies. Ask that the federal government’s role in wildlife management remain limited to migratory and endangered species, and tell them that baiting is a legitimate management tool supported by the nine wildlife agencies where it occurs. Let them know that the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, which represents the fifty state wildlife management agencies, opposes HR 1472. To find and contact your representative, call (202) 224-3121 or use the Legislative Action Center at www.ussportsmen.org.
Paul
Federal Bill to ban Bear Baiting must be stopped!
United States Rep. Elton Gallegly, R-Calif., is the key reason bear hunting is in jeopardy in the United States. Through an aggressive recruiting campaign, the congressman has persuaded 128 U.S. representatives to become cosponsors of HR 1472, a bill to ban the use of bait to hunt black bears on federal land.
Hunting black bears over bait is allowed in nine of the 27 states that permit black bear hunting. Out of the 42 members of Congress from those states, only five are cosponsors. Rep. Gallegly has recruited support for HR 1472 from 50 members of Congress who represent states that either do not permit black bear hunting or do not have bear populations. Astoundingly, 47 members of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus are cosponsors of the bill.
Democratic Rep. Nick Rahall of West Virginia has helped Gallegly’s efforts. Rep. Rahall is reported to have discouraged key democrats from testifying against the bill when the House Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife and Oceans subcommittee heard it on June 12. Although he is not a cosponsor, Rep. Rahall is the highest-ranking democrat on the committee, a powerful ally for the anti’s.
While some were deterred from testifying against the bill, animal rights groups including the Humane Society of the United States and Fund for Animals gave testimony to rally support for it.
Reps. Gallegly and Jim Moran, D-Va., are the primary sponsors of HR 1472. Because of Moran’s established anti-hunting and pro-gun control history, sportsmen have focused on his involvement in the issue. Unfortunately, it has been Rep. Gallegly who has turned the otherwise dead bill into a serious threat to sportsmen’s rights.
Take Action! To this point, the anti’s have outworked sportsmen on the issue; however, the game is not over. Sportsmen nationwide should tell their representatives that bear management, including hunting practices, is a state issue that should be left to state wildlife agencies. Ask that the federal government’s role in wildlife management remain limited to migratory and endangered species, and tell them that baiting is a legitimate management tool supported by the nine wildlife agencies where it occurs. Let them know that the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, which represents the fifty state wildlife management agencies, opposes HR 1472. To find and contact your representative, call (202) 224-3121 or use the Legislative Action Center at www.ussportsmen.org.
