08-23-2004, 08:59 PM
Alabama Hunting Regulations Spark Debate
By JAY REEVES, Associated Press Writer
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - [font "arial"]A move to liberalize Alabama's hunting laws has sparked a debate so passionate you'd think the subject was college football. [/font]
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A state board has approved a series of proposals to loosen hunting regulations in Alabama, where hunting is a $3 billion industry helped along by one of the nation's longest game seasons. Under the new rules, hunters could use turkey decoys, crossbows and sights on muzzleloaders — practices that are all currently banned.
The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources says the changes are aimed at adding more options for hunters, and the move already has opened up new marketing opportunities for hunting manufacturers and retailers. While the changes still aren't final, Wal-Mart stores in the state have started stocking crossbows from $159 and up.
But the new rules have outraged some unusual critics — hunters themselves, not the animal-rights types who might be expected to join such a fight. They say traditional outdoor ideals like fair play are being trumped by dollars in a bid to sell more products and increase the state's sale of hunting licenses, which has lagged in recent years.
"My biggest concern is the hunter ethics they are destroying," said Bud Cardinal, a retired veterinarian and former member of the state board that approved the changes.
Symbolic of the chasm dividing state hunters, Cardinal said he can only speak for himself and not the Alabama Wildlife Federation, for which he is a lobbyist. Directors of the organization are split over the issue.
While the changes would begin taking effect this fall, a special legislative council still must approve the new rules. No hearing date is set, but both sides are getting ready for a fight.
"It's an interesting mix that all boils down to the social aspects of hunting," said Jerry de Bin, a spokesman for the state conservation agency.
In a state where sporting debates usually revolve around Alabama vs. Auburn on the gridiron, hunting rules have become a point of contention. The debate is mostly out of the public view since the state sold only 432,000 hunting licenses in 2003, or one for every 10 of Alabama's 4.3 million residents.
The drive for changes began earlier this year in the Legislature, where a bill was introduced to legalize deer and turkey hunting over baited fields within certain guidelines.
The bill — which purists considered a green light to unethical hunting — died in committee. But in May, the Conservation Advisory Board, which helps sets policy for the state wildlife agency, approved a series of unrelated changes. They included:
_Allowing the use of decoys during spring turkey season. Supporters said Alabama was the only state that didn't allow decoys for turkey hunting, in which the skills of camouflaging, stillness and calling are vital and can take years to master.
_Approving the use of crossbows, which are held like rifles and are generally considered easier to use than traditional longbows or compound bows. Previously, only disabled hunters could use crossbows in Alabama.
_Letting hunters who use old-fashioned muzzleloading guns add telescope-like sights to their weapons. Also, the board allowed hunting with muzzleloaders during five days previously set aside for bow hunters.
Accusations of wrongdoing began almost as soon as the meeting ended.
Board chairman Dan Moultrie, who owned a game-feeder company and now works for a company that makes products including turkey decoys, was accused of having a conflict of interest when he voted to allow decoys. The board approved the change again at a meeting last month, with Moultrie abstaining from the vote.
But that didn't blunt the broader criticism that loosening the regulations would give hunters an unfair advantage over their prey. And some traditional bow hunters are still
about the approval of crossbows — which they claim really are firearms — and about losing part of their season to muzzleloaders.
De Bin, a spokesman for the conservation department and Commissioner Barnett Lawley, said the changes were about opening up new avenues for hunters, not money.
"There's enough deer to go around. This commissioner has said we're going to give people choice," de Bin said.
De Bin said most hunters favor the new rules becoming permanent, and Tommy Birkenfeld is among them. With an old shoulder injury that makes it hard for him to draw and hold a regular bow, Birkenfeld already is practicing with his new crossbow.
"I went and bought one as soon as they voted for the change," said Birkenfeld.
___
On the Net: [url "http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_on_re_us/storytext/SIG=10t8kka6m/*http://www.dcnr.state.al.us"]http://www.dcnr.state.al.us[/url] [/font]
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By JAY REEVES, Associated Press Writer
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - [font "arial"]A move to liberalize Alabama's hunting laws has sparked a debate so passionate you'd think the subject was college football. [/font]
[font "Arial"][/font]
[font "arial"]
A state board has approved a series of proposals to loosen hunting regulations in Alabama, where hunting is a $3 billion industry helped along by one of the nation's longest game seasons. Under the new rules, hunters could use turkey decoys, crossbows and sights on muzzleloaders — practices that are all currently banned.
The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources says the changes are aimed at adding more options for hunters, and the move already has opened up new marketing opportunities for hunting manufacturers and retailers. While the changes still aren't final, Wal-Mart stores in the state have started stocking crossbows from $159 and up.
But the new rules have outraged some unusual critics — hunters themselves, not the animal-rights types who might be expected to join such a fight. They say traditional outdoor ideals like fair play are being trumped by dollars in a bid to sell more products and increase the state's sale of hunting licenses, which has lagged in recent years.
"My biggest concern is the hunter ethics they are destroying," said Bud Cardinal, a retired veterinarian and former member of the state board that approved the changes.
Symbolic of the chasm dividing state hunters, Cardinal said he can only speak for himself and not the Alabama Wildlife Federation, for which he is a lobbyist. Directors of the organization are split over the issue.
While the changes would begin taking effect this fall, a special legislative council still must approve the new rules. No hearing date is set, but both sides are getting ready for a fight.
"It's an interesting mix that all boils down to the social aspects of hunting," said Jerry de Bin, a spokesman for the state conservation agency.
In a state where sporting debates usually revolve around Alabama vs. Auburn on the gridiron, hunting rules have become a point of contention. The debate is mostly out of the public view since the state sold only 432,000 hunting licenses in 2003, or one for every 10 of Alabama's 4.3 million residents.
The drive for changes began earlier this year in the Legislature, where a bill was introduced to legalize deer and turkey hunting over baited fields within certain guidelines.
The bill — which purists considered a green light to unethical hunting — died in committee. But in May, the Conservation Advisory Board, which helps sets policy for the state wildlife agency, approved a series of unrelated changes. They included:
_Allowing the use of decoys during spring turkey season. Supporters said Alabama was the only state that didn't allow decoys for turkey hunting, in which the skills of camouflaging, stillness and calling are vital and can take years to master.
_Approving the use of crossbows, which are held like rifles and are generally considered easier to use than traditional longbows or compound bows. Previously, only disabled hunters could use crossbows in Alabama.
_Letting hunters who use old-fashioned muzzleloading guns add telescope-like sights to their weapons. Also, the board allowed hunting with muzzleloaders during five days previously set aside for bow hunters.
Accusations of wrongdoing began almost as soon as the meeting ended.
Board chairman Dan Moultrie, who owned a game-feeder company and now works for a company that makes products including turkey decoys, was accused of having a conflict of interest when he voted to allow decoys. The board approved the change again at a meeting last month, with Moultrie abstaining from the vote.
But that didn't blunt the broader criticism that loosening the regulations would give hunters an unfair advantage over their prey. And some traditional bow hunters are still
about the approval of crossbows — which they claim really are firearms — and about losing part of their season to muzzleloaders. De Bin, a spokesman for the conservation department and Commissioner Barnett Lawley, said the changes were about opening up new avenues for hunters, not money.
"There's enough deer to go around. This commissioner has said we're going to give people choice," de Bin said.
De Bin said most hunters favor the new rules becoming permanent, and Tommy Birkenfeld is among them. With an old shoulder injury that makes it hard for him to draw and hold a regular bow, Birkenfeld already is practicing with his new crossbow.
"I went and bought one as soon as they voted for the change," said Birkenfeld.
___
On the Net: [url "http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_on_re_us/storytext/SIG=10t8kka6m/*http://www.dcnr.state.al.us"]http://www.dcnr.state.al.us[/url] [/font]
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