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Indiana deer hunters
and the Indiana
Department of
Natural Resources
are under attack
again, forcing
everyone involved to
wage what has become
an annual battle
with the same foe.
Indiana State
Representative Bill
Friend, R-Macy,
authored HB 1585
which, among other
things, takes
management of
Indiana’s deer herd
away from IDNR
biologists, and
partially places it
in the hands of
politicians like
him.
HB 1585 passed
out of the House and
was assigned to
committee in the
Senate, where it
currently sits.
It requires the
director of the
Department of
Natural Resources to
increase the
seasonal bag limit
and increase the
length of the
hunting season for
deer in the 30
counties that had
the highest number
of collisions
involving deer and
motor vehicles
during the previous
year. It also
increases the
seasonal limit for
antlerless deer, and
allows the use of a
crossbow for deer or
turkey during
firearms season.
Representative
Friend says he wrote
this bill to address
the number of
deer-vehicle
accidents in
Indiana. He also
says no one opposed
the bill when he was
constructing it, or
when he ran it
through the House.
There is
opposition now.
Here is a partial
list of Indiana
outdoor sportsmen
and organizations
that are publically
opposed to HB 1585:
The Indiana Deer
Hunters Association,
The Indiana
Bowhunters
Association, The
Indiana Sportsmen’s
Roundtable, The
Indiana chapter of
the National Wild
Turkey Federation,
The Indiana Wildlife
Federation, Kyle
Hupfer, former
director of the IDNR
and John Goss,
former director of
the IDNR.
And while current
IDNR legislative
representative Chris
Smith says they are
trying to work with
Friend on this bill,
he also says “The
IDNR prefers to
manage wildlife
through
administrative rules
versus legislative
mandates.”
Despite claims on
his Web site that
this bill is
intended to “keep
both Hoosier
motorists and
hunters happy,”
Friend was unable to
list a single
outdoor organization
that supports any
part of this bill.
If Friend’s name
sounds familiar,
it’s because he is
no stranger to
fighting with
Hoosier outdoor
sportsmen and the
IDNR. For the past
several years, he
has fought all of
the above listed
organizations over
his legislation that
would allow high
fence hunting in
Indiana.
Unlike his
position on high
fence hunting,
however, this bill
attacks Hoosier
sportsmen at several
different levels.
Besides undermining
the IDNR’s ability
to set game limits,
HB 1585 also
dictates season
lengths and weapon
use.
Indiana’s current
32 days of combined
firearms season is
the longest and most
liberal in the
Midwest, and already
too long for most
hunters. Despite a
recent push by some
to shorten our deer
firearms season, HB
1585 adds seven days
to it during the
peak of the chasing
phase of the rut.
Friend’s change
would be devastating
to anyone who likes
to see bucks and
would immediately
worsen the deer
hunting experience.
Still, Friend argues
a longer gun season
is necessary to
combat what he says
is an “increasing
number of
deer-vehicle
collisions in
Indiana.”
No one wants to
hit a deer with
their car, but other
states have found
ways to cope with
far worse statistics
than Indiana without
throwing Indiana
deer hunters and the
deer herd under the
bus.
Illinois ranks
third nationwide in
deer-vehicle
collisions and has a
10-day firearms
season. Ohio ranks
fourth, and has a
13-day firearms
season.
Based on
Indiana’s being
ninth in collisions,
Friend thinks we
need to increase our
gun season to 39
days. One compromise
being considered by
politicians in the
Senate calls for a
46-day gun season.
Even if Hoosiers
could live with the
intolerance for
wildlife and hunters
in this bill, the
additional gun
hunting days it
mandates won’t
achieve its goal of
lowering collisions.
While Indiana
keeps liberalizing
its gun season and
our deer-vehicle
numbers keep
increasing, both
Illinois and Ohio
report a declining
number of
deer-vehicle
collisions over the
past several years.
By their example,
shorter gun seasons
along with education
work, while keeping
valued deer hunters
happy at the same
time. Illinois’ and
Ohio’s deer
management policies
are set by
biologists, however,
not politicians.
Unless
politicians
completely eliminate
deer from Indiana’s
landscape, there
will always be
deer-vehicle
collisions. It is a
price most Hoosiers
are willing to pay
to have wildlife
living amongst us. |
