A bill that would make it easier to attract deer and another that would allow hunters to train their sights on exotic species are causing a ruckus in the Georgia General Assembly.
Senate Bill 188, which would allow the creation of special ranches to raise and hunt several specialized species of deer, antelope, sheep and bison, will reach the full Senate on Wednesday. House Bill 277, meanwhile, which would allow landowners and hunters to use bait to attract deer, has passed a House committee and could reach the full chamber Wednesday.
Supporters for both say the bills simply add Georgia to a growing list of states that offer these kinds of opportunities for hunters. But opponents say they set a bad precedent and are bad wildlife management.
Brian Murphy, chief executive officer of the nonprofit Quality Deer Management Association, said HB 277 raises serious ethical issues.
"The vast majority of the nonhunting public in Georgia and elsewhere highly oppose hunters hunting animals over a pile of feed," said Murphy, whose organization is based in Bogart, Ga., but operates nationwide. "We've seen it over and over in other states, the slow erosion of ethics and ‘fair chase' mantra that built this nation into the model for conservation in the world."
Rep. David Knight, R-Griffin, opposed the measure in committee for many of the same reasons.
"This bill goes down the road of putting us in a situation where the public at large will not appreciate hunting," he said. "It's no longer ‘fair chase.' "
Both Murphy and Knight said there are concerns, too, that hunting over bait leads to disease among deer.
"Baiting comes in and concentrates these animals in concentrated spots," Knight said. "From a disease perspective, that's unnatural."
But Rep. Jay Roberts, R-Ocilla, one of the co-sponsors of HB 277, said current law already allows hunters and landowners to lay feed for prey. The difference, he said, is that current law requires hunters to remain 200 yards and out of the line of sight of the feed. His bill would remove that restriction for hunting in the state's southern zone while leaving it in place for North Georgia.
The distinction, he said, is that in North Georgia there are still prevalent oak ridges that provide natural feed for deer. In the southern part of the state oaks have given way to pine trees, which don't provide the same feed for deer.
"The logic behind the current law is we can go out in the woods, plant a food plot, plant a patch of corn, go out and mow it down and sit in the middle of it," he said. "You just can't put out a feeder."
Besides, he said, if some are concerned about fair chase, they need to return to the days of a stick with a string for a bow and handmade arrowheads.
"Today's compound bows can shoot 75 yards to kill a deer," he said. "You've got rifles with precision bullets and scopes that can shoot 400 yards to kill a deer."
Neal Rohrbach, president of Outfitters Holding Co. of Ray City, said HB 277 is "not unsportsmanlike and will not damage the image of Georgia hunters."
"We can legally ‘bait' a deer with scents, and that is no different than luring with food," he said.
In the Senate, Sen. Greg Goggans, R-Douglas, wants to offer opportunities for hunters to hunt more exotic species. Goggans could not be reached for comment. His secretary at his Senate office refused to take a message from a reporter. The Senate Press Office could not make Goggans available for comment.
During committee testimony on his bill, however, Goggans said it would allow the state to attract visitors and make money, according to The (Macon) Telegraph.
Murphy, however, said these types of ranches "have been shown to be the sources of disease and transfer of disease."
"The number of escapes is staggering," he said. "There are some real concerns with that bill in our industry."
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