INDIANAPOLIS – Hunting preserves in which people pay thousands to shoot deer behind high fences would be legal under a bill that passed 8-4 Tuesday out of the House Natural Resources Committee.
House Bill 1265 would legitimize four existing captive hunting sites in the state – including one in Kosciusko County – as well as open up the practice for new operators following specific guidelines.
Supporters contend this is not “canned hunting” that has sparked controversy in Indiana and nationwide for questionable practices, such as baiting and drugging deer.
“We are ethical, and we are proud of what we do,” said Rodney Bruce, who operates Whitetail Bluff in Corydon.
And Rick Miller, president of the Indiana Deer and Elk Farmers’ Association, begged lawmakers to “help us get this put to bed so we all know where we stand.”
The bill would reverse state regulations on high-fenced hunting and end a languishing lawsuit that started in 2005 and is just part of the issue’s complicated past.
via JournalGazette.net – Indiana | The Journal Gazette | Fort Wayne, IN.
I’m just afraid that raising these kind of deer is what causes the unhealthy traits (sicknesses)to come along to all deer.I feel deer are meant to be wild animals, not raised like cattle for our hunting pleasure. The deer I see fenced in, always seem to be in what looks like an over-grazed pasture.