There is a bill (HB 1151) in the Legislature to stop the Game and Fish Department from regulating the hunting of big game over bait. So who benefits and who loses if such a bad notion passes?
Winners: Guides and outfitters who use bait so their clients get an easy shot; producers of outdoor shows who use bait to get video of cinematic hunting; individuals who attract big game from public and private land to their property for exclusive use.
Losers: Everyone else – ethical hunters who just want a fair chance to harvest big game; the sport of hunting itself because baiting is not fair chase; our big game herds who get subjected to unnecessary disease risk.
Likely fewer than 10% hunt over bait and probably far less. The benefits from baiting are far outweighed by the costs to the public and the resource. Not only should this bill be killed, it should be replaced by legislation which bans all hunting over bait in North Dakota.
The Trust Project
