Corn bill headed to governor’s desk

By Mike Giles

April 03, 2008 11:35 pm

— During this election year politics has been at the forefront of the news and on the minds of voters all over our state, and this is as it should be. However, one of the hottest political topics this year has been playing out in the halls of our state legislature during the last couple of months- and that deals with legally hunting deer with the aid of corn or grain.
The “corn bill,” as it has become known, was originally authored in our state House of Representatives. HB 1089 has been amended by the Senate and concurred with by the house, with a few changes. The significant language in the bill is as follows:
“The Commission on Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks shall regulate the taking of deer with the aid of bait and may establish a zone or zones of contiguous counties for the management and regulation of the taking of deer with the aid of bait.

Private lands

The commission shall allow the taking of deer with the aid of bait on private lands only. Feeders may be placed no closer than one hundred (100) yards from any property boundary. Feed may only be provided from aboveground covered feeders or stationary spin-cast feeders.
The original version of the bill allowed statewide hunting of deer with the aid of grain or “bait”, without our state wildlife department’s influence.
This version states that the Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks “shall” regulate the taking of deer with the aid of bait with one big difference. The department “may” establish zones or contiguous counties in order to manage and regulate the taking of deer with the aid of bait.
There are other significant points to the bill, but this is section that has drawn the most attention.

Deer only

One significant thing to remember if this bill passes is that it only deals with hunting deer with the aid of bait. All other forms of hunting will still fall under state game laws now in effect. Generally speaking it would still be illegal to hunt any other game bird or animal with the aid of bait.
The bill will now be sent to the governor for consideration. And he has a few options. He can veto the bill, or sign it into law. One other option would be to let it sit on his desk without action, and it would become law after the required amount of time.
It remains to be seen if the bill will be signed, vetoed by the governor, or allowed to become law. However, the recent events that have occurred throughout the state and in the halls of our state legislature concerning hunting with the aid of bait signal changes in the deer woods.
What does all of this mean for the average deer hunter? Only time will tell, but it seems changes are coming. Stay tuned for more updates.

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