Latest news with #SenateBill2137
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Governor signs bill on hunting deer with bait in North Dakota
Deer congregate near the Red River. (Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor) North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong has signed a bill that forbids state wildlife managers from restricting the use of bait for hunting deer on private property. Senate Bill 2137 prevents the North Dakota Game and Fish Department from banning deer hunting over bait. The agency has imposed baiting bans in some areas of the state as it tries to prevent the spread of chronic wasting disease, which can be fatal in deer. 'We can deal with wildlife management and respect private property rights,' Armstrong, who is a hunter, said in a statement. Many hunters testified in favor of the bill sponsored by Sen. Keith Boehm, R-Mandan, though some joined the Game and Fish Department in opposing it. Other outdoors related bills signed this week include House Bill 1470 that raises the price of hunting, fishing and boating licenses, Senate Bill 2216 that creates a $5 waterfowl hunting stamp to pay for habitat improvement and Senate Bill 2245 that changes rules on hunting waterfowl from a boat. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Hunters score victory with bill that overrules North Dakota Game and Fish policy
Hunters wore orange shirts to the Capitol on Jan. 17, 2025, in support of a bill to end restrictions on using bait to hunt deer. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor) North Dakota lawmakers on Friday sided with hunters in the debate over whether the state Game and Fish Department can restrict using bait when deer hunting on private property. The House passed Senate Bill 2137 after rejecting a proposed amendment. The bill is the same version that passed the Senate. The North Dakota Game and Fish Department has banned landowners from setting out feed for deer for the purpose of hunting in some areas of the state. The department testified against the bill, saying that feeding bans are part of an attempt to slow the spread of chronic wasting disease in deer. Charlie Bahnson, wildlife veterinarian for Game and Fish, said in written testimony that chronic wasting disease is still rare in North Dakota, but the department needs the feeding restrictions as a management tool. But Rep. Matt Ruby, R-Minot, argued that the bans have no effect on the spread of the disease that can be fatal in deer. Baiting bill limiting North Dakota Game and Fish policy passes Senate Some states have seen large declines in deer populations. Ruby said North Dakota should continue to monitor for the disease. North Dakota has had 122 positive tests of chronic wasting disease in deer since 2009, The Bismarck Tribune reported, citing Game and Fish Department data. Of those, 119 cases were from deer killed by hunters. Supporters of the bill argue there has only been one confirmed case of chronic wasting disease in the state, a deer that was found dead by a landowner near Williston that tested positive for the disease. An argument against feeding is that it encourages deer to congregate in large groups, helping disease spread. Rep. Ben Koppelman, R-West Fargo, said the state should encourage feeding because with more feed sources, the deer groups would be smaller, he said. The failed amendment would have put limits on how much feed could be put out and put restrictions on where feed could be placed. It also called for a Game and Fish report on chronic wasting disease to Legislative Management. Hunters have turned out in large numbers at the Capitol to show support for the bill. The bill heads to the governor for his signature. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Baiting bill limiting North Dakota Game and Fish policy passes Senate
Sen. Keith Boehm, R-Mandan, speaks during a public hearing of the Senate Agriculture and Veterans Affairs Committee on Jan. 17, 2025. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor) A bill preventing policies that would limit the use of baiting for big game animals on private property passed the Senate floor Wednesday on a 31-15 vote. Senate Bill 2137 would prohibit the North Dakota Department of Game and Fish from creating rules and policies on using bait for wildlife. The bill, similar to a proposal that failed in 2023, attracted a packed crowd to a Jan. 17 committee hearing and submitted testimony from nearly 200 people. Charlie Bahnson, wildlife veterinarian for Game and Fish, stated the department wanted the ability to restrict baiting as a means to control chronic wasting disease in deer and other diseases that could affect wildlife and livestock, according to written testimony. North Dakota hunters debate deer baiting rules Sen. Randy Lemm, R-Hillsboro, told fellow senators that he disagrees with the Game and Fish Department's theory that CWD can be spread through deer congregating around a bait station. He also said the disease can live for long periods of time in the soil with an incubation period between 17 months to four years. The average lifespan of a whitetail deer is up to four years, he said. 'More animals will be killed by hunting, predators or cars before they will ever get to the point of lameness caused by CWD,' Lemm said. Sen. Keith Boehm, R-Mandan, said regulations on CWD don't line up with the science on the disease and voted in favor of the bill. 'If a property owner wants to feed an animal on their property, they have that right. It is their property,' Boehm said. Sen. Michael Dwyer, R-Bismarck, was among those who voted against the bill. 'The Game and Fish Department is trying to balance the concern over the disease with the attempt to provide as many hunting opportunities as possible,' Dwyer said. 'I think we should let the Game and Fish Department do their job.' The bill was amended to include a July 31, 2029, expiration date for the law. It will be transferred to the House for its consideration. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
