By: Jeff Beach(ND 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.
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.
