MSA Call to Action
Date: April 15, 2002
Attention: All hunters in MD
Concerning: Anti-hunting groups are waging a campaign to convince Governor Glendening to veto HB 9 – the
Sunday Hunting Bill that hunters fought so hard for during the last legislative session.
Recommended
Action:
Contact the Governor by April 23 and ask him to PASS HB 9.
Contact: Governor Parris Glendening
State House
Annapolis, MD 21401
Phone: (410) 974-3901
Fax: (410) 974-3275
Hints
on Contacting the Governor:
* Keep your message brief and to the point
* Include your full name and address
* Always act professional
* A sample letter may be viewed at the end of this Call to Action
Details:
The legislative session may be over, but the fight to pass a Sunday hunting bill is not complete yet – the Governor still needs to sign HB 9 into law.
HB 9, as passed by both the Maryland House & Senate, would allow hunting on the first Sunday of
firearm season in 7 Maryland counties (Garrett, Allegany, Washington, Dorchester, Charles, St. Mary's,
and Calvert). It also requires that the firearm season be set to a minimum of 21 days across the entire state.
Winning this HB 9 battle will make it easier to win the Sunday hunting war.
In a last ditch effort to kill this bill, the anti-hunters are waging a full out campaign to flood the Governor’s office with letters, postcards, phone calls, and emails asking him to veto HB 9. It is vitally important that the hunters of Maryland contact the Governor and voice our opinions.
Please remind the Governor that the truth, as confirmed by the legislators, is written in the preamble of the bill on pages 2 and 3 -- hunting is currently the best deer management tool available. (A copy of this Preamble may be viewed at the end of this Call to Action).
The anti-hunter’s top argument against HB 9 is that Sundays are the “one day during hunting season that non-hunters can venture into the woods without the fear of gunshots” 2
Please remind the Governor that this is an inaccurate argument, based purely on emotion with no supporting evidence. The truth is: DNR’s estimates that a hunting accident occurs only once per 100,000 days of hunting. 3 Hunting accidents involving horseback riders and other non-hunters are practically non-existent.
Hunters – Please speak out to protect you hunting heritage
It is important that the hunters of Maryland speak out to protect our proud hunting heritage. We must insure that the Governor hears our voice, rather than just the anti-hunter’s.
Despite
the fact that Governor Glendening has opposed hunting and gun issues in the
past, it is vitally important, when contacting the Governor, for all hunters to
act in a professional manner that is reflective of our proud hunting heritage.
We must not stoop to the level of the anti-hunters – we will be capable of winning this from the high road. HB 9 was passed by the House and Senate because hunting is the most effective management tool to curb the out of control deer population – this is the truth the Governor will see as long as his mind isn’t clouded by the inaccurate cries of anti-hunters.
Thank you and God Bless,
Maryland Sportsmen’s Association
For more information regarding MSA please contact our President, Steve Huettner at shuettne@jhsph.edu or visit our website at www.marylandsportsmen.org
Dear Governor Glendening,
I am contacting you to show my support for HB 9. HB 9 will prove to be an effective remedy to the escalating deer population in Maryland as is already described in the bill’s Preamble on pages 2 and 3.
While some groups may portray hunting as an unsafe sport – the truth is that hunting is one of the safest forms of outdoor recreation. DNR estimates that a hunting accident occurs only once per 100,000 days of hunting and injury to non-hunting public is virtually non-existent.
Thank you for your time and I urge you to support HB 9.
Sincerely,
Your Name
Your Address
The
Preamble of HB 9 states explicitly the reasons why this bill must be passed:
1
“The current population of deer in the State of Maryland, which is estimated at
more than 250,000, is far beyond what the available habitat can accommodate
Despite the disruption of rural habitat areas because of development projects and
recreational uses, deer are remarkably adaptable to residential areas, including urban
and suburban sprawl areas, where they enjoy safety from natural predators and hunters
As demonstrated by a 1998-1999 survey of Anne Arundel, Howard, Montgomery,
and Prince George's counties in which the number of deer in the areas studied increased
by approximately 50% in the course of only 1 year, this population is not only thriving but
reproducing at a startling rate
When a deer herd reaches its upper density limits, as is now the case, the results
are the poor health and weakened physical condition of the animals themselves, as well as their
overconsumption of native plants, shrubs, and trees that are necessary for the survival of other
species in the natural ecosystem
In tandem with this multiplication of the deer population have been alarming
spikes in the rate of tick-borne illnesses transmitted to human beings, such
as Lyme disease
The rate of reported deer-vehicle collisions has more than doubled in the State
since 1990, and these collisions have caused multiple fatalities and serious injuries
Deer-vehicle collisions likewise cause property damage of about $10 million per
year, which, in turn, leads to higher insurance rates for all drivers
A recent University of Maryland study found that, because of deer, 92% of the
State's farmers suffer damage to corn, wheat, and soybean crops, an annual
economic loss in excess of $38 million which is considered a conservative estimate because
it does not include damage to fruits, vegetables, and other crops;
Non-lethal control mechanisms, such as fencing, fertility control, repellents,
relocation, deterrent reflectors along roadways, and behavior modification
by the installation of lights, have proven largely ineffective because they cannot
be used routinely and inexpensively and moreover, they impact only a small number of deer
Extended research has shown that hunting is the most effective method to reduce
the size of the deer herd, and it is likewise the most cost-effective method to do
so
Since the annual revenue associated with deer hunting in Maryland is approximately $80 million,
hunters provide a significant boost to local economies, and their license fees also cover all
associated program cost
The increased harvest of deer by hunting is thus necessary for the public interest and to stabilize
the deer population and manage it more appropriately “
Sources
used in this CTA:
1
http://mlis.state.md.us/2002rs/bills/hb/hb0009t.rtf
2
http://www.hsus.org/ace/13848
3
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/safety.html