ANTI-HUNTING ORGANIZATIONS JOINING FORCES


November 24, 2004 -- HUNTERS are enjoying the excitement and rewards of their sport right now, but the sport that millions love so much should not be taken for granted as attacks to ban hunting continue.
The U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance (USSA) has learned that the nation's principal anti-hunting organizations will merge in a concerted effort to target bowhunters for extinction.

The USSA, a national organization founded to protect the rights of sportsmen to hunt, fish and trap, has been following a rumor that the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and the Fund for Animals are preparing to combine forces.

The HSUS, located in Washington, D.C., is the nation's largest animal rights organization, raising nearly $60 million in 2002. The Fund for Animals, headquartered in New York City, raised $6.7 million in 2003.

In response, an emergency meeting of bowhunting organizations, businesses and publications has been called to prepare to counter the attack. The Alliance created the Bowhunter Defense Coalition to defeat a series of attacks on bowhunters during the late 1980s.

"The merger announcement serves as a wake-up call to bowhunting groups to reunite to defeat what promises to be a powerful attack on our heritage from this monstrous anti-hunting group," said Rick Story, U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance senior vice president.

The fate of the 2004 New Jersey bear hunting season rests in the hands of that state's highest court.

The State Supreme Court has agreed to hear arguments on a case to determine whether DEP Commissioner Bradley Campbell has veto power over the state's Fish and Game Council. The hearing is scheduled for Monday at 9:15 a.m.

A three-judge appellate court ruled unanimously last week that commissioner Campbell overstepped his authority when he refused to issue permits for a bear hunting season. In the latest bear/human incident, two young bears in Blairstown, N.J., attacked two Boy Scouts on Oct. 13. One of the boys was bitten several times, and both received rabies shots. DEP officials issued a report about the attack six days later!

And some times the problems come from within. In a bizarre story out of Texas, an individual claims to have developed a system whereby "hunters" can shoot their prey from the comfort of their living room via the Internet.



In response, Kirby Brown, executive director of the Texas Wildlife Association, said, "I think I can speak for the vast majority of hunters and hunting organizations when I say the idea of sitting at a computer screen and activating a remote-controlled firearm to shoot a deer is not hunting. Real hunting takes place in the great outdoors, where the sights, sounds and sensations are a vital part of the experience."