MONTGOMERY — A bill that would allow Alabamians to hunt feral swine and whitetail deer over bait passed the Alabama House of Representatives on Tuesday.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Jack Williams, R-Wilmer, passed the House by a vote of 69-18. It will now head to the State Senate. Williams' bill would amend Alabama's hunting laws to allow hunters to take deer and hogs using shucked and shelled corn, wheat, salt or other baits.
Under existing Alabama law, there is a "reputable presumption" that any feed or bait located beyond a hundred yards and not in the line of sight of the hunter is not a lure or attractant and is not illegal. But anything within that area of definition is considered a bait or lure under Alabama law.
Williams said he was proposing the bill because feral swine are becoming a nuisance in Alabama. The bill, he said, would allow hunters to kill more feral swine. Whitetail deer are included because Williams said game wardens will not be able to tell if hunters are taking swine or deer.
"You can't keep the deer out of the corn, either, so the wardens would not be able to enforce the law because there's always deer coming to it," Williams said. "We actually did a test. We put the corn out and put a sign up, and the deer still came to it."
Several Democratic legislators held the bill up for several hours in the House over concerns that hunting over bait would hurt the whitetail deer population and harm the spirit of the sport.
"My issue is that we are kind of watering down the sport," said Rep. Anthony Daniels, D-Huntsville, House Democratic Minority Leader. "I don't think there's an issue with deer in the state of Alabama. It's taking the fun out of the sport."
The deer population in Alabama right now is plentiful, Williams said, and his bill would not change laws that limit the number of deer that a hunter can kill during any one hunting season.
The bill would only apply to licensed hunters on privately owned or leased land. The hunter would have to purchase a bait privilege license from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
The privilege license could earn an additional $15 per year, and Williams said the funds raised could be put to use by the department to hire additional game wardens to enforce the state's hunting laws.
The bill could provide an additional $1.5–$2 million in revenues for the game wardens.
"Plus, it's going to create a lot of money for the state without a tax," Williams said. "To me, it's a no-brainer."
Rep. Elaine Beach, D-Chatom, the House Minority Caucus Chair, said she supported the bill because she believes deer and feral swine have become a nuisance because of over population.
"When I have to spend money every year to replant my shrubbery at my house because these deer are eating the shrubbery to the ground, it's worth something to me," Beech said. "The hogs are tearing up our pine trees when we plant them. The deer, they're a nuissance."
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