Posted on 03/21/2015 12:42:03 PM PDT by nickcarraway
A bill to repeal the state law restricting the use of corn or other bait as an aid in deer hunting passed a Senate committee today with an endorsement from country music legend Hank Williams Jr.
Williams, an avid hunter known for singing about the outdoors and rural life, said there are times when it's good to have the option to use bait, such as when a hunter takes along a child, a disabled person or an injured veteran and wants to make sure they have a chance to kill a deer.
Williams said many other states have no restrictions on hunting with bait and that Alabama has more deer than it ever has.
He also said he has seen the current rule, which says the hunter must be more than 100 yards away and out of line of sight of any bait, is not always fairly enforced.
Sen. Tom Whatley, R-Auburn, the bill's sponsor, said deer cause millions of dollars in damage in vehicle accidents every year.
Whatley said it's the fifth year he has tried to get the legislation passed.
The bill would also remove restrictions on using bait to hunt feral swine. But it would not affect restrictions on using bait to hunt turkey.
The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is not taking a position on the legislation.
The bill passed the Agriculture Conservation and Forestry Committee by a 9-2 vote. It goes to the Senate.
Sens. Paul Sanford, R-Huntsville and Larry Stutts, R-Sheffield, voted against it.
"This country boy doesn't need the bait," Sanford said.
Williams said he didn't need to use bait, either.
Williams talked about learning to love hunting from his family. He said his father loved squirrel hunting.
Williams closed his remarks to the committee with a reference to one of his father's most famous songs.
He said long ago, an American Indian armed with a bow and arrow might have used corn to attract a deer.
That Indian might have been named Kowaliga, Williams said.
After the committee meeting, Williams spent time posing for pictures with lawmakers, lobbyists, pages, legislative staffers and others at the State House.
So Hank wants to make sure a cripple “has a chance to kill a deer.” I had to check to make sure this wasn’t The Onion.
So?
“That Indian might have been named Kowaliga, Williams said.”
Hank Williams spelled it Kaw-Liga. So what’s the joke?
Scattering deer corn helps hunters kill more deer before the deer do more damage.
Lots of wheelchair hunters out there. Many are combat vets.
Unless you are a vegan who uses no leather or any thing that comes from a dead animal, then yes, and there’s nothing ironic or funny about it.
People need food and meat and last time I looked crippled people did, too.
Getting a deer is a good way to get meat for the freezer.
There’s a plethora of deer in my home state and they have no other predators here but man. I live on a rural stretch of Alabama highway and about once a week a deer gets hit. The damage to the cars and trucks can be a lot and sometimes dangerous to the people in them.
Bait is used while fishing, is it not?
“Bait is used while fishing, is it not?”
Yup, here in Texas feeders are commonly used on deer leases. Many have battery powered dispensers with timers so to turn on at a specific time. The deer become trained to come to the feeders when they hear the whirrr. Btw, no danger of over hunting the deer population in Texas or anywhere else for that matter. Read awhile back that it’s estimated that there are more deer now than when Columbus discovered America.
So what's next? Will be be forced to fish with bare hooks?
Not sure I’m understanding your statement but there is a real place named Kowaliga on Lake Martin which is where Hank got inspired to write the song. I remember the original wooden Indians there as a child but those were long ago vandalized and now replicas are used.
http://kowaligarestaurant.com/
Hunters in this state provide food to the needy by donating to food banks
http://www.deerhuntingguide.net/Alabama-hunters-helping-the-hungry.html
...and they provide lots of food to family and friends also. Grew up in a deer hunting family although I don’t like wild game myself...lol
My bad, I read the article without realizing it really was Hank Williams Jr. discussing the hunting bill. I mean my goodness, Hank Williams Sr. was only 29 when he died in 1953.
What I can tell you is that when I was in Army flight school in 1970 that “Kaw-Liga” became our class song. I had never heard it before & we sang it all the time on the bus to & from the heliport. Our other favorite was “Honky Tonk Angels”.
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