Posted on 02/02/2008 10:28:10 AM PST by Cagey
Hunting live animals online will soon be illegal in Florida.
On Wednesday, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is expected to approve a ban on the practice, making Florida the 35th state to prohibit "Internet hunting," Local 6 News partner Florida Today reported.
The ban would take effect July 1.
"I think, just overall, we felt it was wrong," said Henry Cabbage, a commission spokesman.
The concept was pioneered three years ago by a Texas entrepreneur who set up an operation where would-be hunters could shoot Barbary sheep, wild boar and other animals at a game ranch using a Web cam. Texas officials shut down his operation in 2005, when legislators banned Internet hunting.
Generally, "cyber hunters" steer a camera and rifle with their mouse, shooting at game in real time from a computer anywhere.
Animals are typically penned on ranches and lured to a feeding station within range of a rifle mounted on a tripod. As the animal approaches, the desktop hunter uses the mouse to line up the crosshairs and then presses the button to fire. Guides at the game ranch can assist if the shot misses or fails to kill the animal.
At the Texas game ranch, the hunting experience was completed by trophy mounts that were shipped to the customers, who for an additional fee could have the meat sent along, as well.
Advocates of Internet hunting say it's a way for the disabled to enjoy hunting.
But pro-hunting groups say it violates their ethic of a "fair chase."
In 2005, Virginia became the first state to ban the practice. Thirty-three other states have since followed suit.
Florida wildlife officials don't know of anyone hunting online in the state but want a ban in place before anyone tries.
Under the proposed Florida rule, Internet hunting or hunting via remote control would be prohibited by anyone not physically present at the location of the gun.
"It's truly a pre-emptive measure to prevent these types of operations from opening," said Andrew Page, director of the Humane Society of the United States' hunting campaign. "It was a bad idea run amok."
Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
The concept was pioneered three years ago by a Texas entrepreneur who set up an operation where would-be hunters could shoot Barbary sheep, wild boar and other animals at a game ranch using a webcam. Texas officials shut down his operation in 2005, when legislators banned Internet hunting. Florida Today image.
Okay, what about Democrats, RINO’s, and independents?
Sure. If you are gonna kill something, it is only fair that you go out into the field to do it... In short, don’t be a wuss...
By all means, don't bother actually weighing the pros and cons of a particular issue before taking a stance. Just consider how you feel at that exact moment and decide that way. Logic and debate have no place in American politics today.
That said, I do happen to agree with John123 in post #4.
Count me in.
I hate most all new laws. But this one makes sense.
You think you'd want to clean one of those things?
Us Independents do shoot back you know
It's really pretty easy because there are no guts to remove.
I’m against this kind of hunting. I don’t like canned huntes either. I don’t hunt out of stands, especially where the game has been chummed to come near the stand.
Call me old fashioned, but hunting means hunting. And BTW, I’ve taken disable people hunting. It can be done.
I was thinking more on the lines of saving humanity and the thrill of it all.
I am, after all a humanitarian.
I can’t imagine why anyone,unless they were totally disabled, would do this. Most of the fun of hunting is the trip, the camp, your camp companions, the wind in your face, sunrise, sunset and seeing animals in their natural environment. I continued to do all these things long after I had stopped pulling the trigger.
Have we lost our collective minds?
You hear about all these hairbrained schemes that get done in the dark of night? Honestly I had never heard of this before but since X# of states had banned it, it must have been around for awhile.
As bad as schools etal banning the safe gun training courses because they are SPONSORED and PRESENTED by the National Rifle Association...”Eddie Eagle” I think.
Heard that the NFL is threatening to ‘sue’ churches and HOMELESS SHELTERS for having ‘Super Bowl Parties”..granted when it got into the story they mentioned something about 55” screens, but what is next? You will have to sneak around to have a Super Bowl party in your home? Bad enough you can’t play penny ante poker in your home or participate in football pools, or bet on the game,
YET one of the big ‘features’ of a big game are what the respective governors are betting on it?
What am I missing here?
That should have read "undecideds".
Sorry about that ...
now don't go telling me you're an undecided ... 'cause I won't know what to say.
For those who have ever stood a post, there is just something so much more appealing about duty using one of these things instead of standing on a tarmack in Nebraska...
Let people kill animals. I need to eat.
There are going to be a whole lot of conservative voters that are independents in this election, especially if McCain is the nominee.
Does it take guts to blindly vote for the guy with the "R" at the end of his name even though you don't agree with his positions? I think it takes a lot of something else, but not guts.
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