Vote to Ban by Feb. 28, 2006 Votes and opinions are currently being solicited by the Indiana Natural Resource Committee. No comments will be considered that are not sent by end of business day, Feb. 28, 2006. Just to be sure, get these comments in early. Every opinion will be considered if submitted in time. One sentence is just fine - "I support a BAN on canned hunts in Indiana" These comments will be considered and tallied by Judge S. Lucas To send your comment, email: (don't forget to include full name and address) jkane@nrc.in.gov

Rep. Ulmer, You're Joking, Right? http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060221/NEWS02/602210395/1025 Rep. Ulmer says: "they put their life savings into this and (suddenly) they're being put out of business. I think that's wrong." " With all due respect to the very fine Hoosier Representative who decorates his office with wall to wall animal heads - have you checked the subsidies from the USDA that the federal taxpayers are already giving to some of these trophy farm operators? If they thought they were operating legally, why do they continue to go back to the NRC each year asking for authorization to operate shoot farms openly? And - they do go back every single year since 1999 - even though a bill legalizing their abhorent form of agricultural recreation has not been approved by the Indiana legislature! They come back every year because a few legislators(wonder which ones .... hmmmmm) promise them a slam dunk in the legislature and have yet to come through for them. But, boy, do they keep on trying! Dave Dimmich (deer farmer) said that once this got to the Governor's desk "It's a done deal." NOT SO FAST, Mr. Deer Farmer. Yes, Russ Bellar, Grand Deer Farming Honcho of Peru, Indiana, (sitting in prison at the moment) , did give thousands to the governor's campaign, and the Sportsmen's PAC (read: Deer farmers based in Peru, IN) did also give tens of thousands to the governor's campaign, and another deer farmer gave $2500.00 (personally) to the Attorney General's campaign .... but public opinion is not in favor of calling the raising of live antlers for shooting an agricultural enterprise. We support legitimate farmers - not this business of breeding more deer to be shot on farms for fun on the weekend. And - this is very important - nota bene, Counselor (s): Mr. Rodney Bruce (for whom you feel such great sympathy) states that trophy hunting is not the sole source of income for his getaway weekends in the country. He says he offers guided photography tours, refreshing weekend stays in the country, and general wildlife tours. Guess what? HE CAN CONTINUE WITH THAT BUSINESS! Counselor(s): Please check with Mr. Bruce to see how much of his income on his federal tax returns he attributes to the weekend shooting of livestock ........ and how much income does he attribute to his pastoral country getaway operation (without the concurrent, apparently incidental, bonus killing of some animal?) Knowing that "breed 'em to shoot 'em farming" had not yet been approved by the legislature, how foolish of this man to continue to invest his savings in shooter bucks? (If, in fact, he did jeopardize his total life savings on shooter bucks as the esteemed Hoosier Representative indicates.) That's called a "bad business investment" in my part of the world. And - since you are so worried about the "life savings" of these operators ..... why would Dr. Brad Thurston (plastic surgeon, Indianapolis) put HIS life savings into buying shooter deer? Silly, silly. Especially since his wife - Mrs.(Susan) Dr. Brad Thurston goes to the NRC year after year to ask for authorization and clarification for her deer business ..... why not put that same money in a nice CD, or under your mattress, until the authorization to run recreational live trophy shoot farms is approved by the Indiana legislature? By the way, have you checked the price of deer semen? Not too many 'poh peeples buying and poking up gallons of that stuff! However, it is LEGAL to sell deer for meat, urine and semen. You can even sell the antlers if there isn't a current international embargo against them. It's so endearing (xxoo) that some of you canned hunt FRIENDly legislators are concerned about the ultimate disposition of these animals! But, never fear. These hapless critters can be slaughtered for meat - if it is done in conjunction with humane slaughter laws outlined by the USDA. It is time to end this sham. Hiding language to allow shooting of exotics and canned hunt animals in a bill proclaiming to service "soil conservation" (good grief!) such as SB314, is just lowdown sneaky ...... we have serious issues to deal with in Indiana. Stop playing games to benefit these 15 special hunt farm operators ...... the general public (the other six million+ of us) do not appreciate your taking up the time of our legislators in this short session to proofread every piece of legislation which is unfortunate enough to pass through your hands .... And, while you are in such a symphatico mood ..... how about helping some of my friends "recoup" their bad business investments .... you know, the inflatable pushup bras, the fat dissolving gels, the do-it-yourself home vasectomy kit ..... Or - do you only protect investors in Breed,Drug, Ship, and Shoot?

BOO! Canned Hunt FRIENDly Legislator(s) Sneak up on the public .......again It's not Halloween but those canned hunt bogey men just keep coming at us .... can't take your eyes off them for a single minute. Don't know what those 15 special Hoosier canned hunt operators and suppliers have that the rest of us plain old Hoosier types don't have - but they sure have their pet legislators wrapped around their 15 collective trigger fingers. Rep. Wm. FRIEND, Patron Saint of Russ Bellar, just can't stop dreaming and scheming up sneak attack legislation to stuff into otherwise valid bills. No shame on his part - hey, let's stash exotics, breeding licenses, whatever shoot farm goodies I can dream up .....to the SOIL CONSERVATION BILL! Yup, that's a great fooler! What a great idea .... like..... um, who could vote against soil conservation? "I'll just slip a canned hunt quickie in there and hope nobody notices ......."

WE NOTICED.

Now get over yourselves and start addressing taxes, education, job loss, prescription drugs and mental health care.

Bring your canned hunt buddy (currently in jail) a sandwich and get about the people's business!

For you industrious blog readers:

http://www.in.gov/apps/lsa/session/billwatch/billinfo?year=2006&session=1&request=getBill&docno=314

And for the not so industrious: (can you find the sneak attack legislators?) Action List: Senate Bill 0314 2006 Regular Session Authors: Hume, Nugent, Landske, Paul Date Chamber Action 01/10/2006 S Authored by Senator(s) Nugent 01/10/2006 S First reading: referred to Committee on Agriculture and Small Business 01/23/2006 S Senator Hume added as second author 01/26/2006 S Committee report: amend do pass, adopted 01/30/2006 S Second reading: ordered engrossed 02/02/2006 S Senators Landske and Paul added as coauthors 02/02/2006 S Cosponsors: Reps. Gutwein, Hoffman and Grubb 02/02/2006 S Third reading: passed; Roll Call 146: Yeas 50 and Nays 0 02/02/2006 S Referred to the House 02/02/2006 S House sponsor: Rep. Friend 02/07/2006 H First reading: referred to Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development 02/16/2006 H committee report: amend do pass, adopted

South Bend paper "nails" Rep. Ulmer's Agenda http://www.southbendtribune.com/ Article published Feb 13, 2006 State should say no to 'canned hunts'In an anticipated turn of events, Rep. John Ulmer, R-Goshen, is trying to sidestep the judgment of Indiana Department of Natural Resources director Kyle Hupfer and make "canned hunts" legal in Indiana.In August, Hupfer announced that he would ban the unseemly business of charging wanna-be hunters to corner and shoot confined animals. Hupfer announced that the so-called "preserves" must be shut down by the adjournment in March of the next General Assembly (this one).We said at the time that we hoped the General Assembly would not see Hupfer's deadline as an invitation to overrule the DNR. Obviously it has. Ulmer's bill would let canned hunts continue for seven years. The idea, according to Ulmer, is to allow hunt operators to recoup some of their investment.There is a lot more to consider here than the operators' investment, as Hupfer's evaluation of the issue last year showed.The director, new on the job, needed to respond to the disturbing events in 2004 near Peru, when canned hunt operator Russell Bellar pled guilty to three counts of conspiracy to violate food and drug laws. In Bellar's trial, 60 witnesses, some of them celebrities, described how they paid thousands of dollars to shoot trapped, drugged trophy bucks they had selected from a catalog.Hupfer, rather than judge the industry by the Bellar case, conducted hearings around the state and based his decision on extensive information-gathering. One concern that he addressed directly was the possible health consequences of introducing exotic species into the state, such as wild boar, sheep, elk and zebra, and the risk that they could introduce chronic wasting disease into the native deer population.Lest anyone think this is a dispute between animal protection advocates and hunters, it isn't. Many of the comments that the director collected came from hunters who are disgusted by the unsporting aspects of shooting captive animals at close range, often while they are at feeding stations.This is not a practice that should exist in Indiana for the next seven years, or even the next year. It is not governed now by state law, which is the reason Hupfer stepped in. His judgment was fact-based and sound. It should not be second-guessed at the 11th hour by the General Assembly.The House has passed House Bill 1349. The Senate should vote it down on its merits. In the event that it does not, we hope that Gov. Mitch Daniels will support the judgment of his DNR director and exercise his veto.

WI and FED Taxpayers give $764,000 http://www.wbay.com/global/story.asp?s=4490706&ClientType=Printable State reports nearly 700 licensed deer and elk farms WAUSAU, Wis. About 700 deer or elk farms are still licensed in Wisconsin.The number defies predictions of the industry's demise made four years ago when a deadly brain disease was discovered in the state's wild deer herd. But according to the state Agriculture Department, those farms contain thousands fewer animals than in the years before chronic wasting disease was discovered. The government itself had a hand in that. Ag Department spokeswoman Donna Gilson says state regulations led to the killing of 677 deer or elk on 17 different farms. They represent herds with at least one diseased animal, herds with a direct link to a diseased animal or herds near where the disease was discovered in wild deer. State and federal governments have paid about 765-thousand dollars to those producers to compensate them for their losses.

Canned Hunt FRIENDly legislators Note: The Senate acted with appropriate moral governance and put an end to this ridiculous bill which would make millionaires of 12 operators in this state. Good for them! The article below was written before this bill was "euthanized" in the Senate. Still makes for good reading: http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/search February 12, 2006 outdoors: skip hess Latest fenced hunting bill has veterans in crosshairs February 12, 2006 The lawmakers who introduced House Bill 1349 in the Indiana General Assembly might think they are nickel slick, but they have to get out of bed a lot earlier if they want to bamboozle their fellow Hoosiers. This is a bill that returns in some form to the Indiana General Assembly year after year, only to stall in some committee. Many lawmakers have been reluctant to vote on the bill, which deals with the controversial shooting of deer and elk held captive by eight-foot fencing at commercial preserves. There are 10 of the facilities in the state where clients pay thousands of dollars to kill a trophy deer or elk, purely for bragging rights and to hang its antlered head on a wall. The Department of Natural Resources contends the businesses are illegal, although they have been allowed to operate for several years. Indiana sportsmen groups have adamantly opposed this form of shooting deer and elk because it flies in the face of fair chase. Last year, DNR director Kyle Hupfer took a stand on the issue in his first year on the job and proposed that all deer and elk shooting preserve operations be shut down this year, subject to approval by legislators. This year's bill, co-sponsored by state representatives John D. Ulmer (R-Goshen), William J. Ruppel (R-North Manchester), Paul Robertson (D-Depauw) and Jerry Denbo (D-French Lick), sailed through the House (53-29) after dying in past sessions, although it was even more pro-shooting preserve than in the past. Why the change this year? The first clue is in the synopsis of the bill. The preserves are now called "hunting" instead if "shooting" facilities in HB 1349. It sounds better, even though there is very little hunting and a lot of guaranteed shooting success going on. The bill proposes that clients cannot hunt closer than 150 yards from an artificial feeding site and calls for a smaller hunting area of 80 contiguous acres surrounded by an eight-foot fence. Here's a hint to how much "hunting" will be going on. The bill states that the facility "may not sell a specific deer or elk to the hunter." However, a facility owner may charge either a basic hunting fee or "a fee based upon the antler size of the deer or elk taken by the hunter." Here's where an attempt to bamboozle comes into play. Before the hunting facility wording in section two of the seven-page bill, look at what pops up in boldface lettering at the bottom of page four in section one. It reads: (f) The director shall issue a lifetime hunting, fishing, and trapping license without charge to an individual who has applied for a lifetime hunting, fishing, and trapping license and who: (1) is a resident of Indiana; and (2) has served in and received an honorable discharge from the armed forces of the United States (as defined in IV 5-9-4-3). That explains a lot about the lopsided vote. Sixteen legislators with honorable discharges from the service excused themselves from voting on the bill because they would have been voting on something that would benefit them. If you were a state representative running for re-election during a time of war, would you want your opponent to remind voters that you voted against a lifetime free hunting, fishing and trapping license for men and women who served their country? Bill sponsors say that in fairness to shooting facility owners who have sunk tons of money into a business, they shouldn't be shut down overnight. The bill proposes that facility owners who were in business after 2003 be allowed to operate until 2013 to recover their financial investment. However, the DNR contends the facilities are illegal. If the Senate doesn't pass the bill, DNR authorities say they will close the shooting preserves July 1.

Wildlife Professor writes about politics of canned hunts ...

Charleston Gazette, Charleston http://sundaygazettemail.com/webtools/print/Editorials/Viewpoint/2006020913

February 10, 2006 Dave Samuel · State’s deer farms pose a threat to wild herds TWO bills in the Legislature could cause tremendous damage to one of the biggest industries in West Virginia — deer hunting. House Bill 4258 and Senate Bill 506 would take deer farm control from the Division of Natural Resources and give it to the Department of Agriculture. Deer hunting brings in $230 million a year to West Virginia. A 2002 survey showed that deer farming generated $308,000 in the state. On Feb. 6, Lindsey Griffith, attorney for the West Virginia Deer Farmers Association, cited in a commentary in this paper that “the market value of deer sold last year in Pennsylvania was $10.6 million,” and then went on to state that the cervid industry in Oklahoma brings in $17.5 million a year. I find it most interesting that some of our legislators look at those numbers, while ignoring the value of our wild deer herd to the state. Between now and 2016, our deer herd will create $2.3 billion in the state’s economy. One might ask why we can’t have both deer farms and continue our deer hunting? We could if there were no problems with diseases on deer farms that threaten wild deer and elk. Deer farming is not a healthy industry. Diseases are spread from farm to farm. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is the major culprit. Wisconsin spends $20 million a year just testing their wild deer for this disease. Chronic wasting disease has been found on game farms in Colorado, Wyoming, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Wisconsin, New York, and Nebraska. The more CWD is found on deer farms, the more the public turns against them. Thus, many deer farms are for sale, many do not make money and many are hobby farms. And in no state does the economic benefit from deer farming come close to the economic value of the wild deer herd to citizens. Virginia, Maryland, Tennessee and 14 other states have banned deer farms. Indiana and Montana have banned hunting big game in deer pens. The ban in Montana was passed by a public referendum. Most hunters are not interested in hunting deer in pens. Why do the deer farmers want the Agriculture Department to control them? The DNR places tighter restrictions on deer farms, and this impacts them from an economic perspective. We know that CWD spreads from game farm to game farm. That has been documented. I’m not sure why that doesn’t concern some of our legislators. It sure concerns hunters and many private citizens. Consider this recent event. A deer farm in Wisconsin had a quarantined herd with at least 21 CWD-positive deer. Someone cut a hole in the fence and deer escaped. It wasn’t the deer farmer, but the results are very negative. The state is now spending more than $500,000 to kill deer around that game farm. Deer farmers want to move deer, sell deer instate and out of state. They can’t do that now, but I’m sure they believe that Agriculture would allow that. Some legislators support such sale of deer. Most states do not allow the importing or exporting of deer. What do they know that we don’t know? Why are we taking a step backward? Every state hunting organization supports the adoption of the DNR’s proposed legislative rules to control deer farming. Many citizens do as well. I’m puzzled why more aren’t taking action by going to the www.wvstatechapternwtf.com, that lists every state legislator by county, and also lists their e-mail address. Everyone interested in this issue should e-mail their legislators about these bills that threaten our wild deer herd. I’m even more puzzled why legislators ignore the science, ignore the history from other states and provinces, and push for more deer farming. Mining experts advise the Legislature on new legislation. Forestry experts advise the Legislature on new forestry legislation. We’ve got wildlife experts doing the same on this wildlife legislation, yet they are being ignored. Many folks oppose deer farms totally. The DNR has compromised here, but to turn control of deer farms over to Agriculture is a step backward. We cannot afford to risk the loss of our wild deer. The economic loss could be huge. Samuel is a retired wildlife professor from West Virginia University who has done extensive studies on white-tailed deer. He is presently conservation editor for “Bowhunter” magazine.

Canned Hunt Bill "killed" in Senate Committee Today (Feb. 10) HB 1349 - (Canned Hunt Bill) was killed in Senate Committee. This is good news for all of you who have been campaigning against the legalization and proliferation of this disgusting form of entertainment. However, this "vampire" (keeps coming back from the dead) legislation will surely rise again ...... as long as there are politicians in office that need to make good on promises to their special constituents. (And - don't buy the poor Amish farmer bit on this one ....) For the moment - those 12 (actually 15) special Hoosiers will not be given a state monopoly to "ship and shoot" domestic livestock, retired circus, or surplus zoo animals. Celebrate - but not too hard. There is more work to be done to support the Indiana Dept. of Natural Resources Emergency Rule banning this type of entertainment in Indiana. And - it needs to be done soon. Stay tuned for news on what the next step will be to put an end to this vampire legislation. Thanks for all the hard work. A dollar is not always a dollar. There is clean money and dirty money. Let's support the REAL farmers and Hoosier agriculture - the ones who actually work their fields. These "investor farmers" who want to raise antler trophies on the hoof might consider putting their surplus cash into more socially acceptable forms of agricultural entertainment - or put it under their mattress. Possibly purchasing whitetail semen and shooter bucks is not the best use of their"investment" dollars ... at least not in Indiana. And 11 other states.

Assigned to Senate Committee! The canned hunt operator bill has been given to the following Senate Committee: RULES and LEGISLATION No word on hearing date yet - Details to follow

How Much to Sell Shoot Antlers on the Hoof? Under 200" vs. over 200" doe genetics prices Deer & Elk Farmers Discussion Forums: Business Aspects of Deer and Elk Farming: Under 200" vs. over 200" doe genetics prices Sunday, February 05, 2006 - 05:37 pm:

LilGuy just remember that 99% of bucks end up in the shooter market. It was just discussed on another thread that most preserves feel the majority of their clients are asking for animals in the 150 to 170 range if I understand them correctly , and only a handful are asking to shoot bucks over the 200 inch mark. Now if the 150 inch and up bucks are in demand then thats all you need to start growing. Granted the bigger the better, to a certain extent and for a better margin of profit too. It's like these other guys have said find deer with the types of antlers you think you'd like to shoot if you were doing the hunting , look for antlers that stand out in a crowd of bucks to you. I myself still like the typicals just for the fact they look allot more like something one might getting hunting out in the wild , but thats just my opinion. I showed most all my friends and they all hunt a video of some just huge and well in demand bucks from another farm that I thought were just awsome as a breeder yet every single one turned their noses up and said these animals looked wierd to them and they wouldn't pay to shoot something like that , and hey to each their own right ? You certainly don't need to start with the very best , but start with good marketable genetic's and they are very affordable too. Ya sure the bigger the score the better weather it be typical or non typical but if you start with marketable animals you can work your way to where you want to be through animals sales. Just an opinion ..

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Readers: There are many valuable sources for info on the shooter buck supply farming business ..... much can be found at www.deer-forums.com

If you are interested in learning about this business from the suppliers and operators themselves, visit the entire site. Just thought you might like to know what sources are available to you on the internet - by the way, the emphasis above in bold is mine - for your convenience. I realize that most folks have regular day/shift jobs and don't have the time to always read thoroughly. Always best to go to the original sites if you want to know more.

NOT ASSIGNED TO SENATE YET HB1349 has not yet been assigned to a Senate Committee for a hearing. Call 1-800-382-9467 and ask to speak to your Senator's administrative assistant.

• Tell the Senator's assistant you do not want 12 (anonymous, unnamed ) Hoosier citizens to be given a monopoly to operate canned hunt operations in Indiana.
• No one should be grandfathered without a complete inventory of their stock and a disclosure of their hunting income during an application process. If they have nothing to hide, there should be no problem.
• Hoosiers don't like canned hunting. Not in our state.
• We have serious Hoosier issues for our legislators to address. Let an ethics oversight committee figure out why these operators continue to invest their money in this business to which the Indiana legislature has never given legislative approval.
• Why do taxpayers have to grant amnesty to these 12 business operators who have chosen to invest their money into a business which the Indiana legislature has never authorized? No bill has ever passed legalizing canned hunting in Indiana. Now "we"(regular working taxpayers) are expected to subsidize their bad choice of investment? But, seriously, folks ...

DEER FARMER NEWS BIT

DEER FARMER NEWS BITS From Deer & Elk Farmer’s Digest Newsletter January-February 2004 – Vol.5, Issue 1 Here are a few clips from the newsletter which can be read in its entirety at www.deer-digest.com/html/feb04.html Possibly these snippets may entice you to read their entire series (available on the internet and you may also still be able to order print copies) Read on:

“When educating politicians, legislators, and bureaucrats, please keep the following points in mind: These people typically respond better to wining (sic) and dining than to bullying and threats of lawsuits.”

Further on:

“In Indiana, as in other states, the premier agricultural organization is Farm Bureau. The Indiana Farm Bureau can be a significant partner with the Indiana Deer Breeders Association in achieving legislative goals. They can also help us to combat attempts by anti-hunting groups seeking to impose double fencing on our operations.”

(Note to readers: In Wisconsin and some other states, the deer farmers (shoot ranch suppliers) managed to coerce the TAXPAYERS to assume the cost of double fencing for their operation! Just think about that – while we taxpayers fund, fund, and fund - the deer “farmers” who raise shooter bucks will get us to pay for their double fencing and testing costs – while they earn thousands of dollars per whitetail sold to a canned hunt operation and we, the taxpayers are left navigating around road kill deer on our highways.)

“We support legislation recognizing privately-owned cervidae production as an agricultural industry. The full benefits of traditional agriculture - production insurance, health certification, loan guarantees and expedited approval - should be extended to this industry.”

(Note to readers: You betcha! They want to get in our federal and state taxpayer knickers! They certainly want those “full benefits of traditional agriculture” – while they raise elk and deer for “hunters” to shoot on canned hunt sites. Seriously – they want us to recognize them as legitimate agricultural enterprises? I grew up in a farm state. My farm didn’t sell animals to shoot for fun on the weekend.)

“We support an Indiana University livestock academic program in the Animal Science Department to focus on privately-owned cervidae.” ”We urge the privately-owned cervidae production industry, Indiana Farm Bureau, Indiana Dept of Agriculture and Indiana State University to continue to work cooperatively to address the marketing, regulatory, and research needs of the industry and state to facilitate the GROWTH OF THE INDUSTRY.”

(Note to readers: Got that IU grads? They want antler enhancement – FRANKEN DEER!)

“A successful farming or ranching operation requires an entrepreneurial spirit, sophisticated planning, and SUPPORTING LEGISLATION.”

Note to readers: YUP – they just gotta’ have that supportin’ legislation – let’s not give those 12 “secret” operators a monopoly. Let’s not reward folks for turning from traditional farm products and instead, developing Franken deer with top heavy antlers for shipping and shooting. Is this the kind of “farm” business you want to support with agricultural loans, indemnity payments, and subsidies……?” Wonder where all that FARM BUREAU SUPPORT came from for these canned hunt operators and suppliers? Read on:

“ALL INDIANA DEER BREEDERS ARE STRONGLY URGED TO JOIN THEIR COUNTY FARM BUREAU NOW AND FIND OUT ABOUT THE RESOLUTION PROCESS TO OBTAIN SUPPORTIVE AGRICULTURAL POLICIES.”

I have to wonder – if we build a “House of Ill Repute” in the middle of a cornfield – does that become an agribusiness – or an agricultural enterprise? Just wondering.

Legislators you’d never call ‘good sports’ Mon. Feb. 06, 2006 Fort Wayne News Sentinel It was impressive to see the Indiana Department of Natural Resources muster the nerve to ban fenced hunting, a practice in which firearms operators (let’s not call them “hunters”) pay to shoot deer inside enclosures. Now legislators are showing themselves to be much less admirable than DNR bureaucrats. Members of the Indiana House of Representatives last week voted to keep these shooting galleries legal for another seven years. Some plead that they’re simply allowing the deer retailers who operate these farms to phase themselves out of business gradually. We’re not buying it. All manner of businesses have been callously disrupted through highway construction, dam repairs, eminent domain seizures or utility regulation. We can’t fathom why state representatives are getting misty-eyed about the urgency of preserving a disreputable form of hunting.

Check DEER FARMER SUBSIDIES Some people have not been able to retrieve subsidy info from the web. Go to www.ewg.org proceed to the right column and go halfway down and click on "Farm Subsidy Database" - for an added chuckle, find out how much your legislators are gettting. Oh - and don't forget to check out the convicted and in prison model Hoosier deer farmer Russ Bellar - he gets extra subsides - both under his own name (conservation money, too! -$54,884.00, plus $107,193 other) and also under Palmer Family Limited Partnership (Bellar Palmer Land Co) Miami County ($18,204 Conversvation subsidies and $313,601.00 other. OH THESE POOR "DEAR"CANNED HUNT SUPPLIERS AND OPERATORS! Please don't allow the Indiana Senate sucker punch the Hoosier taxpayers the way the House did (with some slick House Reps not voting at all because of a conflict of interest with an $8.00 (eight dollar) license fee. Gee .... Call your Senator now. NO anonymous grandfather deal - and ask for an Oversight Committee for this entire grandfathering process. Are the inmates running the asylum or do taxpayers get a vote???? Maybe it's the dollars that talk and not the vote. After all, canned hunt suppliers gave $20,000 to Mitch Daniel campaign in 2004 as well as the $2,000 Bellar gave the Daniels campaign. This is public info, too. www.indianacampaignfinance.com

CANNED HUNT FARMER SAYS "It's a done deal ......If we get it to the Governor's desk" Is this true? Read this article - note the big money involved and then check David Dimmich (quote above) and check on the internet for the subsidies David Dimmich has already received . Now he is wanting to show a profit from an investment in shooter bucks he has NEVER RECEIVED AUTHORIZATION OR LEGALIZATION for from the IN legislature? This is a poor farmer? Our senators take the working people as fools. I will post the website where you can find the subsidies these guys get - it is all public info. That is why the grandfathering process is being kept anonymous. YOU WON'T KNOW WHO THESE GUYS ARE UNTIL AFTER THEY ARE LEGALIZED and "GRANDFATHERED." Too late to check on the sourcing and financing of their "farms" at that point. I have been able to locate $849,743.00 in subsidy payments (That's our federal tax money, folks!) for David Dimmich of West LaFayette, IN (1995-2004) $12,100.00 of that money was for "Conservation" subsidies. Read that conservation groups? Here is the address to check these guys out (if you can get your legislators to tell you who these guys are) and find out how much money they are already taking out of your federal knickers. NOW THEY WANT TO RAISE AND KILL SHOOTER BUCKS? Like we need MORE deer in this state for the express purpose of shooting for recreation! Financial check site: www.ewg.org The article is below: This article can be found on the internet via google or search or read below for your convenience: OCAHomepage Game Farms Spread Controversy & Fear of Mad Deer Disease Fenced-preserve hunts breed debate Deer farming has grown by leaps and bounds; critics call the whole businessunsportsmanlike. By George McLarenIndianapolis StarNovember 11, 2003 The hunting of semi-wild deer on fenced preserves -- a practice enjoyed bywealthy sportsmen but derided by others as unethical and inhumane -- hasgrown into big business in Indiana. According to state officials, at least 10 fenced preserves are operating inIndiana, with the biggest holding more than 1,200 captive deer and claimingtop-rated shooting bucks are worth up to $15,000. Critics, including sport hunters and wildlife advocates, scoff at those as"canned hunts," with the trough-fed prey given little chance to escape. Butdeer farmers respond that they run law-abiding, legitimate businesses andthat private preserves are not easy hunts. State legislators again considered new rules on the operations this year butinstead handed the controversies to a panel with a broad range of views,hoping the group can reach consensus on what thus far have been divisiveissues. "It's a complicated issue. There is not an easy solution," said DougMetcalf, chief of staff for the state Board of Animal Health. He serves onan advisory panel set up to study deer farming and formulate recommendationsby June. Deer -- almost 5,000 white-tails -- and elk are raised on more than ahundred farms around the state. Farmers see it as a potentially lucrativesource of cash -- one looking to boost his breeding lines paid $75,000 for atop breeding buck; he valued a top breeding doe at up to $7,000. Some sell deer urine as a hunting lure, collect semen to sell for breedingand hope to change laws and allow the legal sale of venison from deer killedin Indiana. Trading in deer also has raised fears over a mad cow-like disease, chronicwasting disease, that has hopscotched around the country from Colorado. The issues are so controversial, state legislators gave up trying to makenew laws earlier this year. Instead, they created the panel, which includesdeer farmers, wildlife advocates, sportsmen, conservationists and stateregulators from the animal health board and the state Department of NaturalResources. The panel -- known officially as the Citizens Advisory Council on CaptiveCervids -- began meeting in late August and is funded by the Department ofNatural Resources and the Indiana Deer Farmers Association. A professionalfacilitator helps guide its efforts. All sides say publicly that they are confident that compromises will bereached. "What we're hoping is we can all be conciliatory so we can make someprogress," said David Dimmich, a Benton County deer farmer who serves on thecouncil. ". . . There's going to have to be some give and take." Recommendations must be approved unanimously by the group's members. "You have people with different things they want to accomplish on it. I hopesomehow we can come to some understanding," said Doug Allman, a committeemember and spokesman for the Indiana Deer Hunters Association. The roots of the situation go back decades, when DNR officials created agame breeder's license intended to allow sportsmen and others to raise birdssuch as pheasant or quail for hunting. DNR officials said no one envisioned the future potential for raising deerprivately or the potential earnings for farmers who did. The number of breeder licenses for deer has jumped in recent years. By theend of 2002, more than 263 deer breeders had received an annual license, up37 percent from 192 in 2000. The state's biggest deer operation is owned by Russ Bellar, a developer fromPeru with a 1,000-acre, fenced spread. He reported owning 1,267 white-tailswhen he filed for his game breeder's license earlier this year. Bellar, who did not return repeated phone calls for this story, reported 41deer lost to wild dogs -- and provided a glimpse into the financial stakesinvolved. The dead deer were valued by Bellar at $278,000 combined, or nearly $7,000each. Bellar valued one at $20,000, a breeding male he described as his"pride buck . . . too valuable to be used as a shooter buck." "Shooter bucks," or animals intended to be hunted, were valued as high as$15,000, while females with good genetic lines were valued at up to $7,000. Bellar told the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette earlier this year that he hadpaid $75,000 for a prime breeding buck. His application documented that 96 deer had been hunted at his property in2002, but the records did not reveal his income from those animals. Bellar'sWeb site doesn't list what it costs to hunt but boasts that pro fishermanJimmy Houston and country singer Ronnie Dunn had visited; the celebritiesare shown in photos with large bucks they shot. Hunting behind a fence is legal -- and there are no regulations on how bigthe fenced area must be nor any requirement that the animal has a fairchance to escape. Current laws are murky on whether baiting -- strictly prohibited in the wild-- is allowable in fenced preserves. Bellar's Web site said his propertyfeatures 600 acres of food plots planted for the deer, plus 1 ton ofsupplemental food provided each day. The DNR sets hunting regulations, which govern privately owned deer as wellas those in the public herd. "The current situation is that during the season, with the proper license,you can take deer in an enclosed area. We are not promoting that, but thatis the current situation," said DNR Director John Goss. Allman, the deer hunting association's representative on the advisory panel,was more blunt. "I don't believe there will be a lot of hunters who want to participate inthis. . . . I call it pseudo-hunting," Allman said. "It's like picking out your lobster at Red Lobster." Karin McKenna, a school counselor from northern Indiana, compared the fenceddeer to livestock like cows or pigs. If someone were paying to hunt a cow, "people would think there wassomething pathologically wrong with you. If animals are killed for meat,then humane slaughter should be involved," McKenna said. The owners of a fenced preserve in Owen County say hunting there is not aseasy as it seems. Brad Thurston, a plastic surgeon in Indianapolis, and his wife, Susan, haveabout 1,000 acres of land. The property includes 140 wooded acres inside an8-foot fence and about 100 captive white-tail deer. Brad Thurston noted how skittish his fenced deer were during a tour of theproperty recently. As his modified golf cart motored through the pennedarea, the white-tail deer bounded away if it got too close. "Don't say wild," he said. "That has a different connotation. But they'renot tame." To prevent overpopulation of the pen, he said, some of the animals must bekilled. He allows a handful of acquaintances to enter the pen each year and kill alarge deer that is at least 5 years old. They pay up to $3,500 each --enough, he said, to pay for the annual bill to keep the food trough filled. Critics who say the activity is unsportsmanlike simply don't understand, theThurstons said. "These are not canned hunts. These are not easy hunts," Susan Thurston said. And their animals -- along with most captive deer in Indiana -- were nevertruly wild animals. Most farmed deer have been bred from other farmed deer, several generationsremoved from the wild, said Dimmich, the deer farmer on the advisory panel. "It's more like a livestock situation as we see it. And they're privateproperty," Dimmich said. His 17-acre deer farm north of Lafayette, which he runs with son Zachary,does not include a hunting preserve. The farm is home to about 15 deer andhasn't earned them a profit, he said. "We're probably two to three years away from realizing any profit," Dimmichsaid. He and other deer farmers are keenly interested in what new laws orregulations might come out of the advisory panel's work. But with such volatile topics and members who have been working to achieveopposite goals in recent years, some issues might simply remain unresolvedin the advisory council. "We're committed to the process," said Glenn Lange, the DNR's chief ofwildlife and a council member. "There may be issues that some people at the table say, 'I simply can't livewith that.' And then the council will move on," Lange said.

HOW TO CONTACT MY SENATOR? This link will help you find your State Senator. ACT FAST. When bills are considered controversial, but only impact a few people (like 12!), they are very quickly passed when the public is focused on other more public issues. This "special" amnesty grandfather canned hunt bill could be slipped through at any time ...... don't wait to call. Say "NO" to millionaire amnesty grandfather programs and demand an ethics oversight committee to find out why we have gotten to the point of enriching and legalizing 12 people who have circumvented the law. Remember: NO BILL (beginning in 1999) has ever passed in the INDIANA LEGISLATURE authorizing or legalizing these 12 canned hunt operations. They decided to invest and expand at their own financial risk .... and with the "wink wink" suport from their individual legislators. Now they are scrambling for legal cover. http://www.in.gov/apps/sos/legislator/search/

SENATOR HEINOLD's office was contacted on Feb.3. His assistant was asked for the list of the operators he would be granting grandfather amnesty to - and asked if the $1500.00 campaign contribution he received from the canned hunt operators and suppliers PAC (the oddly named Sportsmens' PAC -they sell venison,urine, semen, right? - from domesticated livestock, right?) would influence his vote. Believe it or not, last week we actually found one legislator in the House who got a contribution from these guys ( a good sized one) and he voted his ethics ...... and voted against the blanket amnesty bill. That took some serious courage. Wonder what Heinold will do? If you call him, keep us posted. Let us know what your Senator plans to do, also. Don't forget to ask for an oversight (ethics)committee to look into the flimsy grandfathering process that gives these 12 people a monopoly (read: reward!) for successfully circumventing the law, the Indiana Dept. of Natural Resources, and the Indiana Natural Resouce Committee. Boy, these 12 folks must sure know some heavy hitters! This bill gets our vote for the "Best little piece of legislation money can buy".

Hey, Legislators! Are you reading the papers? Or do you think what the rest of us think about Indiana recreation/business doesn't matter? Are you a FRIENDly legislator for canned hunts? From today's Marion Chronicle Tribune:

A BOO for the Indiana House for approving legislation that allows so-called canned hunting for another seven years. The Department of Natural Resources already has banned the hunting areas, which allow so-called hunters to fire away at deer and elk inside fenced-in areas. The ban is scheduled to take effect next month. The bill now goes to the Senate, where maybe they'll be able to figure out that the DNR was right in the first place

INDIANA SENATE CANNED HUNT BILL 2006 · As per IDNR web survey, Hoosiers who are aware of this not regulated or authorized IN agribusiness entertainment are overwhelmingly opposed to giving this cruel (and hidden from public view) operation legal status resulting in USDA subsidy, grant, loan, and other taxpayer funded “goodies.” · · The majority of IN newspapers have put out editorials calling for an end to this despicable recreation within IN · 19 states have partial or whole bans on this type of entertainment · · States who have allowed this recreational business to operate have incurred TENS of MILLIONS of dollars of costs associated with abuses and unintended consequences resulting from operations. Taxpayers have had to foot the bill for this. Indiana now has an opportunity to shut down the law breakers and protect Hoosier federal and state taxpayers from this abuse of agricultural privilege. · · This bill would grant a millionaire making MONOPOLY to those 12 single constituents who have been operating outside of the bounds of Indiana law. They would have no competition. They could operate YEAR ROUND. · · This bill grandfathers 12 canned hunt operators. It does NOT protect deer farmers. Deer FARMERS are currently allowed to raise deer for meat, urine, semen, and antlers. They are under the Board of Animal Health. They are not allowed to sell their animals for hunting. They are openly violating the law. This bill grants amnesty to the offending buyers and sellers. · · Natural Resource Committee has been lobbied since 1999 to approve and legalize this form of recreation. They have not done so. NO BILL HAS EVER PASSED THAT WOULD APPROVE OF THIS FORM OF ENTERTAINMENT. The legislators have stopped this entertainment in its tracks every year. · In 2004 the canned hunt suppliers and operators put together a “Sportsmen’s PAC” that contributed substantial sums to the current Governor (new administration) and canned hunt friendly legislators. One of those millionaire campaign contributors now sits in federal prison for violations on his “model” deer game farm. In October, 1999, the IN Natural Resource Committee actually met at his home. It was the FEDERAL government that put an end to this operation. www.real-hunters.com · · There is a history of canned hunt “FRIENDly” legislators abusing the amendment process in past legislative sessions to sneak legal authorization through the House and Senate. Every year these “FRIENDly” legislators have been stopped before they could inflict damage on the Hoosier taxpayer. This year’s “grandfather monopoly” is just such a ploy. · · Exotics (retired zoo and circus animals as well as shipped from Africa) are currently “hunted” for entertainment in Indiana. There is no list of the operations although they advertise openly. www.bowguns.com · · Loopholes within the proposed bill allows for exotics to be killed on the grounds of these “Hoosier bed and breakfasts.” · · WE NEED AN IMMEDIATE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE ESTABLISHED TO INVESTIGATE THE GRANDFATHERING PROCESS (financials) THAT HAS BEEN INTRODUCED WITH THIS BILL. NO LAW BREAKERS SHOULD BE GRANTED AMNESTY. NO MILLIONAIRE MAKING MONOPOLIES SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO SNEAK THROUGH THE SENATE.

Well, Looks like the Indiana House of Representatives decided to grant the blanket amnesty "grandfather" financial boondoggle to twelve very special Indiana citizens. Who are these 12 lucky recipients of legislative amnesty and a gift of a million dollar monopoly? And - how come NOT ONE REPRESENTATIVE in the entire Indiana House of Representatives knows who the 12 special citizens are that they granted amnesty to? Stay tuned and find out if the Senate will try to pull the same deal on us Hoosiers........