OUR OUTDOOR HERITAGE

Having been raised in the rural area of Oklahoma I know first hand the importance citizens place on their right to hunt and fish. I am sure that in most rural states young men and women cherish the memories of their parents and friends teaching them the skills of hunting and fishing. I have also noticed that most hunters develop a respect for wildlife. While we may take a deer or elk on a hunt we also want to protect wildlife and properly manage that valuable resource. The fees we pay for our hunting and fishing licenses enables our wildlife department to combat disease in the herds. For the most part the system has worked well, when I was a child it was rare to see large herds of deer. Today there is an abundance of deer in our state, last year more than 110,000 deer were taken during the hunting season. While we hunters can see the benefits of controlling the numbers of animals by hunting, there are groups that would like to take that right away from us and not allow hunting. Recently some legislation passed the House Environment and Wildlife Subcommittee, which could protect hunting and fishing for future generations.

Senate Joint Resolution 38, by state Rep. Randy Terrill (R-Moore) and state Sen. Glenn Coffee (R-OKC), would require the Secretary of State to place a state question on the November ballot allowing citizens to determine whether the right to hunt and angle and take game and fish should be protected by the state Constitution. State Rep. Terrill was quoted as saying, I call this measure the ‘Heritage Bill’ because we have a long tradition of hunting and fishing in this state that precedes statehood by centuries. Our right to hunt and fish is inherent and it deserves constitutional protection. It would be a mistake to turn a blind eye to the actions of liberal activist groups that are targeting outdoor gaming activities around the nation. This bill gives our citizens the chance to step up and protect their rights from being stolen by people who have no respect for our traditions and values.