52 



walked over to the fence and looked at it, then, I probably would 

 cite you, sir. 



The Chairman. What right have I got to go on the other person's 

 property? 



Mr. Streeter. You can go to the edge of the property and check 

 it. If those birds were piling into that field 



The Chairman. Wait a minute; I am handicapped; I cannot see. 

 Now, what do you do? Do you still cite me? That is why we are 

 going to change the law. 



Mr. Streeter. Sir, I think you should not be hunting if you can- 

 not see. 



The Chairman. Well, the truth of the matter is that that is why 

 you are against the handicapped, then. 



Mr. Streeter. If you cannot see, that is a safety issue. 



The Chairman. That is not a safety issue. I hunt with my ears, 

 and I am very good with my ears. I can hear baloney, you know. 



Mr. Streeter. Yes, sir; I will stay out of the bushes. 



The Chairman. Right; very good. 



We have a vote on. 



[Recess.] 



Mr. Hansen, [presiding] The Committee will come to order. Mr. 

 Young is temporarily delayed and asked me to chair the meeting 

 until he shows up, and I understand that we have the Fish and 

 Wildlife Service in front of us. I am sorry I missed out on the testi- 

 mony, but I have got an Armed Services bill going on on the Floor, 

 which is very important to me as an old senior member of the 

 Armed Services Committee. 



I understand the distinguished gentleman from Minnesota, the 

 past chairman of the subcommittee is with us, and he wants to 

 speak. 



Mr. Vento. Yes; I am pleased to be here with the long-serving 

 senior member of the Armed Services Committee but mighty 

 young. Or is it the other guy's name that is Young. I get confused, 

 Mr. Chairman. 



Mr. Hansen. That is true. Do not confuse us. 



Mr. Vento. Anyway, I had had the testimony. I regret I was not 

 here for the formal testimony. I do not know if Mr. Halcomb and 

 Mr. Oliveros had, in fact, offered any testimony. Did you offer any 

 oral testimony or written testimony? 



Mr. Oliveros. Yes, I did. 



Mr. Vento. OK; I am sorry that I had not seen it. 



But my concern would be here, Mr. Streeter, does the Fish and 

 Wildlife Service have any cause for action against the landowner 

 that in fact permitted hunting on the land? Obviously, the viola- 

 tions occurred. People may disagree, but, I mean, they did not con- 

 test it, so I have no way of knowing whether sufficient evidence 

 was there. 



Mr. Streeter. Yes, sir, Mr. Vento. The Service takes the position 

 that the hunter is the responsible party; the landowner may be an 

 absentee landowner thousands of miles away. He has no idea of 

 what is happening on the property. It would be very difficult to 

 hold them responsible. So, therefore, the hunter is the one who is 

 in the field and should be responsible. 



