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law that, when applied without good judgment, makes criminals out 

 of honest people. 



In summary, I wish to go on record in support of regulations that 

 protect our precious natural resources. However, I believe such 

 regulations should be based on common sense and science. I am 

 not aware of any scientific report demonstrating that mowing 

 moist-soil plants creates an attraction to waterfowl similar to 

 the attraction created by the concentrated dumping of grain. We 

 compared duck hunter success rates on 13 Illinois public hunting 

 areas over the 10 year period from 1983 to 1992. At one set of 

 those sites hunters mowed around their blinds, while at the 

 others they typically did not. We found no difference in the 

 number of ducks harvested per hunter trip between these two 

 groups of sites. 



I also believe that regulations designed to protect natural 

 resources should not create barriers to responsible and voluntary 

 stewardship of those resources. Today's federal waterfowl 

 baiting regulations do not meet these criteria. 



I again wish to thank this Committee for devoting valuable time 

 to consideration of this issue. I can assure you that it is an 

 issue of importance to many people in this nation. I can 

 conclude no better than did John P. Rogers of the U.S. Fieh and 

 Wildlife Service in his presentation at Ducks Unlimited' s 

 International Waterfowl Symposium in 1981 -- 15 years ago-- 

 entitled "Waterfowl Baiting Regulations -- A Government View." T 

 quote , 



"We believe firmly that as with most waterfowl 

 management questions, decisions about this should be 

 made in full consultation with the other management 

 agencies involved, with adequate opportunity for public 

 review and comment by all interested persons, and in 

 full consideration of what is best for the resource and 

 for waterfowl hunting." 



Thank you . 



