189 



CAROLINA 



y^WF^/T^/RE 



HUNTING • FISHING • BOATING 



Congressman Don Young, Chairman 5/21/96 



Resources Committee 



U.S. House of Representatives 



1324 Longworth House Office Building 



Washington, DC 20515 



Dear Congressman Young: 



I'd like to add my comments to the hearings on the 

 Migratory Bird Baiting Regulations and the hearings that 

 were held on May 15, 1996. 



I am a wildlife biologist, freelance outdoor writer and 

 editor of a hunting and fishing magazine (Carolina 

 Adventure). I have worked for many years in the wildlife 

 management field as a biologist, deputy game warden and 

 as a writer. 



I'd also like to say that I have never been charged with 

 any game law violation especially a baiting violation. I'm 

 saying this so that I will not be accused of "sour grapes." 



! feel very strongly that the existing migratory 

 bird baiting laws are wrong. I realize that they were 

 supposedly set up to protect the resource (migratory 

 birds) and are covered under treaty but— at whose 

 expense. 



The baiting laws are the only laws I know of where a 

 perfectly innocent person can get into trouble no matter 

 how hard he tries to stay legal. The federal regulations are 

 written so loosely that the interpretation of the law is left 

 entirely up to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's 



P.O. Box 191, 215 South McDowell Street, Raleigh, North Carolina 27602 

 (919) 829-8909 ToU Free 1-800-849-2747 FAX (919) 829-4824 



