High-Fenced Deer Hunting Opponents Pushing For Changes To Legislation

INDIANAPOLIS -- Legislation imposing rules and restrictions on Indiana’s high-fenced deer hunting facilities looks likely to pass through the House. But, industry opponents are still lobbying for stricter language.

Environmental and conservation organizations have long opposed high-fenced deer hunting, an industry left unregulated by the courts last year.  The likelihood of the General Assembly banning the industry outright this session is essentially zero, but the opposition groups hope to strengthen proposed rules and restrictions.

One of those rules being targeted is fence height. The bill mandates a single fence of at least eight feet.  Erin Huang of the Humane Society of the United States says that’s not enough.

“A single eight-foot fence is not high enough to keep wild deer out and captive deer in," Huang said. "We know that you can spread chronic wasting disease through nose-to-nose transmission at the fence line.”

But deer farmer Gary Jacobsen, who heads a group advocating for the industry, says he’s had experience using an eight-foot fence.

“It was a wild deer from the outside trying to get in and repeatedly jumping at the eight-foot fence – couldn’t get in,” Jacobsen said.

High-fenced hunting opponents also want to raise the facility license fees. The bill currently sets those at $300.  The House sponsor of the bill proposed a $2,000 fee in last year’s version, and says he’ll consider raising the amount in this year’s bill.