Legislation aims to preserve hunting

There is also a move to protect hunting rights on public lands, which is, again, an effort to preserve hunting rights here in the United States.

In Mississippi, a bill was introduced that would require the state wildlife agency to open lands to hunting, and should an area be closed, "compensatory huntable land" must then be opened.

In West Virginia, a bill has been introduced that would require the state wildlife agency to manage public lands so there is "no loss of huntable acreage" and to open comparable lands should an area be closed.

Illinois passed similar legislation in 2004, and Arkansas, Georgia and Maryland passed similar laws in 2005. Florida, Oregon and Pennsylvania have introduced legislation derived from the same concept.

All of this, of course, is an effort to allow hunters to continue to hunt on public lands, and to recognize that hunting is, without question, the most successful wildlife management tool available.

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