To Bait or Not to Bait
Should the state of Tennessee follow suit with Alabama and legalize Deer Baiting?
Recently the state of Alabama passed legislation sponsored by Senator Jack Williams that allows hunters on privately owned or leased land to purchase a bait privilege license that makes it legal to hunt feral pigs(year around) and white-tail deer (during deer season) with the aid of bait. The Senator is quoted as saying “ this is not a requirement, It’s a tool that people can use if that’s what they prefer, Anyone who is totally opposed to that type of hunting can hunt the way they always have, it’s just an option.
The new license is $15 for resident hunters and $51 for non-residents. The license can be bought anywhere that sales hunting license.
The bail license applies to anyone who hunts those species with the aid of bait. That means hunters 65 or older and hunters under 16 must have a valid bait license when hunting with the aid of bait, and each hunter must have their own individual bait privilege license. That includes property owners and lifetime license holders. Bailing on public lands is prohibited. Included in the law is a provision that the Alabama Department of Conservation can suspend the use of bait to an area on the basis to prevent the spread of disease like CWD.
Revenue from the bait privilege license will be eligible for federal matching funds to support conservation efforts in the state. The revenue will be determined in part by the number of licenses sold. Alabama joins 12 other states that allow some type of baiting.