YES on I-655

<BODY> <center><p><b><font SIZE=+2>QUAFCO Supports I-655 to Ban Unsporting and Inhumane Trophy Hunting Practices </font></b></p></center> <p>Washington is one of the few states in the west to allow both bear baiting and hound hunting. But these practices may soon be outlawed by a widely supported state initiative. </p> <p>Volunteers throughout Washington gathered over 228,000 signatures to qualify I-655 for the 1996 November ballot. The initiative -- the only one to qualify with an all-volunteer signature-gathering campaign -- would ban bear baiting and the hound hunting of black bears, cougars, and bobcats. Conservationists, wildlife advocates, and hunters are urging citizens to vote "Yes" on I-655 to ban the unsporting and inhumane practices of baiting and hounding. </p> <p>Washington is one of a dwindling number of states to allow the unsporting practice of bear baiting. Bear baiting allows hunters to set out piles of smelly foods - animal carcasses, grease, fruit and honey are all legal bait - to lure bears, accustom them to feeding at bait piles, and then shoot the animals while they eat. </p> <p>In addition to being unsporting, baiting creates wildlife management problems. Black bears who feed on bait piles become accustomed to human scents and foods and are more likely to raid campgrounds or roam into rural communities. In short, baiting creates nuisance animals. </p> <p>I-655 would also ban hound hunting. Hound hunters use packs of dogs often fitted with high-tech radio collars to chase and "tree" black bears, cougars, or bobcats. The hunter then follows the radio signal to the animal, then shoots the bear, cougar, or bobcat from the tree. There is absolutely no sport in shooting a bear or lion trapped in a tree. </p> <p>Baiting and hounding are preferred hunting practices for commercial guides and outfitters. These commercial hunters will offer a "guaranteed kill" opportunity for their clients, securing for them the opportunity to kill a trophy bear or cougar for thousands of dollars. I-655 does not ban the hunting of black bears, cougars, or bobcats. It simply bans methods of trophy hunting that are unfair and unnecessary. Other states, such as Montana and Colorado, ban bear baiting and hounding and maintain successful bear hunting programs. In fact, voters in Colorado and Oregon have approved initiatives similar to I-655 in recent elections. </p> <p>I-655 does provide exceptions to deal with individual black bears and cougars that might pose a threat to livestock or public safety. The initiative allows for the use of dogs by state and federal damage control agents to eliminate individual animals should that control method be necessary. </p> <p>Already, more than 75 groups have endorsed I-655, including 15 Audubon chapters throughout Washington state, the Sierra Club - Cascade Chapter, Northwest Ecosystem Alliance, Washington Conservation Voters, and the Mountaineers. The Olympian stated, "Clearly the use of bear baiting and hounds to hunt game animals is unfair, unsporting and inhumane. It should be outlawed." The "Yes on I-655 Campaign" needs help building support for the initiative throughout Washington. Your monetary and volunteer help is needed to win this important ballot initiative to ensure that Washington's black bears, cougars, and bobcats are no longer subjected to these archaic hunting practices. We urge you to vote Yes on 655. </p> <p>"Yes on I-655 Campaign" 2319 N 45th St. #203 Seattle, WA 98103 Tel: (206) 633-3435 Fax: (206) 633-3488 E-mail: <a href="mailto:washwild@aol.com">washwild@aol.com</a> </p> <p><p> <p><center><font SIZE=+2><b>What the Press Has to Say About I-655</b></font></center></p> <p><b>The Olympian, 2/11/96</b></p><p> "We're willing to bet that most true sportsmen find this form of wildlife tracking abhorrent." </p> <p><b>The Spokesman-Review, 4/9/96</b></p><p> "Sportsmen's groups hurt only themselves by backing the brutal practices of hunting bear with bait and dogs. With bait, dogs, it isn't hunting. There are more unsportsmanlike ways to kill bears than by using bait and dogs. You could shoot them while they're caged in a zoo. But, of course, that's illegal." </p> <p>"...hunters' groups that embrace these practices, for whatever reason, mystify non-hunters. The public becomes suspicious and turned off by groups that support something that's so obviously wrong." </p> <p><b>The Seattle Times, 7/2/96 Headline</b></p><p> "No 'bounty hunters' used to collect for bear initiative." </p> <p><b>The Seattle Times, 7/2/96</b></p><p> "every other recent initiative, including term limits, 'three strikes, you're out' and slot machines for Indian casinos, made the ballot by paying workers anywhere from 40 cents to $1 for each signature gathered." </p> <p><b>Seattle Post Intelligencer, 7/2/96</b></p><p> "...the bear baiting initiative will likely face tough opposition with a group calling itself 'PAWS Off Washington,' organized and bankrolled by hunters, gun rights activists and hound councils around the state." </p> <a href="index.htm">QUAFCO home page</a> </BODY>