Last week, HB 509 (related to deer breeders) was introduced by Rep. Jeff Sorrells of Hartford. This bill should be disturbing to all ethical sportsmen, hunters and citizens in Alabama.

Alabamians have a constitutional right to hunt and fish in this state. HB 509 would jeopardize that right. The deer breeder legislation would declare that deer within a breeder facility are personal property of the owner, like pets. Deer breeders then place those pet deer in small pens or fences and they could be shot by individuals for a large fee paid to the breeder. This practice is neither ethical nor sporting and tarnishes the reputation and traditional hunting methods shared by hunters and sportsmen alike.

The legislation also limits the ability of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to adequately inspect these facilities and test for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) or other diseases. Most concerning, the legislation would allow the reckless transfer of diseased deer by deer breeders to any facility, property or person anywhere in the state. This would drastically increase the risk of the spread of CWD or other diseases to all parts of Alabama and threatens the $2 billion economic impact traditional hunting provides for the businesses of our state, especially in the rural areas. This is totally unacceptable.

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is strongly opposed to this legislation. The reckless disregard in this legislation for the rights of deer hunters, the citizens of Alabama, the economic impact of hunting and the deer population is disturbing and unfathomable. The legislation is assigned to the House Agriculture and Forestry Committee. Contact information for House Agriculture and Forestry committee members is provided below.

House Agriculture and Forestry Committee contact information

Alisha Glover, Clerk

Email: alisha.glover@alhouse.gov

Phone: (334) 261-0450

Danny Crawford, Chairman

Email: danny.crawford@alhouse.gov

Statehouse phone: (334) 261-0516

District phone: (256) 871-1944

Steve Hurst, Vice Chairman

Email: steve.hurst@alhouse.gov

Statehouse phone: (334) 261-0415

District phone: (334) 280-3276

For a complete list of committee members, go to https://alison.legislature.state.al.us/committees-house-standing-current and select Agriculture and Forestry Committee.

Chris Blankenship was appointed as the commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources by Gov. Kay Ivey on Aug. 11, 2017, after serving as acting conservation commissioner since June 1, 2017. He most recently served as the deputy commissioner and as director of DCNR Marine Resources Division from 2011 to 2017. He has worked at the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources since 1994 when he was hired as a conservation enforcement officer.