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Baiting Bill Limiting North Dakota Game and Fish Policy Passes State Senate

By Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor Jan 30, 2025 | 7:20 AM

(Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)

 

(Michael Achterling – North Dakota Monitor) – A bill preventing policies that would limit the use of baiting for big game animals on private property passed the Senate floor on a 31-15 vote.

Senate Bill 2137 would prohibit the North Dakota Department of Game and Fish from creating rules and policies on using bait for wildlife. The bill, similar to a proposal that failed in 2023, attracted a packed crowd to a Jan. 17 committee hearing and submitted testimony from nearly 200 people.

Charlie Bahnson, wildlife veterinarian for Game and Fish, stated the department wanted the ability to restrict baiting as a means to control chronic wasting disease in deer and other diseases that could affect wildlife and livestock, according to written testimony.

Sen. Randy Lemm, R-Hillsboro, told fellow senators that he disagrees with the Game and Fish Department’s theory that CWD can be spread through deer congregating around a bait station. He also said the disease can live for long periods of time in the soil with an incubation period between 17 months to four years. The average lifespan

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