Adding Right to Hunt in Constitution

The Sierra Club supports hunting, fishing, and trapping, but we do not believe there should be a constitutional amendment giving Iowans the right to hunt, fish, trap, and harvest wildlife. 

There is no reason to put the right to hunt in Iowa's constitution.  Nobody is taking away anyone's right to hunt, fish, trap, or harvest wildlife. 

Our concerns are on page 1, lines 13 to 15.  It states that public hunting, fishing, trapping, and harvesting of wildlife is the preferred means of hunting, fishing, trapping, and harvesting wildlife.  The interpretation of this section could cause problems.

• If there is an endangered or threatened species, then the preferred means should be some other method than hunting, fishing, trapping, or harvesting the wildlife.

• There are already statutes that deal with depredation problems caused by wildlife.  So, that problem is already dealt with and does not need to be part of the constitution as suggested on lines 13 to 15.

• This will result in reducing the ability of the Department of Natural Resources in dealing with conflicts in a non-lethal way.

• We want to ensure that the DNR has authority to protect endangered and threatened species.

• We want to ensure that the DNR has the authority to set reasonable quotas on species so that they can sustain a harvest.

• We want to ensure that the DNR has the ability to close a season if populations are low or cannot sustain a harvest.

• We want to ensure that some public land should be off-limits to hunting, fishing, trapping, and harvesting of wildlife.  That includes state parks.  It also includes county parks and city parks.

We are concerned that this constitutional amendment will result in a free-for-all where people are demanding their rights and the DNR becomes unable to manage the wildlife in Iowa.

We urge a NO vote on SJR7.