Delta Waterfowl Opposes Ballot Initiative to Ban Hunting and Fishing in Oregon; HunteR3 Efforts Create More Hunting Opportunities Across North America Including PEI, Ontario, and Delaware

Don’t miss more Duck Production, HunteR3, and other Delta-supported efforts across the United States and Canada

United States

State/Local:

Oregon Anti-Hunting Ballot Initiative: Earlier this month Delta’s policy team submitted an official comment letter to the Oregon Secretary of State expressing our deep concerns with the language of Proposed Initiative Petition 28(IP28)—a citizen-led effort to ban all hunting and fishing in the state of Oregon through a ballot initiative. Our letter made it clear that if IP28 were to pass, it would outlaw all hunting and fishing in the state of Oregon. In fact, it would make it illegal to cause any harm to an animal, which would have effects on agriculture and pest control industries as well. The proponents of this effort have not been accurately or honestly capturing the full weight this ballot proposal will bring, and we have requested that the Secretary of State makes updates to the ballot language to reflect this.

Delaware Sunday Hunting to Governor’s Desk: On March 19, the Delaware Senate voted 20-0, with one absent, to pass House Bill 271, legislation that will finally end the antiquated prohibition against hunting game birds on Sundays in the state. Delta Waterfowl provided both written and oral testimony before both House and Senate committees prior to votes during the legislative process and were encouraged to see that not a single “NO” vote was recorded in either chamber. Delta is working with its partners to urge Governor Carney to sign this bill into law as soon as possible.

California Firearm Safety Certificate: Recently, California Senate Bill 1253 was heard in and passed through the California Senate Public Safety Committee. If passed, this legislation would require all California gun owners to complete a course and pay an additional fee to receive a firearm safety certificate to legally buy, sell, or transfer a firearm. Historically, individuals with a valid hunting license have been exempted from obtaining a safety certificate because they have gone through hunter education, which deliberately teaches firearm safety. However, this legislation removes that exemption. Delta submitted written testimony in opposition to this bill and will be working closely with our partners to help defeat it.

Kentucky Wildlife Commission Change: After receiving major pushback from the sportsmen’s community, Kentucky Senate Bill 3 has failed to pass the Kentucky House of Representatives, rendering it dead for the year. This legislation would have permanently and administratively attached the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources to the Department of Agriculture and authorized the Commissioner of Agriculture to appoint all members of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Commission.

California Firearm Registration: Delta’s policy team submitted written testimony in opposition to Senate Bill 1160, legislation that would require California gun owners to register their firearms annually and pay a tax beginning at $250 per gun. This bill also states that if for any reason an individual might lapse on their annual registration, the state could confiscate and destroy their firearms. Delta believes the intent of this bill is not public safety but is an excess tax on law-abiding sportsmen and women in the state. While we have good reason to believe this legislation is dead for this session, our team will continue to monitor it in Sacramento.

Pennsylvania Sunday Hunting Gains Life: Pennsylvania Senate Bill 67 passed out of the Senate Game and Fish Committee on March 20. This legislation would repeal the prohibition against hunting on Sundays in Pennsylvania. The bill now awaits floor time for full consideration from the Senate. Delta is continuing to work with partners in the sportsmen/women community to push for this legislation, along with similar legislation in the House.

Canada

Provincial:

Prince Edward Island, Canada, Seven-Day Hunting: After countless years of local and provincial advocacy, the possibility of seven-day hunting in Prince Edward Island could become a reality. On March 15, 2024, the Honorable Steven Myers, Minister of Environment, Energy and Climate Action introduced Bill 58—An Act to Amend the Wildlife Conservation Act—which aims to repeal the clause that prohibits hunting on Sundays. An incredible amount of effort has gone into this file, led by John Clements, Delta Waterfowl’s senior regional director for Canada and a resident of PEI. Delta staff met with Minister Myers specifically on this topic last year. We are anticipating the bill will receive a second reading shortly.

Ontario, Canada, Sunday Gun Hunting Expansion: For nearly two decades, Delta Waterfowl has been advocating for increased access to opportunity through initiatives like Sunday gun hunting. With the assistance of local waterfowl hunters, we have witnessed many municipalities approve Sunday gun hunting throughout the first few months of 2024. We are thrilled to report that the positive trend has continued and two more municipalities have passed resolutions to approve Sunday gun hunting since our last report.

Local:

Township of Amaranth, Ontario: We are happy to report that on March 20, 2024, the Township of Amaranth passed a resolution to approve Sunday gun hunting. Amaranth has a rich hunting heritage which was once again supported through strong grassroots advocacy. We applaud the council’s leadership in this most recent discussion which ultimately resulted in the approval to gun hunt on Sundays. We would also like to give a special thanks to the Delta members who strongly advocated to their councilors.

The resolution will now be forwarded to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry to receive final approval before being added to the official Sunday gun hunting map. This map will be updated next on Sept. 1, 2024.

Township of Oro-Medonte, Ontario: We are happy to report that on March 27, 2024, the Township of Oro-Medonte passed a resolution to approve Sunday gun hunting. Following years of advocacy, countless presentations, and a “never-give-up” attitude, residents of Oro-Medonte have finally been rewarded for their tireless efforts. Despite last-minute notice—and mere hours before Sunday gun hunting was to be discussed at council—Delta members and staff were able to promptly reach out to members of council to speak in favor of the initiative. Once the topic was called, there was only a short discussion before council unanimously voted in favor of approving Sunday gun hunting. The resolution will now be forwarded to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry to receive final approval before being added to the official Sunday gun hunting map, which will be updated next on Sept. 1, 2024.

Southern Ontario now boasts 194 municipalities who have passed resolutions in support of Sunday gun hunting (five municipalities in the last five months).

Delta Waterfowl continues to be a leader in advocating for additional hunting opportunities generated through this impactful initiative. To learn more about securing Sunday gun hunting in your municipality, contact Brian McRae, Delta’s director of government affairs for Canada, at bmcrae@deltawaterfowl.org. To learn more about Sunday gun hunting in Ontario, click here.

Ontario, Canada, Municipal Discharge of Firearm By-laws: Municipal discharge of firearm by-laws are one of the greatest threats to waterfowl hunters in Ontario. These by-laws seeking to restrict or prohibit shooting are rapidly becoming a common agenda item at local council meetings as more and more urban residents are relocating into traditionally rural settings and expecting their own norms to come with them.

Since our last report in March,  Delta Waterfowl has been engaged in two more discharge of firearm by-law discussions, totaling to 12 over the last year alone. For even greater context, Delta Waterfowl’s own director of government affairs in Canada has been engaged in more than 70 of these reviews throughout the last 10 or more years in Ontario. This trend is alarming and troublesome, but Delta’s active efforts have continued to knock down barriers and ultimately create access for all Ontario hunters.

Seguin Township, Ontario: In early March, Delta became aware of a discharge of firearms by-law review in Seguin Township. Staff promptly made contact with the supervisor of by-law services—the staff member tasked with completing the review. After an involved telephone conversation, we provided the township with several recommendations at their request, which included specific wording for exemptions and other areas of concern. The review is still on-going, but given our direct involvement to this point, the final product is anticipated to be considerably more hunter-friendly than when it first began. We will have more updates on this in future reports.

Municipality of Trent Hills, Ontario: In late March, Delta was notified that the Municipality of Trent Hills was in the early stages of reviewing their discharge of firearms by-law. From the information we have obtained up to this point, it would appear as though this review has started due to complaints from one individual about someone duck hunting: a.k.a. a neighbor dispute, not a public safety concern.

We have learned that there is a public meeting scheduled for May 7, 2024, in which Delta staff and chapter members will be in attendance and prepared to speak. We have also made contact with municipal staff to offer our assistance in this review, should it proceed any further than the public meeting (which at this point is questionable). More updates to come on this subject.

Delta’s extensive experience and expertise on this file continues to be a valued resource to municipalities across Ontario. To learn more about our involvement in discharge of firearm by-law reviews, or to let us know about an issue in your area, contact bmcrae@deltawaterfowl.org.