Delta Waterfowl Applauds Farm Bill Progress, Continues Fight Against Bills That Would Negatively Impact Hunters in Colorado and California

Vigorous Duck Production, HunteR3, and other Delta-supported efforts continue across the United States and Canada

United States

Federal:

Farm Bill Moving: The legislative process toward delivering a new Farm Bill in the United States ramped up recently as Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Michigan, chair of the U.S. Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee, and Rep. Glenn “G.T.” Thompson, R-Pennsylvania, chair of the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture, rolled out their respective initial overviews of the Farm Bill.

“This step is important progress to ensure America’s producers have the safety net needed while also investing in the voluntary, incentive-based conservation programs that are so crucial for the future of ducks and duck hunters,” said John Devney, chief policy officer for Delta Waterfowl.

State:

California Firearm Safety Certificates: Delta’s policy team continues to keep a watchful eye on Senate Bill 1253, which was heard and passed out of the California Senate Public Safety Committee last month. Currently, under California law, if an individual wants to buy, sell, or transfer a firearm, they must possess either a hunting license or a firearm safety certificate. The current language of SB 1253 is vague and will have the unintentional effect of forcing Californians with hunting licenses to also acquire a firearm safety certificate.

The professional committee staff for the Senate Public Safety Committee cited our concerns with the language of the bill in a briefing memo for legislators saying, in part:

“The Delta Waterfowl Foundation, which opposes this bill, points out that individuals seeking to obtain a hunting license must already undergo a firearm usage and safety course, and that this bill mandates a duplicative process for an FSC. The author and committee may wish to consider amending the bill to exempt hunting license holders and clarify what is required in an FSC renewal.”

Delta staff recently met and had productive conversations with Senator Gonzalez’s office as well to express our concerns over the bill language. We will continue to monitor this legislation as it works its way through the Appropriations Committee.

Pennsylvania Sunday Hunting Votes Pending: The Pennsylvania legislature is keying up two important votes on efforts to lift the prohibition on hunting on Sundays within the state. Senate Bill 67, which passed out of the Senate Game and Fisheries Committee last month, is primed for floor consideration in the Senate. On the House side, HB 2106 is scheduled for vote in the House Game and Fisheries Committee on May 22. Delta is encouraging members and duck hunters in Pennsylvania to reach out to their legislators through our Duck Hunters Action Alert System to urge them to support both of these bills.

California Navigable Waters: The Delta policy team met with California Senator Cortese’s office to discuss SB 1226—a great bill to which Delta is giving full support. Currently under California law, if a river or a refuge is flooded beyond the normal boundaries, you must stay within the marked boundaries to hunt. Upon passage, this legislation would allow duck hunters to access these flooded areas to hunt as long as they are not trespassing on private property. This bill is the new version of AB 859, which was vetoed by Governor Newsom late last year, citing potential issues with hunting in shipping lanes. Delta believes that these concerns have been resolved and will continue to work with Senator Cortese’s office on bill amendments to ensure that this new version has the best possible chance of becoming law.

Colorado Firearm & Ammo Tax: Late last month, our policy team issued two action alerts to our Colorado members warning them of HB 24 -1349. If passed, this legislation will add an additional 9% tax to the purchase of firearms and ammunition in the state. Colorado legislators modeled this legislation based on a California bill that was modeled after the taxes collected through Pittman-Robertson, but, instead of funding on-the-ground conservation work regarding our natural resources in the state, it goes towards funding gun violence prevention on the backs of law-abiding hunters and gun owners. This legislation could drive up the costs of ammo, reduce their sales, and, potentially, reduce the conservation funding which benefits all Colorado residents.

Unfortunately, this bill has already passed the Colorado House and is working its way through the Senate. If the bill does pass, it will be placed on the ballot and voted on by Coloradans during the general election in November. Click here to help make your voice heard!

Canada

Provincial:

Prince Edward Island, Canada, Seven-Day Hunting Approved: On Tuesday, April 23, 2024, the Prince Edward Island Legislative Assembly passed Bill 58, repealing a longstanding ban on Sunday hunting. Over the last several years, Delta Waterfowl has led efforts to have the Wildlife Conservation Act amended to remove a clause that prohibited hunting on Sunday. Led by Delta senior regional director and resident of PEI, John Clements, Delta invested an incredible amount of time and effort into making this dream a reality. This decision doubled weekend waterfowl hunting opportunities for islanders, who will gain an extra 18 days to hunt ducks and geese this fall. Following the decision, Delta issued a press release applauding the provincial government for the steps taken to remove the antiquated prohibition. With the approval of seven-day hunting in PEI, every jurisdiction in Canada now has provisions for hunting on a Sunday.

Atlantic Canada, Atlantic Migratory Game Bird Technical Committee Meetings: Delta staff recently traveled to Sackville, New Brunswick, to participate in the bi-annual Atlantic Migratory Game Bird Technical Committee meeting. The two-day meeting was packed with updates on topics, including highly pathogenic avian influenza, common eider satellite telemetry study, north atlantic population migration assessment study, murre harvest human dimensions study, and the CWS work plan for assessments to banding operations in 2024.

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 (bow hunting has always been permitted on Sundays throughout the province). With the assistance of local duck and goose hunters, we have been successful in expanding the initiative in several municipalities over the last six months, not including another area now considering the opportunity. In case you missed our last report, there are already four more municipalities on the list to be added to the Sunday gun hunting map scheduled to be updated on Sept. 1, including the Township of Scugog, the Town of Minto, the Township of Amaranth and the Township of Oro-Medonte.

Local:

Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada: As mentioned in the March report, Haldimand County has now moved forward with consultation efforts on the possibility of permitting Sunday gun hunting. On April 16, 2024, the County announced via their website that they are gathering information and input to consider permitting Sunday gun hunting during the gun hunting season, pursuant to the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act. Feedback regarding this matter can be submitted to bylaw@haldimandcounty.on.ca and is being accepted until May 30, 2024. Delta Waterfowl has already contacted the county and plans to speak on the initiative when it comes to council.

Delta Waterfowl continues to be a leader in advocating for additional hunting opportunities generated through this important initiative. To learn more about securing Sunday gun hunting in your municipality, contact Delta’s director of Canadian affairs, Brian McRae, 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 among the greatest threats to waterfowl hunters in Ontario. By-laws seeking to restrict or prohibit shooting are quickly becoming a common agenda item at local council meetings as more and more urban residents are relocating into traditional rural settings and expecting their norms to come with them. Since the April report, Delta has been engaged in two reviews; one new and one initially reported last month. We’ve also been keeping a pulse on all of the other reviews that have been lingering over the past several months.

Town of Caledon, Ontario, Canada: Last month, the Town of Caledon announced that they would be bringing forward and discussing proposed amendments to their discharge of firearms by-law at a General Committee meeting scheduled for Tuesday May 7, 2024. With quick intervention and strong support and action by local Delta Waterfowl members, chapters, and the broader hunting, trapping, and recreational shooting community, Delta was successful in getting the meeting postponed. We were contacted at the end of April by the Town to inform us that, due to a considerable amount of correspondence received, the decision was made to pull the discussion from the originally scheduled meeting and slow the process down. Our staff shared our organization’s experience in working on these reviews and reiterated our desire to assist should this matter be discussed in the future. For now, the topic has been stalled.

Municipality of Trent Hills, Ontario, Canada: As reported last month, the Municipality of Trent Hills is moving forward with their public meeting scheduled for Tuesday, May 7, 2024, to gain feedback from residents on whether or not there is support to revise their discharge of firearms by-law. This meeting has garnered a considerable amount of attention, and we expect a large crowd to be on hand to have their voices heard. This review has little to do with public safety, but is rather an attempt to further restrict legal hunting activities. Complaints have come from only one individual. Delta staff spoke at this meeting, and we will have more information in our next report.

Delta’s extensive experience and expertise on this issue 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.