High-fenced hunting bill goes to Pence for his signature

The Indiana House voted 61-35 Monday to pass Senate Bill 109 – legislation imposing modest regulations on captive hunting in the state.

The bill is the culmination of a 10-year legal battle waged over these facilities, ending when the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled last year that the Indiana Department of Natural Resources didn’t have statutory authority to regulate privately owned deer. The Indiana Supreme Court allowed the decision to stand in June, which left the practice unregulated.

House members last week turned back an amendment that would have banned the practice altogether.

The bill transfers all authority regulating hunting preserves to the Indiana Board of Animal Health – even the hunting aspects of the industry.

Wildlife and hunting groups continue to oppose the bill, which treats farm-raised deer as livestock.