Wisconsin state Rep. Scott Suder drew the wrath of animal rights activists for introducing a bill that would allow hunting dogs to be trained with captive bobcats, coyotes, and foxes. Currently Wisconsin allows hound owners to train their dogs with live captive rabbits, raccoons, and black bears.
Cynthia Lott of the Alliance for Animals told The Capital Times that the proposal was little more than a canned hunt bill,
This legislation is almost like ‘canned hunting’ under the pretense of dog training. It’s really inhumane.
She was joined in that opinion by retired chief of special operations for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Tom Solin, who wrote a letter saying,
Allowing the use of captive coyote, fox and bobcats to train hound dogs is brutal and far below the high standards we set in Wisconsin to ensure captive wild animals are treated humanely.
For his part, Suder told The Capital Times that this bill simply restored rights that hound owners possessed until the legislature passed the Captive Wildlife Bill in 2002. Suder told The Capital Times,
There was a mistake in the bill. The ability to train with those types of animals was left out. I am trying to restore it. I am not expanding.
State Rep. DuWayne Johnsrud, who was involved in the development of Wisconsin’s Captive Wildlife Bill, says that is not true, and since he chairs the committee through which Suder’s bill would have to pass before being considered by the legislature, it is unlikely to receive serious attention anytime soon.
The full text of Suder’s proposed legislation can be read here.
Source
‘Canned hunting’ bill vexes opponents. Anita Weir, The Capital Times (Wisconsin), April 4, 2003.