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 Home > Outdoor news > You are here: Anti's file suit to stop Massachusetts pheasant hunt Anti's file suit to stop Massachusetts pheasant hunt (10/8/2002) At a hearing held today in the U.S. District
court in Boston, several of the nation’s largest anti-hunting groups
demanded an end to pheasant hunting at the Cape Cod National Seashore.
The U. S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation has filed a motion to
intervene to ensure sportsmen are directly represented in the court. The potential implications of the lawsuit go far
beyond the state of Massachusetts and pheasant hunting and could impact
hunting and wildlife management for an array of species nationwide. The anti-hunters claim that release and hunting of pheasants is endangering habitat for various species at Cape Cod and is endangering non-hunters. The suit also claims that pheasants are exotic animals and should not be stocked. Sportsmen and federal and state agencies dispute
these claims. “Pheasant hunting has been taking place at Cape
Cod National Seashore since 1914 with the blessing of the National Park
Service and the Massachusetts Fish and Wildlife Division without any
accidents to hunters or non-hunters,” said Bud Pidgeon, president of
the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation.
“This is just another attempt by anti-hunters to force their
political views onto others.” The anti-hunters have singled out pheasants because they aren’t native to the United States. What they don’t say is that pheasants were introduced in the United States over 120 years ago (1881). Pheasant hunting occurs in 39 states and six Canadian provinces. It is also the South Dakota state bird. “Using their reasoning, we should stop fishing for brown trout and carp, which are not native to the United States,” added Pidgeon. “We should also stop hunting boars in Tennessee, ruffed grouse in Colorado and feral sheep in California, as all of these are not native. That logic is simply irrational.” The thought that pheasant hunting endangers
certain species of plants is also a stretch to Pidgeon. “All forms of hunting or other wildlife
oriented activities such as bird watching and hiking and even just
taking a walk on the beach could be considered harmful, too,” he said. Joining the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance as
defendant interveners are the Massachusetts Sportsmen’s Council Inc.,
Barnstable League of Sportsmen’s Clubs and sportsman Michael Veloza of
Manomet, Massachusetts. The anti-hunting plaintiffs include the Humane Society of the United States, the Fund for Animals and the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Several individual anti-hunters are among the plaintiffs. The judge is expected to rule on the restraining order later this week. CopyrightÓ U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance- www.ussportsmen.org
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