Munsterlndr
06-17-2008, 04:55 PM
House Bill 5741 was adopted by the House Tourism, Outdoor Recreation and Natural Resources Committee today with an overwhelming majority of the committee members in support of the bill. An H-2 version of the bill was adopted allowing crossbow use in any season and for any game in which a compound bow may be used. This version would give Michigan hunters the same rights as hunters in neighboring Ohio and Ontario.
This is the first step of the process. Now we need your support as this bill comes before the full House for a vote. It is very important that you e-mail your own state representative immediately requesting his or her support for the bill "as it was approved by the committee". Stress that this version allows for full inclusion of crossbows. You can find your local state representative at: http://house.michigan.gov/find_a_rep.asp
Feel free to use the letter below after modifying it with your name and address and the name of your Representative. You may want to make other points in your e-mail, as well. Please contact them today!
.................................................. ................
Dear Representative ____________
I am writing to urge your support HB5741 H2- a bill introduced by Representative Sheltrown that would provide for the full inclusion of crossbows during any of Michigan’s hunting seasons that currently allow the use of a bow as a legal weapon.
There is clear and compelling evidence, from a number of other states, that the expansion of the use of crossbows offers significant positive benefits for the State of Michigan, from a hunter recruitment and retention standpoint, from a fiscal standpoint and from a resource management standpoint.
For some time, Michigan has been steadily losing hunters and the related revenue that hunting creates. In the last decade, bow hunter numbers have dropped by 22% or over 80,000 hunters. The DNR depends on hunters to accomplish their management goals and declining numbers of hunters complicates this task. Fewer hunters also reduce the amount of revenue generated for the State and for the DNR. Allowing the full inclusion of crossbows during archery seasons will help to reverse the trend of declining hunter numbers, with a number of ancillary benefits and without any negative impact on the resource.
As evidenced in both Ohio and a in a number of other states,as well as in our neighbor Ontario, the inclusion of crossbows in archery season will give us the opportunity to increase hunter participation, increase tourism, create new revenue streams and contribute to the responsible management of one of Michigan's most important public resources. I strongly urge you to support Representative Sheltrown’s crossbow bill (HB 5741 H-2) and allow Michigan’s hunters a choice when choosing which type of bow to use during Michigan’s archery seasons.
Sincerely yours,
Your name
Address
City, State, Zip
This is the first step of the process. Now we need your support as this bill comes before the full House for a vote. It is very important that you e-mail your own state representative immediately requesting his or her support for the bill "as it was approved by the committee". Stress that this version allows for full inclusion of crossbows. You can find your local state representative at: http://house.michigan.gov/find_a_rep.asp
Feel free to use the letter below after modifying it with your name and address and the name of your Representative. You may want to make other points in your e-mail, as well. Please contact them today!
.................................................. ................
Dear Representative ____________
I am writing to urge your support HB5741 H2- a bill introduced by Representative Sheltrown that would provide for the full inclusion of crossbows during any of Michigan’s hunting seasons that currently allow the use of a bow as a legal weapon.
There is clear and compelling evidence, from a number of other states, that the expansion of the use of crossbows offers significant positive benefits for the State of Michigan, from a hunter recruitment and retention standpoint, from a fiscal standpoint and from a resource management standpoint.
For some time, Michigan has been steadily losing hunters and the related revenue that hunting creates. In the last decade, bow hunter numbers have dropped by 22% or over 80,000 hunters. The DNR depends on hunters to accomplish their management goals and declining numbers of hunters complicates this task. Fewer hunters also reduce the amount of revenue generated for the State and for the DNR. Allowing the full inclusion of crossbows during archery seasons will help to reverse the trend of declining hunter numbers, with a number of ancillary benefits and without any negative impact on the resource.
As evidenced in both Ohio and a in a number of other states,as well as in our neighbor Ontario, the inclusion of crossbows in archery season will give us the opportunity to increase hunter participation, increase tourism, create new revenue streams and contribute to the responsible management of one of Michigan's most important public resources. I strongly urge you to support Representative Sheltrown’s crossbow bill (HB 5741 H-2) and allow Michigan’s hunters a choice when choosing which type of bow to use during Michigan’s archery seasons.
Sincerely yours,
Your name
Address
City, State, Zip