Why is a constitutional right to hunt, fish and harvest wildlife needed in South Carolina?
Anti-hunting organizations such as the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) have an annual budget of over $120 million. Their declared objective is to end all consumptive sporting practices. They have succeeded in enacting hunting bans in states considered to be sportsmen strongholds. For instance, three years ago in Michigan, a state with a million hunters, HSUS banned the hunting of doves, the most commonly hunted game bird in America. It’s only a matter of time before these anti-hunting activists set their sights on the sportsmen of South Carolina. It is not prudent to wait until a crisis to pursue a constitutional amendment. By then, it will be too late. How many other states recognize hunting, fishing and harvesting wildlife as a right? Ten states recognize hunting and fishing as a right. Vermont, with a provision dating back to 1777, has the longest recognized constitutional right. The other states are Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Virginia
