Transcript:
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
James Baumgartner: Mike, thanks so much for your time.
Mike Woods: Thank you. Happy to be here and talking about this important issue.
Baumgartner: First of all, what’s this all about? Do we really need to ban hunting of wild animals in Rhode Island? Is it even possible to hunt the big game here?
Woods: To answer that question, I want to go back in time a little bit to the legislative sessions in 2018 and 2019 when this issue came onto my radar. During those sessions, there was a focused effort to change the law in a way that would have facilitated the creation of this industry in Rhode Island. It would have basically paved the way to begin opening high-fenced hunting preserves. And that’s something that was very concerning to Backcountry Hunters and Anglers and to hunters in the area because of the negative effects that this industry has had on wildlife in other parts of the country. And so over the last six years, we have undertaken an effort to address the desire to open this industry and really to change the law in the other direction and prohibit the establishment of captive hunting facilities and the importation of wildlife for that purpose.
Baumgartner: The Preserve Sporting Club in Richmond has tried in the past to legalize big game hunting, like you said, a few years ago. Is the Preserve still interested in importing big game animals to their property? And if not, are you aware of any other organizations that have expressed that sort of interest?
Woods: I’m not aware, and obviously I don’t speak for The Preserve. I can say over the years, from time to time, their representatives were present in this conversation at the legislature. They would provide testimony and speak at hearings, but it’s been several years since they engaged, so I’m not sure what the desire on their part is. I will say that there are other groups that have supported this initiative.
Baumgartner: Why is Backcountry Hunters and Anglers so opposed to captive big game hunting in the state? Why should Rhode Islanders be concerned about this?
Woods: There are two major issues that have come up in other parts of the country where the captive hunting industry exists. The first one is the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease, which is a complicated wildlife disease similar in principle to Mad Cow Disease because it’s a prion-type disease. So it’s not bacterial or viral. It’s something that’s much more difficult to address. What we know in other parts of the country that is that animals — specifically deer that are moved around between breeding and hunting facilities — sometimes will transmit this disease to new areas. And once it’s transported, even if that transportation is into a private facility, the disease tends to move around because scavengers will get into it. It can get into groundwater and into plants. And it’s only a matter of time until wildlife are affected. So this is something, as a hunter myself and many of the hunters in Rhode Island fill their freezers each year with deer, we’re very concerned about those animals being healthy for us to subsequently consume.
The other thing that’s concerning in other parts of the country is the spread of invasive species. And I’m thinking pretty specifically about feral pigs, which are by all accounts the most damaging invasive species that we have in the country, whether that damage is to agricultural operations or to people and property. Both of these things are something, really, that we didn’t want to see the Rhode Island DEM saddled with managing. And as hunters, we were concerned with the way that they would affect the resources that we care so much about in Rhode Island, which are our wildlife.
Baumgartner: A bill that would have banned captive big game hunting was approved by the House of Representatives last year, but it died in the Senate. What makes you think that the legislation will be approved by the full legislature this time around?
Woods: During the 2024 legislative session, the Rhode Island Senate, for the first time ever, voted a bill to prohibit captive hunting out of the Senate Environment and Agriculture Committee. And they passed that bill on the Senate floor. That was back on April 9th of this year. I think that it’s taken a little while because hunting in Rhode Island isn’t something that’s as ingrained in our culture as it is in other parts of our country. It’s taken some time to educate lawmakers on the nuance of this topic, which is, even within the overall scope of hunting, the captive hunting industry is a relatively niche presence in other parts of the country. So it’s taken some time and it’s taken some effort to educate our lawmakers here — many of them aren’t as familiar with hunting — on the importance of this issue and the reason why Rhode Island should make these changes. We’ve worked hard at this for many, many years. And it’s good now to see that lawmakers have been receptive to the importance and that they’re taking action.
Baumgartner: Your organization, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, represents hunters. What do you say to folks who maybe hope to ban hunting in Rhode Island altogether?
Woods: Well, I think that hunting has a very important place in the state of Rhode Island and it’s one of the best tools that our Fish and Wildlife Agency, and really, our General Assembly, which has a constitutional duty to manage Rhode Island’s wildlife as a public trust. Hunting is one of the best tools that they have access to to uphold this obligation to keep populations in check for certain species that sometimes get into conflicts with people and with property. I’m thinking of a species like beavers that might flood out a neighborhood, or coyotes, which from time to time, will get into conflicts with hikers or bikers or dog walkers.
Hunting is one of the best tools that the state can use to manage these populations. It’s an economic driver for the state because people come here to hunt. It provides food, it provides a local and sustainable organic food that people take advantage of. And there are tens of thousands of pounds of deer meat that go into Rhode Island freezers every year. And so while I think that there’s always room to talk about the way that we hunt and the species that we hunt, I think that the concept — the broad concept — that the General Assembly especially needs to be concerned with is that hunting does have a place here and that we should continue to make the best choices both for our wildlife as well as for the hunters and the non-hunting public that enjoy this wildlife.
Baumgartner: Mike Woods, Chair of the New England Chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, thanks so much for speaking with me today.
Woods: Thank you for having me.
A public relations firm used by The Preserve Sporting Club did not respond to a request for comment prior to air time.
