North Dakota
MDF Projects
High-Fenced Hunting Survey
The Northern Badlands Chapter of the MDF is a member of the Conservation Coalition, which is made up of multiple sportsmen's and conservation groups across the state. The Coalition was formed in 2006 in order to get as many of the sportsmen's and conservation groups together to have an informed opinion on issues facing our wildlife populations, along with having a more powerful voice legislatively.
The NDWF’s Conservation Coalition first major undertaking was to randomly sample 600 North Dakota residents to find out their opinion on high-fenced hunting. This survey gave the Conservation Coalition a good idea of the general opinion of the public concerning the issue of high-fenced hunting operations. The survey data was examined, and the general opinion of the public (about 80%) was that high-fenced hunting in North Dakota should be outlawed. Action can be taken by the Coalition to pursue legislative action, which failed in 2007.
Out of this scenario, several North Dakota sportsmen came together to form the North Dakota Hunters For Fair Chase. This group began circulating petitions to gather signatures on an initiated measure. If the proper amount of signatures were gathered, the issue would be put to a vote on a statewide voting ballot to make these operations illegal. However, due to some errors made by a few collecting signatures, some of the petitions were considered null and void by the Secretary of State’s office in ND. The MDF supported this endeavor by being one of the few natioanl organizations to draft a letter of support and allow members of the Fair Chase Committee to gather signatures at the North Dakota fundraising events in 2008. Click on the following links to see the letter of support and also the official position of the MDF on game farms.
If game farms or high-fenced hunting operations are outlawed in the future, then the integrity of sportsmen and of the animals being hunted will remain intact. The Mule Deer Foundation is a supporter of the North American Model of Wildlife Management, which states that wildlife is held in trust by the people, not by individuals for financial gain. The Northern Badlands chapter of the MDF is taking a proactive approach to maintain high ethical standards in North Dakota when it comes to the taking of animals for sport and sustenance.