How to change HoCo hunting safety zones

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  • lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    I thought I’d throw it out there. Anyone have a good idea on how to get the HoCo archery safety zones reduced? I bow hunt and I have enough neighbors okay with it I can hunt some of my property. I can’t help thinking of the future though where I might get a new neighbor who is hostile to hunting and suddenly I can’t hunt part of my property.

    I assume write letters and/or emails to the Howard County delegates and state senators asking for the change. I’d propose following MoCo’s new archery safety zone language.

    Any other ideas or know how MoCo pushed the change?

    Anyone want to join in and try to get the change through? I’ve thought it over for a couple of years now and just never got off my butt to do it, but I want to start now before we get in to the legislative session.
     

    SummitCnty

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 26, 2013
    2,223
    Frederick County
    Your delegate has to introduce it as a bill I believe then it has to go through all of the committees and then be voted on. Not sure if the exact process but that is the general idea. Phone calls or letters to find a delegate to introduce it is the first step.
     
    Last edited:

    marko

    Banned
    BANNED!!!
    Jan 28, 2009
    7,048
    I’d propose following MoCo’s new archery safety zone language.

    Surprised MoCO did anything well. Care to share the cliff notes on that? Thanks.
     

    danb

    dont be a dumbass
    Feb 24, 2013
    22,704
    google is your friend, I am not.
    There have been numerous attempts to do this. I went to a hearing about this, maybe two years ago. A bill must be introduced at the state level and the HoCo delegation has to be 100% on board. The delegation has killed the previous attempts. Gail Bates Flanagan sponsored it the last time IIRC. Not sure who would sponsor it this time around. If a bill were introduced, there would be a hearing by the HoCo delegation around December, then it gets to Annapolis in the spring.

    The last time, I want to note that the Dept of recreation and parks, which runs the managed hunts, was on board and testified positively. But it was not enough for the delegation. Either 75 or 50 yds would be a major improvement.

    ETA:

    Scroll down to:

    Howard County – Archery Hunting – Safety Zone, Ho. Co. 22–17 (FAILED DELEGATION VOTE 2/1/17)

    https://www.howardcountymd.gov/About-HoCo/State-Delegation/2017-Session-Proposed-Local-Legislation
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    Thanks guys! Will do. Might be banging my head on the wall, but worth a try. Also since MoCo did it and I haven’t been hearing about blood in the streets, maybe HoCo relegation would agree to this time around.

    Times I do hate living in this county.
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    I’d love to see a 75 or 50 yard buffer in Baltimore County as well.

    Hell, even just 100, or 100 from a stand. Any reduction in the size with whatever strings attached would be nice.

    If I write something up, anyone willing to help me tweak the language and maybe a bunch of us can send it to our delegates. Push it state wide (well, those counties that are currently overly restrictive).
     

    danb

    dont be a dumbass
    Feb 24, 2013
    22,704
    google is your friend, I am not.
    Hell, even just 100, or 100 from a stand. Any reduction in the size with whatever strings attached would be nice.

    If I write something up, anyone willing to help me tweak the language and maybe a bunch of us can send it to our delegates. Push it state wide (well, those counties that are currently overly restrictive).

    Use the 2017 bill as a guide. It's a simple insert into the correct paragraph of current statute, alongside moco. That is the correct language and form.
     

    Devonian

    Ultimate Member
    Apr 15, 2008
    1,199
    Hell, even just 100, or 100 from a stand. Any reduction in the size with whatever strings attached would be nice.

    If I write something up, anyone willing to help me tweak the language and maybe a bunch of us can send it to our delegates. Push it state wide (well, those counties that are currently overly restrictive).

    Call me selfish but I’d need a 75 yard buffer to hunt my property. I’ve had deer in my yard constantly the last few weeks. I swear they are mocking me.
    I’ll help you draft something up and will definitely send copies out.
     

    lowoncash

    Baned
    Jan 4, 2010
    3,447
    Calvert county
    Anyone can write legislation. You can do it yourself. Most legislation is not written by politicians. It is written by special interest groups and shopped to politicians.

    Find a sponsor for the legislation to get the bill introduced. Current elected members of your legislature can sponsor the bill. Find one that is receptive and will act as the sponsor.

    Optional step. Research the demographics of the electorate to determine who is friendly and who is anti and how each politician's home turf voter base will affect their vote. Can you reasonably get enough support to pass the bill?

    Lobby. Know the rules of lobbying. They are complex and you don't want to get yourself in a bind. Know the targets you are going to lobby. What kind of horse trading and politicking will it take for each voting member to get on board while still placating their constituents. What groups will get involved to show support such as hunters, farmers to reduce crop damage, unions, sporting goods suppliers, etc. Start with the friendlies and build support. You only need enough votes for the bill to pass. Demographics will tell you which member are most like to endorse the bill.

    If you can successfully lobby enough votes the bill will pass.
     

    Biggfoot44

    Ultimate Member
    Aug 2, 2009
    32,881
    I almost hate to mention them, but there IS a somewhat effective hunting lobbying group here in Maryland .

    But there is a very rocky relationship between them and " us" , meaning 2A advocates . Many of us " gun people " can find comon ground with many of their rank & file , but the chasm between the * politician interaction strategies * is near insurmountable .
     

    Amigo109

    Active Member
    Jan 25, 2018
    265
    Columbia MD
    my gut tells me that if you want it to pass, title it Lyme disease reduction bill or something along those lines. And the first sentence should read something like "In an effort to combat Lyme disease, which is near epidemic proportions, we propose to change the ...."

    I've never written a bill, nor read many, but I think if you want to get support, you've got to show how it will positively affect the masses. The average marylander could give a rat's ass about helping hunters.
     

    ohen cepel

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 2, 2011
    4,509
    Where they send me.
    I like the Lyme disease spin, would also add the vehicle/deer accidents, insurance rate increases due to said accidents, etc.

    I'm sure most would like to not get Lyme disease AND keep their insurance down even if they don't care about hunters.

    Oh, and add Sunday hunting while at it :D

    Happy to review anything you write if you like. Ain't not politician though.
     

    jtb81100

    Ultimate Member
    May 28, 2012
    2,234
    Western HoCo
    Let me know when to write letters for this and Sunday hunting. Not holding my breath for either to happen considering Columbia ideals seem to be running the whole county. I had always planned to stay on our family land untill I died, but I don't know that I can stand 40+ more years of this county's BS.
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    Let me know when to write letters for this and Sunday hunting. Not holding my breath for either to happen considering Columbia ideals seem to be running the whole county. I had always planned to stay on our family land untill I died, but I don't know that I can stand 40+ more years of this county's BS.

    Could be. I am in western Howard and I certainly have a few yuppie type neighbors. I finally talked to my last backyard neighbor to clear my backwoods for approvals on hunting there giving me about 2.5 of my 4.4 acres I have permission from neighbors to hunt. Took talking to 4 neighbors.

    Even 50yds wouldn’t get me more. One of the hold ups are the parents of my daughter’s friend. Wife won’t let me talk to them. She’s worried they might be anti hunting. No logical basis, she just doesn’t want me asking them and screwing if anything up if they are.

    So I can’t hunt my side yard towards their house in case a deer runs that direction. And the front yard is kind of off limits as it’s towards the street and has like 7 neighbors within 50-150yds of it depending one what part of it.

    Anyway, it was funny talking to him. Very yuppie. Mid 30s like me, but drives a Tesla (okay, that’s fine) and was using a leaf blower to clear off his well manicured lawn...

    Anyway, introduced myself and popped the question after chatting a couple of minutes.

    “So, um, I’ve talked to a few neighbors and so far they’ve all been okay if I deer hunt on my property, but I wanted to ask you if you were okay with it before I hunted anywhere close to our property line.”

    “Oh, well, I guess”

    “It would just be with a bow. And they sometimes drop right away, but sometimes they run a bit...”

    “Oh, yeah if it’s just bow I don’t see a problem with that and...I guess yeah if one ran over here you’d, like...take care of it or whatever?”

    “Oh yeah, so long as you are fine with that”

    “Oh yeah, that’s be fine. There or to damn many of them. Tried growing a garden and they just stripped it. So yeah, feel free to hunt back there and kill a few”

    That’s almost exactly how 2 other conversations have gone (with one extending hunting privileges ON their property also) and another one is a hunter, but doesn’t hunt his property (1.6 acres). He hunts the eastern shore but is totally fine with me hunting up to the property line and retrieving whatever I need to.

    I guess I’ve known that supposedly 5% of people hunt, 90% are either pro or not anti, 5% are anti.

    Of course 1 in 20 can ruin your whole day still. Most of the rest are probably okay with bow hunting near them if it isn’t some crazy situation like little half acre or smaller properties or something.
     

    lazarus

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 23, 2015
    13,678
    Oh and in talking to an ex legislative aid, he suggested trying to get organizations to help lobby for it. Like get IWLA on board maybe. Not NRA (not that they are really a hunting lobbying org). His 2 cents were a more moderate organization is likely to appeal broadly to delegates from both sides of the aisle. Even if it was a Republican proposal, having someone like IWLA lobby for it from both sides and maybe testify on behalf would help a ton.

    I am still a probationary member for 6 more months. So not sure I am comfortable talking to the board about it. I have to mull it over. I might go solo this time and see if maybe someone other individuals might be willing to also write in. If no dice, next year (earlier) try talking to my local IWLA chapter board about supporting it.
     

    onedash

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 24, 2016
    1,026
    Calvert County
    I wrote some letters a few years ago in calvary county. When I saw they lowered it I bought a crossbow and have been thinning the heard. Might actually be a few more bucks than does now. Starting to see some green on forest floor now too. I feed em about a ton of corn each year too so that probably saves a few seedlings.
     

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