that duck

[Doug Millison]

Lawmakers in the US may ban motorised decoy ducks so
the real things gets a better chance during hunts.

California's State Fish and Game Commission is to vote
on whether to ban the devices which are causing duck
populations to fall.

The battery-operated duck decoys with spinning wings
draws birds within shooting range of hunters.

Opponents say the device guarantees 'slaughter' for
the birds and is against the 'fair chance' ethic of
hunting, reports the Contra Costa Times.

The local duck population has declined steadily since
RoboDuk was introduced.

The commission will vote on whether to ban all
"electronic or mechanically operated spinning blade or
spinning wing decoys".

Moto-ducks fly in the face of fair play, says Arthur
Feinstein, executive director of the Berkeley-based
Golden Gate Audubon Society.

"We don't think hunting is wrong in the sense of
hunting as a fair challenge to man and critter, with
critters having at least a chance of not being
caught," said Mr Feinstein. "When you load the deck so
much the animals don't have any chance at all, then
it's not hunting any more. That becomes slaughter."

Finlay Williams, a welding shop owner who invented
RoboDuk in 1998, sold 400 in his first year. Last year
he sold 18,000.

"Originally, the ducks just committed suicide on it,"
said Mr Williams. "Once they started showing up and
they got shot a little bit, they learned."

*Animal tales story sent by Ananova



See this story on the web at http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_381583.html

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Make international calls for as low as $.04/minute with Yahoo! Messenger
http://phonecard.yahoo.com/