CSHJR 31(RES)-OPPOSE FED LAW RE AERIAL HUNTING  3:40:18 PM CHAIR HUGGINS announced CSHJR 31(RES) to be up for consideration. REPRESENTATIVE WES KELLER, prime sponsor of HJR 31, said in September 2007 Congressman George Miller of California introduced HR 3663. The Defenders of Wildlife said the resolution expressly prohibits aerial gunning or land and shoot gunning of wolves and other predators for the purpose of inflation of the game species populations. The Wolf Conservative Center says that this resolution bars states from using aerial hunting to artificially boost game species populations for hunters. He pointed out the resolution has an exemption, however, saying if the wolves are a problem for livestock in the Lower 48, then airplanes can be used to go out and shoot them. This just goes to show how our culture where moose and caribou are just staples of the diet is not understood. REPRESENTATIVE KELLER said it's the state's job to manage the game populations for maximum beneficial use of the people. He said Alaska is a sovereign state with sovereign borders and the legislature has been given the job of setting the policy. He said HR 3663 has 111 co-sponsors in Washington D.C., but it hasn't had a hearing yet. 3:40:49 PM Senator Green and Senator Stevens joined the committee. 3:41:32 PM SENATOR MCGUIRE asked what groups introduced this and if they targeted Alaska. REPRESENTATIVE KELLER replied he had no specific names, but he found, through an acquaintance in California who works for a public relations firm, that it hires a huge staff and they look for issues like this to build a media campaign around. They will take any side of an issue and sometimes both. SENATOR WIELECHOWSKI said he doesn't appreciate Congress telling Alaska what to do. He asked if he had any concern that Alaskans had voted twice to ban airborne hunting. REPRESENTATIVE KELLER replied that airborne hunting has been banned except for predator control and he didn't view that as defiance of the will of the people. SENATOR WAGONER stated that while a lot of people are against airborne hunting, a lot of his constituents say they wouldn't be opposed to the state hiring helicopters and doing predator control of wolves or having a bounty on them. He said this is a good resolution. 3:44:06 PM SENATOR GREEN asked if this issue was opposed to an individual flying. SENATOR WAGONER said concerns have been expressed that they aren't sure how many wolves actually get shot compared to what is reported - although he didn't see any advantage for not reporting the number of wolves killed. CHAIR HUGGINS agreed sometimes it's just semantics because most people understand the dire condition of the game population. It has to be addressed or the herd goes away. He queried whether there were any wolves in California where Congressman Miller is from. He has heard they had some problems there with big cats mauling people. They reproduce quickly and don't have any natural enemies and aren't they doing some predator control. 3:46:35 PM SENATOR STEVENS moved to report CSHJR 31(RES) from committee with individual recommendations. There were no objections and it was so ordered. 3:47:04 PM at ease 3:50:14 PM