Senators debated for nearly an hour over the issues of property owners' rights versus equal access to hunting and "fair catches" versus "easy kills." The chamber passed the measure Wednesday 34-17. The amended proposal now returns to the House.
Currently, hunters can lay bait for deer and hogs but may only hunt them from 200 yards away - a rule some argued is unfair because more affluent hunters can grow food on their property to use as bait without the distance restrictions.
"We've got a lot of people who have got a lot of passion about this issue," said Sen. John Bulloch (R-Ochlocknee). "The only issue here is how close do you want to allow hunters to be?"
His colleagues saw it differently. Among the proposal's most vocal opponents was Sen. Nan Orrock (D-Atlanta) who questioned the logic of setting boundaries on wildlife.
"Deer don't really know where the county lines are, do they?" she said.
President Pro Tempore Tommie Williams made an impassioned plea for poor hunters, many of whom he said have sought him out for years on the legislation.
"They can't buy tracts of land. They're doing good just to make their trailer payments," Williams said. "What they do have is a rifle and hopefully somebody willing to let them hunt on their land. I'm speaking for them."
Sen. Bill Heath (R-Bremen) told fellow senators he is an avid hunter but spoke against the bill, saying it would corrupt the sport in Georgia.
"We don't have a problem, and it doesn't need fixing," Heath said. "Baiting changes the natural behavior of wildlife."
Heath added that the practice is unethical, gives the predator the advantage and could infringe on the rights of property owners.
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