﻿Saying that passage of his bill allowing hunting with spears would not result in people running around the Montana woods in loincloths, Sen. Greg Hinkle, R-Thompson Falls, defended his proposal before the House Fish, Wildlife and Parks Committee on Tuesday in Helena.

The measure, Senate Bill 112, already has passed the Senate.

Hinkle said a spear is similar to a large arrow and added that it has been successfully used by our ancestors for thousands of years.

“It works. It’s been around a long time,” Hinkle said.

Hunting with a bow and arrows is allowed in Montana.

Hinkle added that because a spear is larger than an arrow, wounds would be more likely fatal than those made by archers.

The measure was opposed by Dave Pauli of Billings, who was representing the Montana Animal Care Association. He said he was concerned that spears would be one more way to poach animals in urban areas, along with blow guns, slingshots and potato guns. He passed out photos of a duck shot through the head with a blow dart in Billings’ Riverfront Park as an example of the possible danger.

“I ask you to chuck this bill into the legislative bone pile where it belongs,” Pauli said.