LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Legislation up for a vote in Michigan would let hunters kill frogs all year round and lift a ban against spearing frogs by using an artificial light.
The Senate is expected to pass the bill Thursday and send it to the House for consideration. Michigan now prohibits killing any species of frog between mid-November and late spring.
It also bars frog-spearing — or “gigging” — which is popular among young people in southern states, according to a legislative analysis.
The bill’s opponents say frog-spearing is inhumane and frogs need protection to breed.
Supporters, however, say the legislation would promote outdoor recreation and it makes no sense to prohibit frog-spearing with a flashlight because hunters already can use artificial light to net or hook frogs.
