DULUTH (AP) - The issue of feeding owls has become hotly debated among the wildlife photography community in Minnesota.

 

Professional wildlife photographer Keith Crowley says baiting has become an issue over the past decade as the popularity of wildlife photography has exploded due to the advent of high speed, digital technology.
The issue sparked a proposed state law a couple years ago and led to increased confrontations between photographers, both in person and online.

 

Some, such as photographer Michael Furtman, say ``baiting'' is unethical because it doesn't capture owls behaving naturally and can harm the species by habituating them to humans. But others, such as photographer Terry Crayne, say they don't see any damage in feeding owls and point out that there have not been any studies documenting how owls have been harmed.
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