By Louie Stout

When Hoosiers go to the polls Nov. 7, they’ll be making another important decision besides Trump vs. Hillary.

And this decision won’t be a matter of selecting the lesser of two evils.

That’s because you’ll be asked whether the state constitution should be amended to declare hunting, fishing and trapping as constitutional rights.

It will read: Shall the Constitution of the State of Indiana be amended by adding a Section 39 to Article 1 to provide that the right to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife shall be forever preserved for the public good, subject only to the laws prescribed by the General Assembly and rules prescribed by virtue of the authority of the General Assembly to promote wildlife conservation and management and preserve the future of hunting and fishing.

Now, most readers probably don’t see that as big of a deal as the national election between the narcissistic loudmouth and the corrupt liar, but it could be huge for Hoosier sportsmen.

You may even think it’s frivolous since Hoosiers already have the right to hunt and fish.

However, those rights have come under attack from animal rights and anti-fishing crowd often the past few decades.

You don’t have to look any farther than Michigan where the number of hunting and fishing license sales are among the nation’s highest. Despite the popularity and scientifically supported value of hunting, a ballot proposal a few years ago was defeated that would have permitted dove hunting. The antis spent millions of dollars on TV propaganda convincing non-hunters that they’d never see another dove if hunting was permitted.

Well, that was total bunk. Indiana has been hunting doves for years and they’re still abundant. Sadly, the non-hunting public is so dang uninformed or downright gullible, especially when bombarded with ridiculous lies.

Fishing has been under attack as well, although not as blatantly as hunting. PETA has anti-fishing campaign slogans and periodically show up to protest fishing tournaments.

Lake associations have fought hard to prevent anglers from accessing public lakes; where there is public access, anglers have been harassed on the water by lake residents. I’ve seen that first hand.

This amendment isn’t just another one of those goofy Indiana things, either. There are 22 other states that already have those rights written into their constitutions. Kansas joins Indiana with its 2016 amendment proposal and a few other states have pending legislation.

Keep in mind that the amendment proposal still retains the General Assembly as the overseer of hunting and fishing regulations, although the DNR would continue to use science and sound management to protect fish and wildlife populations. In that sense, nothing has changed.

But what it will do is help insulate a longtime tradition and help prevent future attacks from radical groups who would love nothing more than to prevent the legal harvest of fish and game.

Providing this amendment will provide the protection sportsmen will need in the coming years.