A petition to ban the practice of "high-fence" hunting in North Dakota was approved for circulation by Secretary of State Al Jaeger on Friday.

Members of North Dakotans for Fair Chase, the sponsoring committee, must now collect at least 12,844 signatures to place the measure on a ballot, which would outlaw the practice of charging a fee to hunt animals in enclosed, inescapable preserves.

The group says the practice goes against fair chase hunting principles, while opponents to the ban, including the North Dakota Deer Rancher Association, say the measure would infringe on their property rights.

To place the measure on the June 8 statewide ballot, the sponsoring committee must submit its signatures to the secretary of state for approval by March 10. To put the potential measure on the Nov. 2 general election ballot, the signatures must be submitted by Aug. 4.

If those dates are not met, the sponsoring committee has until Aug. 23, 2010, to submit their signatures to the secretary of state's office to place the measure on the June 12, 2012, ballot.

North Dakotans for Fair Chase circulated a similar petition for the 2008 election, but because of technical errors did not meet the signature requirement, said Roger Kaseman, the co-chairman of the sponsoring committee.

The approved petition's text is: "This initiated measure would add a new section to chapter 36-01 of the North Dakota Century Code effective November 1, 2012, providing that a person, other than an authorized government employee or agent, is guilty of a crime if the person obtains payment for the killing or attempted killing of privately owned big game species or exotic mammals in or released from a man-made enclosure."

(Reach reporter Brian Duggan at 223-8482 or brian.duggan@bismarcktribune.com.)