***ATTENTION VIRGINIA HUNTING DOG OWNERS***

[Hokieman]

THIS IS POSTED ON HSUS WEBSITE. NOW IS THE TIME TO STAND UNITED AND JOIN THE VIRGINIA HUNTING DOG ALLIANCE FOR THE BATTLE THAT LAYS AHEAD. READ THE LETTER BY HSUS PRESIDENT WAYNE PARCELLE.

Take Action to Restrict Hound Hunting in Virginia

Dear Friend,

A declining number of states still allow the hunting of wildlife with packs of dogs, and this inhumane and unsporting practice is currently under scrutiny in Virginia. Hound hunters chase bears, deer, raccoons, and other wildlife to exhaustion or corner them in a tree and shoot them down for sport or trophies. Many hunters fit the dogs with GPS collars, and simply follow the radio signal on a handheld device to locate a trapped animal after the dogs do all the work. And dogs who fail to hunt well are sometimes abandoned. The practice provokes the ire of landowners, outdoor enthusiasts, animal welfare advocates, and hunters alike. You can help!

The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries is considering stricter regulations and your voice is urgently needed.

TAKE ACTION
Take a moment to send a message to the members of the Hunting With Hounds Stakeholder Advisory Committee, letting them know that using large packs of dogs to chase, harass, and kill wildlife no longer has a place in Virginia and should be restricted. Please tell your friends and family in Virginia how they can help, too.

Thanks for all you do for animals!

Sincerely,

Wayne Pacelle
President & CEO
The Humane Society of the United States

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WE NEED ALL VIRGINIA SPORTSMEN AND SPORTSWOMEN TO GET INVOLVED AND JOIN US. SEND A DONATION AND TELL YOUR HUNT CLUB, FRIENDS, RELATIVES ETC. GET IN THE FIGHT OR LOOSE YOUR RIGHTS!

[Hokieman]

OUR WEBSITE HAS BEEN UPDATED AND PROVES THAT DGIF LIED TO VIRGINIA SPORTSMEN, COME AND CHECK IT OUT. WWW.VAHDA.ORG

The Virginia Hunting Dog Alliance (VHDA) has repeatedly asked officials of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF) why they felt it necessary to “study” our tradition of hunting with hounds. The initial responses to this question were that they had been receiving an increased number of complaints concerning the use of hounds in Virginia. DGIF at one point stated on their web site that they had had 906 complaints, but were vague about whether it was during one year or one guns season or just how long. We now know that 500 of those complaints were “road hunting” complaints, many were not from counties where deer or bear are hunted with hounds!

[system]

[QUOTE=Hokieman;3224949]
OUR WEBSITE HAS BEEN UPDATED AND PROVES THAT DGIF LIED TO VIRGINIA SPORTSMEN, COME AND CHECK IT OUT. WWW.VAHDA.ORG

The Virginia Hunting Dog Alliance (VHDA) has repeatedly asked officials of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF) why they felt it necessary to “study” our tradition of hunting with hounds. The initial responses to this question were that they had been receiving an increased number of complaints concerning the use of hounds in Virginia. DGIF at one point stated on their web site that they had had 906 complaints, but were vague about whether it was during one year or one guns season or just how long. We now know that 500 of those complaints were “road hunting” complaints, many were not from counties where deer or bear are hunted with hounds![/QUOTE]

906 complaints huh?? that’s quite a lot. but then if hounds weren’t used, then why should they add that to the complaints in the first place?

[Hokieman]

Those complaints were made up over nite and dgif were desperate in getting a number., Out of those 900 some complaints 500 were road hunting complaints, another 200 were spolighting and hunting in general complaints., An actual 190 some complaints in 27 mnths over 2 year span for hunting with dog complaints. DID THIS WARRANT A HOUND STUDY? WHAT IS DGIF REAL MOTIVES FOR THIS HOUND STUDY?

[Hokieman]

The VDGIF Web site has been updated with new information regarding this study:

April 15, 2008 Stakeholder Advisory Committee Meeting Summary (PDF)
Please visit: www.dgif.virginia.gov/houndhunting

[wateryglen]

just my 2 cents!

I’m following the VDGIF study and I for one am finding that they seem to be right on target. I applaud their efforts and thinking. I think it’s going in the right direction ie: not banning but improving our hunting. See only good coming out of it thusfar.

[Hokieman]

:no: I don’t agree with your statement. nuff said!

[Hokieman]

website has been updated, www.vahda.org

[ponysnooper]

Hunting DEER with dogs

I have written a letter to the governor. The practice is barbaric and outdated. The dogs run on your property, scare your horses, upset your dogs, and the hunters could care less. They don’t even take the time to feed their dogs, and most of the dogs are afraid of people. They should stop the inhumane practice of chasing deer to their death. It is so far from foxhunting it’s ridiculous. Foxhunting is more for fun than for savagely killing animals.

[Elghund2]

Ponysnooper have you ever watched beagles run deer. Its almost like OJ Simpson chase. its not fast. I feel bad for the guys who hunt our property, with permission, with the beagles. If the beagles get on something and start speaking, our fox hound and chessie tear off into the woods. That gets the deer moving. In fact one buck blasted out of the woods so fast it almost ran the hunter over.

All the beagles I see are well fed and in great shape. The hunters are all careful. Despite the fact that I’ve given them permission to hunt our land, they stop in every time and ask. In our area (Madison, VA) we’re not lacking deer and these guys are not trophy hunting. That meat is going to feed families.

[WillowRidgeJ]

All the beagles I see are well fed and in great shape. The hunters are all careful. Despite the fact that I’ve given them permission to hunt our land, they stop in every time and ask. In our area (Madison, VA) we’re not lacking deer and these guys are not trophy hunting. That meat is going to feed families.

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Elghund2, I also live in a rural area, but my picture of hunters is not nearly as romantic as yours is. I have found hunters on many occassions trespassing on our posted land and always the same answer (with gun in hand) just looking for my dogs. I also have found many left over hounds, and I can only say I will NOT call the owners, they have been in bad condition and half starved at best. As far as only hunting for meat, na, I have lost count of the trophys I have seen. I am not against hunting, but I am for more control of who, where and how.

[Painted_Wings]

Ahhh, divide and conquer. If the foxhunters don’t defend the deer hunters someday we’ll be in the minority. They basically cut us out one at a time and pretty soon you are done. If you think they’ll stop at that you’re really gullible. We may not agree with how they do things but I think people hunting with hounds need to stick together.

[Arizona_DQ]

If you people do not stand together the next rights that will be lost will be yours! Look what happened in the UK! No fox hunting. The next AR agenda is mandatory spay and neuter of ALL dogs! PETA and HSUS do not have the animals best interest in mind. if we do not ALL stand together to stop this type of legislataion, we will see our rights crumble one by one.

I hope you ALL are aware that PETA and HSUS also are targeting all types of animal shows to include horses! As long as some of us continue to fall for the “Animal Rights” propoganda, all our rights will eventually be lost. NO dogs, no cats, NO horses!

Divide and Conquer is RIGHT! ARs have already been successful in other venues! :no:

[Beverley]

Ponysnooper, the problem is not hunting deer with dogs- the problem is irresponsible hunters/owners of hounds. There is nothing wrong with hunting deer with a pack of hounds, any more than there is anything wrong with hunting fox or coyote or bobcat or lion or bear with a pack of hounds.

With regard to the HSUS post, there is to my knowledge no decline in number of states allowing hunting with hounds- to the contrary, at least as far as fox/coyote hunting goes, states are expanding- Wyoming got its first recognized pack in 1999, that one is gone but a new one is there and a very fun pack.

Arizona DQ, you have it right, we need to hang together or we will hang separately (to borrow Ben Franklin’s line). I support ALL hunting with hounds, and fishing, and hunting with bows/firearms, and trapping. All of these activities are inherently humane. That there might be abuses with any of these practices does not mean the practice itself is barbaric. Go after the abusers.

As for foxhunting: The last American Horse Council stat I looked at stated that there are 2 million horse owners in the U.S. That is seven tenths of one percent of the population. Within the horse owner population, I would guess that less than 1% go hunting. Do the math, people. We are insignificant. We must work with ALL hunters and fishers and users of public trails (not just horses but bikers and hikers and yes, OHVs, we’d better get friendly with them because their numbers are exploding).

[Hokieman]

[QUOTE=ponysnooper;3402732]
I have written a letter to the governor. The practice is barbaric and outdated. The dogs run on your property, scare your horses, upset your dogs, and the hunters could care less. They don’t even take the time to feed their dogs, and most of the dogs are afraid of people. They should stop the inhumane practice of chasing deer to their death. It is so far from foxhunting it’s ridiculous. Foxhunting is more for fun than for savagely killing animals.[/QUOTE]

A perfect example of a PETA OR HSUS follower.:mad:

[Hokieman]

[QUOTE=Painted Wings;3404231]
Ahhh, divide and conquer. If the foxhunters don’t defend the deer hunters someday we’ll be in the minority. They basically cut us out one at a time and pretty soon you are done. If you think they’ll stop at that you’re really gullible. We may not agree with how they do things but I think people hunting with hounds need to stick together.[/QUOTE]

Your the smart one and exactly right.:yes:

[pAin_t_Misbehavin]

[QUOTE=Hokieman;3407664]
A perfect example of a PETA OR HSUS follower.:mad:[/QUOTE]

Maybe, but not necessarily. I don’t like the way people hunt with hounds in my area - a whole gang of 'em put radio collars on the dogs and then careen around the back roads in their trucks, trying to get to where the dogs are when they chase the deer out of cover. They’ll run slap over anybody that gets in their way. They’re a menace. And yeah, their dogs are skinny and act as though they’ve never seen a human.

Until I started posting on COTH I thought that was just the way people were supposed to hunt deer with hounds. Now that I know these clods are breaking the law, I can do more than just cuss under my breath when Sept. 1 rolls around.

Anyway, ponysnooper may be like I was and not realize there are responsible hound hunters in the world. I wouldn’t know it if it weren’t for y’all. Now I put my efforts into supporting enforcement of the laws we already have in hopes it will keep wingnuts like Pacelle, Newkirk & Co. out of our bidness.

[in_limine]

[QUOTE=ponysnooper;3402732]
I have written a letter to the governor. The practice is barbaric and outdated. The dogs run on your property, scare your horses, upset your dogs, and the hunters could care less. They don’t even take the time to feed their dogs, and most of the dogs are afraid of people. They should stop the inhumane practice of chasing deer to their death. It is so far from foxhunting it’s ridiculous. Foxhunting is more for fun than for savagely killing animals.[/QUOTE]

I agree. Unfortunately, foxhunting is becoming the same. Fun or not, I have had the local hunt hounds running on my property and scaring my horses while the whips and huntsman ignore the “no hunting/no trespassing” sign and the galloping babies in the field. Very poor hunting etiquette that reflects badly on the entire sport.

[in_limine]

[QUOTE=Beverley;3405643]
Ponysnooper, the problem is not hunting deer with dogs- the problem is irresponsible hunters/owners of hounds. There is nothing wrong with hunting deer with a pack of hounds, any more than there is anything wrong with hunting fox or coyote or bobcat or lion or bear with a pack of hounds.

With regard to the HSUS post, there is to my knowledge no decline in number of states allowing hunting with hounds- to the contrary, at least as far as fox/coyote hunting goes, states are expanding- Wyoming got its first recognized pack in 1999, that one is gone but a new one is there and a very fun pack.

Arizona DQ, you have it right, we need to hang together or we will hang separately (to borrow Ben Franklin’s line). I support ALL hunting with hounds, and fishing, and hunting with bows/firearms, and trapping. All of these activities are inherently humane. That there might be abuses with any of these practices does not mean the practice itself is barbaric. Go after the abusers.

As for foxhunting: The last American Horse Council stat I looked at stated that there are 2 million horse owners in the U.S. That is seven tenths of one percent of the population. Within the horse owner population, I would guess that less than 1% go hunting. Do the math, people. We are insignificant. We must work with ALL hunters and fishers and users of public trails (not just horses but bikers and hikers and yes, OHVs, we’d better get friendly with them because their numbers are exploding).[/QUOTE]

Beverly,
Until the local hunts are willing to work with the landowners and respect others private property (and horses), hunting is on its way out. And this is coming from someone who used to advocate foxhunting…

[arabhorse2]

Unfortunately, hunting with hounds will continue unabated and unchanged, according to the latest update of Hunting With Hounds.

I am saddened, but not surprised. After all, “the board” was made up by a majority of hound hunters, and didn’t include a whole lot of non-hound hunters or people who don’t hunt at all. When it’s uneven like that, don’t expect any type of realistic compromise.

I for one am sickened by the number of scrawny, mangy, half-wild dogs that I come across every year, and not just during hunting season. So many of them are run over, because they’re left to run loose and fend for themselves. I also see indiscriminate breeding, because God forbid any of those dogs are spayed or neutered!

I’ve had to run hunters off my POSTED land. If there are decent hound hunters out there, they’re seriously few and far between in my neck of the woods. Buncha asshats.

The foxhunters aren’t the ones who annoy me, because they leave with the same number of dogs they went out with, and those dogs are always happy, healthy, and well fed. It’s the deer/coon/whatever hunters who are doing wrong by their dogs, and something needs to be done about it.

I’m tired of starving hunting dogs running off my barn cats and eating their food. I’m tired of lame excuses that the dogs are “running thin”. That’s not thin; that’s freakin’ STARVING. I’m also outraged that those dogs act like they’re going to be beaten to within an inch of their lives whenever I get near them. Gads, I can only imagine what kind of hell they endure when their owners bother to notice them at all!

I’ve seen and lived it for the last 3 years, and I’m sick to death of it all.