ORIGINAL: rick64
New just because you don't like the numbers you can't say the survey was BS. If you think the results from a statewide vote would be better, your dreaming. If you have any common sense, you never want any hunting issues put up for a voted by the general public. The numbers in that survey reflect exactly what you said " stricter regs in the future? Probably"
Actually the general public vote wouldn't bother me in the least. We have had votes in VA before on hunting issues and the sportsman turnout was very high. Recently several couties have had high hunter turnout to encourage their city councils to pass resolutions to protect houndhunting. For example:
Richmond Times Dispatch Wed. morning edition. Jan 2008
More than 200 people turned out last night to urge the Charles City County Board of Supervisors to adopt a resolution in support of hunting with dogs.
The board voted 3-0 in favor of adopting the proposed resolution.
"I do support the resolution," Supervisor Gilbert A. Smith said. "I'm an avid deer hunter."
Jimmy Fitzgerald, one of the county residents who sought the resolution, said the request was made because of concerns that some newcomers to rural areas want to ban the use of hunting dogs.
One thing about the general public is many of them don't care enough to vote on a topic that means nothing to them where as hunters are more inclined to go vote(IMO).
The numbers in this "poll"don't bother me, 64% are for dog hunting, what would bother me about that?The only thing I am commenting on is the fact that you are talking about 153 person pollhere, that is a long way away from a representative sample. Hell, I have lived in VA my whole life and have never evenheard of CC McCotter or the paper he writes for. I googled him and he has many good articles so I am not attempting to discredit him, just saying 153 people reponding to a brief article in a local Staunton, VA newspaper (which by the way is a non hound hunting county)does not mean you have tapped into the pulse of the entire state.153 people, that is nothing, we have had polls on this site with more responses. It is far from a representative sample and if hound hunting goes to a vote(in the counties where hound hunting is legal) IMO there will be an enormous hunter turnout. Do the same exact poll in Southhampton County, Dinwiddie, Zuni, Windsor, etc. and I am sure that not only would more people respond but the numbers in favor of hound hunting would skyrocket. You can check myresponses on many dog threads in the past, I am not blind to the problems. But unlike many I am more interested in finding solutions(whatever they may be) than hearing about any kind of hunting getting banned.