I grew up still hunting but had alot of friends who hunted with dogs and about 10 years ago I went and have been hooked ever since. Like alot of folks have been saying I love just to hear the dogs running, nothing like the sound of a hot trail just after first light!

I do agree there are some out there who ruin the sport of hunting by calling themselves hunters when all they are is someone who poaches (be it by running dogs or even still hunting on someone elses land you dont have permission to be on or by breaking laws in general). I do not agree with the hunters who drop their dogs on someone elses land and go aroudn the other side or then go onto their property to wait for the game to be pushed to them. Nor do I agree with shooting a deer while it is crossing a public road in order to catch the dogs or kill the deer. The groups I hunt with are pretty strict about if someone has to go out onto the public road to try to cut the dogs off before they get lost or onto someone elses property that they leave any weapons they have with another club memeber who remains on the property. That way if they are seen and or stopped by anyone they can not be accused of trying to "hunt" from the road.. they are just catching their dogs.

I know in Va it is VERY illegal to shoot any domesticated animals including sporting dogs. I feel very strongly about someone who would take the life of any domestic animal when it is doing something that is its natural habbit to do. I do disagree with people letting dogs out on someone else property, but it is not the dogs fault.. they only do what is natural...I know that sometimes I have been hunting and the dogs have gotten away from us and headed in a direction there was no way to stop them quickly, that does not mean they were dumped there nor should they but killed for it. Like I said they are doing what is natural, now if I am hunting and know there is someoen dumping dogs where they are not suppose to and the dogs come onto the property then if it is legal I will try to harvest the deer and then catch the dogs or just try to catch the dogs. I then turn the animals of to VADGIF and let inform them of what is going on and let them handle it. SOrry to be long winded but I see no sense in kiling an animal that is doing what is natural for it when it is the owners fault, now I have seen some so called hunters that I would love to string up or put a load of buckshot in their truck. I understand the anger from being on a stand and having a dog come through but to tell you the truth I have never seen where it hurts much, actually it has striied the deer up and got them moving aroudn and helped me before.

Dont get me wrong I love to still hunt and always will but there is a part of me that knows there is nothign like a beagle that is crying out in the crisp morning air. JMO