VA HEAD HUNTER

i just heard that this is going up for a vote soon so if you want to voice your oppinion either way id do it soon. im not sure if the info was correct i heard but i recieved it from a reliable source within the county of spotsylvania and apparently it is going to be dealt with as a statewide issue not a county wide issue.

redsoxfan

I am not from virginia ,but I also agree with the majority of you who oppose road hunting. this is ruining our sport to no end.The slob hunters have hurt our sport more than any anti hunting group. we need to clean up our act and be respectful of the landowner and to the species we hunt.it is getting more difficult to find land to hunt on unless you can afford to shell out big bucks for a lease. i belong to a hunt club in south carolina and we have certain rules but they are not followed by certain members.examples-trash left in the woods,four wheelers not staying on the trails,poaching,and not working on designating work days.sorry did not mean to vent so much, but i love to hunt and hope our sport will continue to survive.

silentassassin

How many accidents have the dog hunters there caused? I have family that are in a BIG club in Mississippi and they have been dog hunting for the last 40 years and I don't know of any firearms related accident involving a dog hunter in over 40 years. Doesn't sound like a dangerous activity in and of itself does it? Add a stupid person to the mix and the situation might get dangerous but are we going to start doing comprehensive IQ reports to determine if someone should be qualified to carry a gun. Also, why should it be legal to carry a gun on city streets (concealed carry) and not be able to carry one on county roads?

VA HEAD HUNTER

whats the point of hunting from the road? it makes other people who live in the area nervous and just ads to their argument to make it harder for us to hunt. i dont think there is any more deer running the roads then in the woods. do you? also when you carry a weapon concealed it is just that. concealed. and there are alot of dog hunting accidents every year around here and alot of problems that accure on the backroads with road hunters and property owners. and some people wonder why its hard to find places to hunt.

o2bebowhunting

here's a question for the dog hunters.

would you rather be at the edge of the road shooting into the woods or be 50 yards in the woods shooting toward the road? i think it would be safer on the road shooting into the woods. however , it does not look good to other non hunting people driving by and see you holding a shot gun.

i dont dog hunt, but this was told to me by another hunter who uses dogs and drives.

silentassassin

Well in most cases and the most obvious one is better field of view. Even if you don't shoot, you are able to see what the dogs are running etc. Also, if the people live in the area then they are use to it because it has been going on for years. If they moved there, they did so willingly, most likely knowing this occurred.

I am not saying that I don't believe you, just that I have been around it for a long time and never seen it. So, do you have any evidence to support this. Any statistics or news paper clippings etc? Guys I am just telling you that it's a slippery slope when hunters start lobbying against other hunters. I would be willing to bet that most of you don't want everyone else telling you how to hunt. If there were significant stats and or data to back up the notion of how dangerous it was then I would concede the point. However, I would be willing to wager than I can find more accidents caused by treestands and non dog hunting related shootings etc than you can dog hunting related shootings. So, are you OK with it if the dog hunters start lobbying to stop treestand hunting? They don't care if you keep hunting but treestand hunting is too dangerous. Some of you might say but treestand hunting I am only putting myself in danger and road hunting you are putting everyone in danger. Well I sincerely doubt anyone has statistical data to back up that point. However, my question is, with modern high powered rifles is it really safer to be 50 ft farther awy from something? I don't hunt off roads and if it dissappears I will not dispear. But, when hunters start lobbying against other hunters I have a problem with that. Primarily, because we are doing to anti's job for them when we do that. What are you guys going to do if this lobbying has a snowball effect and it winds up getting some of your other rights taken away. It's a lot easier for these things to happen when there is some "momentum".

VA HEAD HUNTER

well forst off yes the people in the area know the dog hunters are there but does that mean they like it anymore or less? the non hunters and landowners are the ones lobbying against it because they feel there safety is at risk. i dont care what is said if someone is scared of it then your not going to change their mind one bit. and no i dont think as far as range of the weapon if being 100 yards from the road or on the road has any difference on the argument cause all your rifles shoot way further then 100 yards. the only reason there is the 100 yard rule in alot of counties is to seperate the general public from the general hunting public. out of site out of mind so to speak. i just dont see the point of hunting on the side of public roads? im trying to save my right to hunt. think about it if your in the woods and someone gets hurt by a firearm or treestand what do they say? they call it a hunting accident and it gets a little attention and thats it but the first time someone who is just driving by gets a bullet through their windshield or car what do you think is going to happen then? they will start lobbying to stop hunting all together in some areas. ive hunted with dogs before and it is fun if its safe and done the right way but it is not my favorite way to hunt and im not saying that it should be outlawed but what i am saying is that in va it has taken on a whole new way of reckless and unsafe hunting practices in some cases. most of the people that hunt with dogs have no problems in va but there are a few clubs that just dont care and tresspass, shoot towards house or others. im not trying to lobby against other hunters but i dont want other hunters to ruin it for me either. and im sick and tired of people in this area against hunting to begin with and if people are allowed to hunt in the road then that just fuels their fire even more to try and stop hunting all together. cause you see these people against hunting are against all of it and they outnumber us by far so if you get them started then your not going to please them at all till they get their way.

ELKINMTCWB

I live in Montana so there is nto any thing like this here.

I beleave the hole reasion the state alows this is to cut the number of deer down RIGHT?
If as hunters WE try to get more LAWS on the books we just hurt our selfs.No matter what kind of hunting is done some one out there dose not like it.

What if the next guy that post says TREE STANDS are not safe. ME my self I do not like 4 weelers the destroy the forest and MANY people get hurt on them every year. BUT as a hunter if the law came upp to voat on I would voat FOR the 4weelers.

Take away there way to hunt soon yours will go to.

VA HEAD HUNTER

very good point and i agree. i wouldnt vote against any law that had to do with hunting either. im just saying my oppinion on the matter cause i deal with alot of the local land owners by my farm on a daily basis and i know how they think and those with the land have the power in this area. the road hunting does not affect my personally cause i hunt my farm but the tresspassing does and they know starting next year if i see dogs coming on the farm continuoslly then they will be taken care off and sent to the pound. maybe if they have to pay to get them out then they will stop tresspassing. like i said i dont mind the dog hunting but i do mind the wrecklessness of it here in my area.

ELKINMTCWB

I do not think they should be able to cross your land. I think you have a plan there chatch there dags cain them up call the law. I am very sure there is something that would be done then.

Just a point to remember, if there is guys with guns behind them do all this with safety in mind.Not many guys like ANY one messing with there dags.

stay safe hunt hard