RE: ***URGENT VIRGINIA HUNTING DOG OWNERS***
 

Bigg Birdd I had this discussion today with 2 game wardens. I couldn't agree with you more. This dog training or running out of season is what's going to get it outlawed. I mean instead ofdog hunters and bowhunters joining, they are divided. Why?? well, when you are sitting in your bow stand in Oct and 5 walkers are burning a deer up right by your stand, it's pretty discouraging. I get sick and tired of these guys running their dogs all year long. I mean I hunt with dogs and have for 20 yrs, but enough is enough. I have owned dogs, I never needed to run them all year long. If these guys truly care about deer, they will realize what damage they are doing by running their dogs in June July and Aug. It's not right and it infringes on the rights of other hunters. Especially in the bow season. Try hunting a big buck and pattern him after he's had dogs dumped on him. The game wardens told me that there is no intent to ban hunting of any type..he said that they want to try and reach the non hunting community and educate them about dog hunting...

RE: ***URGENT VIRGINIA HUNTING DOG OWNERS***
 

White tail fox, naw. Paranoid and selfish still hunter, that is much more likely the species in question.

And why don't you ask those game wardens how many acts of trespass, vandalism, poaching, slob hunting, etc. are actually committed by hound hunters compared to the wonderful still hunters. How many trees are ruined by hound hunters every year versus those still hunters who sneak onto land and nail stands into trees and then abandon them? All I've seen so far is just a couple of guys making claims about hounds running deer in mid-July and not being happy if hounds run by their stands while they are hunting. Maybe the hound hunters aren't too happy about having your stand in the spot where they are hunting. Maybe you are hunting illegallyfrom that stand stand and/or are trespassing? Whoknows anything except that there are a few folks who like to throw out all sortsof allegations and hope that a couple stick. And the anti-doggers in general LOVE it.

RE: ***URGENT VIRGINIA HUNTING DOG OWNERS***
 

Lanse, some questions. Do you hunt with hounds? Is it legal where you are? Did you not see that I said I hunt with hounds and have for 20 yrs. Im not anti dog. I hunt with them every year. Im only calling it as I see it here. Guys run dogs out of season. I saw it last week and I saw it this week. I know some guys that do it pretty darn every other week. It is against the law to run dogs outside of the general firearms season. Im bowhunting in BOW season, keep the dogs out of my area, what is the problem?? Why do you see it any other way? wrong is wrong. Have you ever been to an open field trial?? I have and you know this funny thing happened, there were 200 walker hounds dropped and they ran for 4 hrs and I saw lots of deer running at full speed, but never saw a fox, strange isn't it?

RE: ***URGENT VIRGINIA HUNTING DOG OWNERS***
 

My family in Louisiana hunts deer with hounds. There the problem is not with the hound hunters, but with the still hunters trespassing and poaching on the hound hunters leases. Does that mean that hound hunters should be critical of ALL still hunters and/or work for an end to that style of hunting?

Beyond Louisiana, I have hunted with beagles, coonhounds (for coons, coyotes, and foxes), bird dogs, and retrievers over the last 37 years. Each one of those styles has its share of bad apples, but i also see plenty of examples where claims about bad apples are exagerated or flat out lies. Many attempts to "regulate" any given style of hunting can also have hidden agendas. Most of the threads about deer hounds bring out plenty of people who eventually slip up and pretty much admit that they would like to see the sport banned. Many of those same people would also be happy to see all forms of dog hunitng banned because they want the woods entirely to themselves for deer season.

Sorry if some folks get their deer hunt disturbed by dogs or they think that every truck with a dog box is full of people out to poach deer or run them illegally. But every style has its bad apples and if you really try to make a scapegoat of one, you are really helping to weaken them all.

RE: ***URGENT VIRGINIA HUNTING DOG OWNERS***
 

Yes there are bad apples in every walk of life, but we are talking about how things are here east of the Blue Ridge Mts in Va. My complaint is guys running their dogs in May, June, July, Aug, and Sept, and Oct. Why is that ok to do?? It is against the law. Why should I have to deal with dogs running through my stand in bow season???

RE: ***URGENT VIRGINIA HUNTING DOG OWNERS***
 

If what they are doing is actually against the law in all the instances that you cited, then it seems to me that the issue is the need to enforce existing laws rather than wasting time and stirring up trouble among different styles by trying to create new laws or restrictions. Use some common sense, if the local yocals aren't bothering to enforce current laws what makes you think that new ones will work any better.

RE: ***URGENT VIRGINIA HUNTING DOG OWNERS***
 

I didn't say we need to bring in new laws. Laws are already in place, but game wardens cannot be everywhere all the time. There is a lot of land in this part of the state and all of it is dog legal. that = lots of dogs and dog owners. Again, Im not against dog hunting, I am one myself! I just wish the dog owners didn't run deer from May to Oct. But, they won't stop, they continue to do it and they do it just to hear them run and to allegedly keep them in shape. I never had to do it when i owned dogs.

RE: ***URGENT VIRGINIA HUNTING DOG OWNERS***
 

Sounds like you need more GW's and more aggressive ones. Other than that dunno what to tell you. Different places have different problems. Folks have learned that if they can't get the authorities to take care of business, then they need to do things on their own to deal with whatever set of bad apples are being a problem in a given area. Its just kinda hard to have much sympathy when folks get on their highhorse and point fingers at one style of hunters as the problem, when, if you think about it, there are other types of hunters who are likely causing just as many problems. But, i guess that everybody has their own pet peeve in the hunting world.

RE: ***URGENT VIRGINIA HUNTING DOG OWNERS***
 

I hear what ya saying, but around here, the bowhunter and still hunter is the minority. I do both bowhunt and dog hunt and it really puts me in the middle, but I have to call a spade a spade and there or more dog owners running their dogs out of season than not in these parts, that's why there is an issue now in Va, that coupled with retrieve laws on dogs.

RE: ***URGENT VIRGINIA HUNTING DOG OWNERS***
 

Seems others are voicing their views on this as well.

New site and forum is up. Go to the send a letter page and you can find and send one to your state reps.

http://www.vhhr.org

Virginians for Hound Hunting Reform