How the dog fighting issue could affect hunters.

[Mike Leonard]

I am sure you heard about the quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, Mike Vick, that is being prosecuted under animal cruelty laws for being involved in a dog fighting ring. Anyway it is all over the news out here and the presidents of both the Humane Society of America and PETA are giving a lot of interviews and sure getting their positive press. I think that just about everyone is opposed to this dog fighting stuff, but my concern is that these animal rights groups will take this momentum and being viewed as "normal" by most people on the dog fighting issue, and attack hunting activities that utilize dogs; namely hound hunting. I mean these interviews that I have seen lately I would not characterize as being extreme, they were well educated and articulate interviews where the head of the Humane Society of America and PETA just stated the facts that made a lot of sense and this is what flat "laid a spook" in me. I have always been one of those people that can see a problem before it comes up and I forsee a big problem coming for dog hunters if we are not careful and police our own. With all the press this dog fighting thing is getting and if marketed the right way I think these animal rights groups could easily sway the average person against dog hunting right now.

This is a quote from a freind of mine who will remain un-named at this time, but he is very well informed and can see a cloud on the horizon for sporting dog owners. While all this controversy is surrounding the pit bull fighting issues and Michael Vick, these groups are getting huge sums of money in to rally against the dog fighting issue. My message here is not to address the dog fight issue because I have my own sentiments about that, but I will leave that for another discussion. Celebreties such as Bob Barker and other are shoveling millions of dollars at the animals activist groups, and with all of this funding beleive me this won't stop with Mike Vick or the dog fight issue it will be carried to all practices with animals they deem inhumane. This could incluse bird hunting, hound hunting, rodeo and what ever else they can dream up.

Now more than ever before we need to portray high ethical standards, and sportsmanship. We must talk to others in the hunting game and ask them to not do some of the things that have really raised eyebrows in the past. Some dog jockeys especially have really gotten out of hand and the word is getting out. Sending videos with gruesome scenes to prove how gritty their dogs are, and some even advertizing (go to my website and see this and this) and it and open invitation for these activist to load up on ammunition against hounds, and hunting. HOW DUMB IS THAT?


Take the high road for the good of all sportman. NOW MORE THAN EVER

[Buddyw]

I definately agree with you.
Buddy

[whoflungdung]

[pete richardson]

[treeing walkers]

Goods words Mike. Take my state of Washington and Oregon. All big game hound hunting is Banned.

[bearhunter77]

i definitely agree. there are millions and millions of people who view public websights. i posted some video of my female plott yanking a coon out of a cave. the host was tiny pics and the video was yanked in two days from that sight.

[Paul Conway]

I firmly believe that houndmans groups should be putting out official statements against dog fighting. I believe there are a bunch of animal rights folks this will mean nothing to, but I believe there is a large segment of the population that love pets that don't understand hound hunting. I'm not trying to educate them with the statements from hounds groups coming out against dog fighting, just trying to give them pause and make them think, or rethink there position (not entirely set in stone) that hunting with hounds is cruel and those that do it are cruel ( simply put). I believe there are a great many of those folks on the fence or the wrong side of the fence in this case when it comes to houndsman and what they do that is a result of ignorance. time to give them something that is in direct contrast to what garbage the public is being "taught" by animal rights groups about hunting with hounds and hound hunters. I believe statements such as this at times like this give would give our various houndsmans groups a great deal of credibility. In my opinion, many groups from the NRA, to PETA, to the baseball, football players unions (yes I know there a union but still), abortions rights folks, etc. etc. do themselves and thier members a disservce when they blindly carry on thier cause with even in the most obvious of situations within thier particular cause is wrong or thier stance on an event that happens is because it's a gun rights restriction issue, or it's a player being disciplined so you have to come out against it, etc. etc. etc. all it does is harm thier credibility. Paul Conway.

[Emily]

[brandon keel]

[mikec]

[Buddyw]

[rich h]

[Buddyw]

[coongtr]

I feel for all of the big game hound hunters. I am mainly a coon hunter but we have a lot of bear hunters in my area. You have everyone against you. Even some avid hunters here say, "its unsportsmanlike to run a bear or bobcat up a tree and kill it. It has no chance with those dogs after them". Of course most of them have no idea what it is like to get a hound to put a bear up a tree or hold the pressure on a bobcat. They think a house dog can do it. Just giving my opinion. But no matter the game, we are all in this together.
Troy