Hound Drive Benefit for Devin Staker

[Ike]

I never said anything about a Gov't trapper. Devin, along with several other people in the west are Gov't Hunters. Some paid by the state's game and fish dept, some paid by the Federal Gov't. Every Gov't hunter that I know, or have heard of has 20+ dogs. There are even a couple of Federal Gov't Hunters in Arizona on the Jaguar research team, listed as qualified houndsmen......

This got way off topic, sorry.... just struck me as unusual that someone that has been in this sport for as long as Ike hasn't heard of or known a gov't hunter with hounds...

We did have one around here that had, fed and peddled hounds but never caught anything with them. I remember him selling out on the hounds, and telling me that he'd started a dozen lions off kills over the summer months and never caught a single one of them.........so I don't consider him a houndsmen or catcher!

Fact is I don't believe in nor do I support what Colorado does, and that is pay a hunter to kill problem bears rather than open that harvest up the hunt to houndsmen. I mean it's stupid to pay a man to run down and kill bears that the public would pay for. Ideas like that is why California is bankrupt...........

Sorry!
ike

[FullCryHounds]

Ike, Colorado has no choice but to use Government hunters. The citizens of this state outlawed running bears with hounds so opening it back up to hunters is not going to happen. Fortunately, the Federal guys don't have to play by the same rules as your everyday houndsmen does, so they get the calls.

[tedsmith]

How many dogs does he have left.

[Ike]

........

[Arkansas Frog]

I didn't mean it could not be done but it is a very cruel way to kill a bear ,because he has about destroyed his self before you get there, like a yote, they keep fighting it.

and another thing the bears are killing lambs in march and april,no state is going open a kill season in that time frame, and it is only problem bears not every bear in Co.

when i trapped I never found a dog in a snare dead, and never found a yote alive, and that was no money in it for a live market. and they died a bad death and I quit snaring them.
Ike long ago in your thread you said you loved the state that didn't allow hunting because guys like you got paid to hunt. you don't want it both ways do you.

[Ike]

Ike long ago in your thread you said you loved the state that didn't allow hunting because guys like you got paid to hunt. you don't want it both ways do you.

I don't remember ever making a statement like that frog but I'd be glad to read it if you can point it out with a link......and I've never been paid by this state to run down and kill anything frog. I have, however, donated my services for free to assist fish and wildlife on lots of problem lions and bears--but they have never given me one single dime! Matter fact, I've probably loaded hounds for the fish and game and donated somewhere between sixty and a hundred days and never received a single dime, day or night, from the north slope to Green River and never complained once.

I'd say if the tree huggers want to pay a hounddogger to kill bears rather than the tag buying public, then let the tree huggers buy a pack of hounds cause I ain't donating to a group of people with those ideas...........

ike

[Arkansas Frog]

Ike why would the state of Utah have govt. trappers for bear,you have a season,I can see a trapper for yotes..beaver etc but not lions or bear ,they are not enough now ways it is,killing all those Jr. lions.

[Ike]

The government trapping program in the West is usually through the Department of Agriculture and protects livestock producers on depredation. The program was set up for cattle, sheep and turkeys I believe, and gives ADC primacy on stock depredation rather than the fish and wildlife agencies. Bottom line is ADC has jurisdiction on livestock depredation for bear and lion and the state agencies have it on all other matters. If a bear becomes a public safety issue the DWR attempts to contact a public hunter with a tag to harvest the bear with a tag that was bought by the public--and that is one of the areas that I've donated time for along with public safety issues.

If a cattle producer loses a calf to a bear ADC is called and the DWR isn't even involved; same with lions. I haven't kept up, but around fifteen to forty percent of the bears killed in Utah have been killed by Government trappers. And all of the trappers in my region use snares...............

ike

[Coyote]

The government trapping program in the West is usually through the Department of Agriculture

Government hunter program is also through the USDA.

[Ike]

.........

[DesertDweller]

The government trapping program in the West is usually through the Department of Agriculture

Government hunter program is also through the USDA.

Coyote, the usda is the department of ag, same thing....united states department of ag. I have done a little hound work in the past for a couple different GH's, fact is most around here 90% of them don't have hounds, there isn't enough work for them to justify keeping them, feeding/training etc. In states like Oregon and I am sure Colorado, GH's are legally able to train there dogs on bear/cat. So it seems if you were a houndsman before you enter the job, you usually retain them and keep hunting/training for the meer fact your a houndsman and have a love of the dogs. I doubt devin actually uses them for his job all that much, just a small percentage of his work. I do know for a fact that devin has peddled and jockeyed more dogs via this website in the last several yrs then anyone else, its unfortunate to lose things in a house fire but sending him dogs is ridiculous, its been said he still has some of his good dogs, thats all you need is a couple good dogs for anything.

[LCK]

Take it somewhere else fellows. I thought this thread was about trying to help Mr. Poco?

[FullCryHounds]

Agree, I stopped responding because I couldn't believe what I was reading. So to get back on track. What does everyone else want to do as far as how to run this raffle. Any ideas on how to generate the most $$ along with how to make it fair.

[Arkansas Frog]

I my self don't have any dogs to send, so i just sent him a check, money always works.

[Trueblue]

Read Ted Nugents article in the latest Christensens Hunting Illustrated.It is about the exact subject you guys are talking about (Gov't Hunters in CO).Excellent article.