BigGameHoundsmen.com

Thank you very much Emily, now that is what I wanted but didn't have that spin that you put on it. It actually gave me goose bumps while reading certain parts and really makes me wanna go out and spend a weekend in the woods with my dogs. I think this will also touch the 80 % of people that are in the middle and do the most voting. Thanks again I owe you big time.

Although very lengthy, that is certainly well written. Now, how do you get it presented to a significant audience?

briarpatch

with luck will be able to get it published in newspapers and magazines through out Washington state. Big or little no matter as long as it gets published and people read it.

guess you can tell that I love a coondog as much as anyone! make sure you get the parts about Washington law accurate.. I wasn't sure what you are allowed to run hounds on... Just coon? Bears? Coyotes? Any old varmint? If you aren't allowed to run on anything, make sure its clear that you run your hounds out of state, and say which state you do hunt in.

I know its way too long, unless it runs as an op-ed piece. Look for papers or magazines that have reader opinion columns, and target them first. Meanwhile, I'll consider how to tighten it up a bit for you. Also, many papers want copyrights, so tell them you are giving them one-time rights only [allow online publication, but don't give them anything exclusive on the Net]--otherwise you won't be able to send it to other places. Most outlets routinely demand all rights, but will relent quickly if you tell them you want to distribute it widely. Many outlets would love a picture to run with it. A closeup of the face of a hound, or a picture of a hound with a smiling kid will help most. No crazed slobbermouthed treeing dogs for this purpose!

You might want to excerpt short parts to respond to specific anti-hunting pieces as you see them one place or another. The trick to getting them published without major editing is to stick closely to one or two points and not repeat yourself at all. If you'd like more help with specifics, post here, pm or email me. I'd be more than happy to help.

great ideas it really hits home, thanks to you guys for putting the time in on it. One suggestion I have is to reword the part about other hunters killing females resulting in the death of young and assorted problems. It puts a bad spin on hunters as a whole and we are all hunters. Just don't want to see a split between hunters and houndsmen & women, we all need to stick together. I really like to see people understand the values we can teach kids. This sport teaches responsibility, ethics, morals, and freindship. Most houndsmen are not wealthy but they are rich in love and respect for our hounds and the game we persue! As houndsmen we have made a choice to put our money into our dogs and give them the best food and medical care we can afford and to hunt them as much as they want to be hunted. In a world were the family unit is falling apart we can teach kids something that they are not getting anywhere else. I wanted to get back into hounds so I could teach my kids about the wonderfull world of hounding! We see places that the normal person will never ever see and experience things that they will never understand if we don't make an effort to include them and get them to understand. So thanks again and I love including Where The Red Fern Grows that has reached many non-hunters over the years. Keep up the good work.