BigGameHoundsmen.com

Folks we need to read this and respond accordingly, If we do not take a stand and educate the public, we will be outnumbered with bias, misleading representatives with hidden agendas...

Forward Message:

From: Brian Vincent [mailto:brian@bigwildlife.org]
Sent: Tuesday, February 02, 2010 2:19 PM
To: brian Vincent
Subject: NEWS: Hound Hunting of Bears is Legalized Animal Fighting
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2010

CONTACT: Brian Vincent, Big Wildlife, 604-618-1030. Contact Mr. Vincent to obtain a copy of Big Wildlife’s comments on the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) draft bear hunting proposals.

Click here to read the CDFG proposal on <http://www.dfg.ca.gov/news/pubnotice/> line.
<http://www.dfg.ca.gov/news/pubnotice/> Click here to watch video of typical bear hunt with hounds.
<http://www.humanesociety.org/news/multimedia/index.html?fr_story=e2cc7ec09cf7087516729123499176973dd66a09>
CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME PROPOSALS TO EXPAND BEAR HUNTING ACROSS STATE IS SCIENTIFICALLY INDFENSIBLE, INHUMANE
Wildlife Advocates Say Bear Houndsmen “No Better than Michael Vick”


SACRAMENTO – Big Wildlife, an international wildlife advocacy organization, said proposals by the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) to dramatically expand bear hunting across the state are “scientifically indefensible and inhumane.” Last week, the CDFG released a draft environmental document that included a number of alarming recommendations. For instance, the agency has proposed: increasing the hunt quota from 1,700 to 2,500 bears or eliminating a cap altogether and expanding hunting into other areas of the state, including San Luis Obispo county. Big Wildlife said the CDFG’s plan to permit use of global positioning system (GPS) collars and treeing switches on dogs while bear hunting was especially troubling because “bears would virtually have no escape.” (A treeing switch alerts hunters when hounds have chased a bear up a tree.)

“There is nothing ‘sporting’ about turning a pack of hounds loose on a frightened bear,” said Brian Vincent, Communications Director for Big Wildlife. “Permitting hunters to use GPS collars and treeing switches on the dogs’ collars means bears won’t stand a chance.”

While hunters in California are permitted to employ hounds to pursue bears, they are not yet allowed to use GPS tracking devices on their dogs. At a meeting before the California Fish and Game Commission this week, Big Wildlife will urge the Commission to reject the CDFG recommendations and will highlight the problems associated with hound hunting. The wildlife group said hound hunting of bears is:

· Cruel for both dogs and bears. During a typical hunt with hounds, a trophy hunter releases his dogs from their leashes to pursue bears. Eventually, the frightened bear climbs a tree to escape. The hunter then shoots the animal from the tree. If the bear is not dead when the animal falls to the ground after being shot, the bear may be attacked by the dogs. Terrified bears, especially those with cubs, will sometimes turn and fight their pursuers – resulting in brutal fights between the dogs and bears. It is not uncommon for hounds to attack bears, especially cubs, and even more common for bears to maim or kill dogs.

· Highly stressful to bears and other wildlife. Hounds can pursue their quarry for hours. In two bear-chase studies, scientists noted average chase lengths of 3.2 hours and 1.9 hours with some chases lasting 12 hours and covering 29 kilometers. Long chases can severely stress bears, causing overheating and potential brain damage (Jonkel, Charles. 1992. On Hunting Bears with Dogs). During chases, sows and cubs may become separated in which case the young may succumb to starvation, predation, or accidental death. In addition, hounds may pursue non-targeted animals, including imperiled species.

· Associated with poaching. Illegal killing of bears has increased nationwide, fueled by a booming international market for bear parts, including gall bladders and bear paws. A single bear gall bladder can bring in $5,000, creating an incentive for illegally killing of bears. Poaching of wildlife, especially bears, has become epidemic in California. Violations rose from 6,538 in 2003 to 17,840 in 2007. Yet, California has fewer than 300 active-duty game wardens patrolling the state's 100 million acres. California wildlife officials have routinely failed to assess the cumulative impacts of poaching. And legal hunting of bears has provided cover for “piggy-back” poaching activities. As a result, more bears are being killed in California than every before. There have been numerous bear poaching rings broken up in California in recent years. Hound hunters have been at the center of all of these poaching operations.

“Hound hunting sometimes results in violent encounters between dogs and bears. Cubs can be ripped apart by packs of dogs. Or a frightened bear may attack the dogs to defend her young,” said Vincent. “Michael Vick was rightly convicted and sent to jail for forcing dogs to fight. Yet, in California Houndsmen are allowed to pit their dogs against bears in glorified animal fights. Bear houndsmen are no better than Michael Vick.”

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FOR MORE INFORMATION GO TO BIG WILDLIFE'S WEBSITE AT: www.bigwildlife.org

<http://www.bigwildlife.org/> Brian Vincent, Communications Director, Big Wildlife
Phone: 604-618-1030
Email: brian@bigwildlife.org

*Big Wildife is a project of the Earth Island Institute. Visit Earth Island at: www.earthisland.org


<http://www.earthisland.org/> "The time will come when men such as I will look upon the murder of animals as they now look on the murder of men."
-- Leonardo Da Vinci

"One of the penalties of an ecological education is that one lives alone in a world of wounds."
-- Aldo Leopold

Not another bunch of maggots!
I guess that with the economy down, a nonprofit that plays on emotions is the way to go nowadays.

Sick...just sick.

it's real hard to sit here and read this shit it is the dregs of human intelligence pointing their manicured fingers at us saying we are the beast. many of the objections to hound hunting are the ones we strive to eliminate or will not allow at all. and his facts are emotionally biased bs and fantasy. I have to admit that when faced with it you rightly become defensive and perhaps enraged. That may very well be another of their reasons for using pure bs to cause hunters to become emotional and defensive making us appear as worked up antisocial loons, which most humans appear when charged with pure lies about their selves and anything they hold dear. how would the local animal shelter employees feel if you continuously harassed them and publicly pointed out their breed basis and how they murder more pets then they save, and then added a good dose of bs as well? If we had the money and time to fund the counteractive truth filled ad campaigns it might help. Although fox hunting was the rich mans sport in England and they couldn't turn the tide. Damn Walt Disney and every other city dwelling confused idiot. I have always thought it was game and fishes job to manage wildlife in a cost effective and sustainable way with its continued existence and the protection of the peoples health and property. They definitely don't want to stand up and protect their most efficient and effective tool, the Hunter regardless of the method used in their service! Hunters are humans that have sought to master one specific art of using natural resources for the betterment of self and society since the beginning. The same as a miner or farmer or fisherman use their talents. with the masses living in high rises and condos so far with drawn from the realities of nature and it educating force we have a hell of a fight teaching them what close contact with "mother nature' would have taught them on its on. sorry for the soap box but the shit is getting deeper and closer to the front door

And yet with all the BS that this moron is flinging the bear population in California is growing and expanding with help of our $ from the tags and license's!

Well I did seea ray of hope last night on a TV commercial.
The Colorado Division of Wildlife is running an add that states that virtually every dollar of wildlife management is funded by sportsmans dollars. At least it is a start.

while I do most all my bear hunting in Maine . I do try to support them as much as I can for the kids and grand-kids . However I have kept to one of my New Years resolutions and every time I hear about 1 of these anti JEMUCKS I do write a letter . So california will be receiving my next letter. This is something we all need to do at least to the states we are hunting in.And to those National ORGS that BS the public as to What we really do . If WE ALL wrote a letter per month it might accomplish something .We can all afford at least 1 stamp and envelope .Refrain from cussing and state the facts . Having done so many times it is a good way to vent your frustrations.

while I do most all my bear hunting in Maine . I do try to support them as much as I can for the kids and grand-kids . However I have kept to one of my New Years resolutions and every time I hear about 1 of these anti JEMUCKS I do write a letter . So california will be receiving my next letter. This is something we all need to do at least to the states we are hunting in.And to those National ORGS that BS the public as to What we really do . If WE ALL wrote a letter per month it might accomplish something .We can all afford at least 1 stamp and envelope .Refrain from cussing and state the facts . Having done so many times it is a good way to vent your frustrations.

Hope you guys in CA have a good Bear Hunters Association, it sure helps to have an organization fighting battles, seems to get more results than individual houndsmen. The anti's are well organized and well funded and it takes the same to fight crap like this.

These morons couldn't even think up their own letter, they had to use the HSUS's "Hound Hunting Fact sheet". I feel for you guys out in Cali. The HSUS is holding the CADFG hostage, and now the rest of the anti-animal groups are going to pile on.