BigGameHoundsmen.com

I posted this in the General section and since it also pertains to bobcat hunting, I will post it here....
Update for Oregon Hound hunters.

ODFW has abandoned it's efforts to eliminate the use of a live raccoon under Division 44 for use in our field trials, both for use and in transit too and from such an event. Thanks to all those who sent emails of objection and voiced their opinion in written testimony! I know some feel we should abandon such use and it's only a matter of time before we lose the fight....

My position? This happens to be our god given right and our hound hunting heritage and we demand equal considerations where these rights are concerned! We should never exploit what we do openly on the internet, that said? It's what we do and who we are and if you attack our group? You better look at all other forms of hunting straight across the board!

ODFW concurred!

ODFW also has abandoned it's endeavors at taking any of our bobcat hunting away from us in terms of reduced bag limits or reductions related to our training season or harvest season for all fur bearing mammals in Oregon. We didn't gain nothing, but more importantly? We didn't lose nothing!

Please join me in thinking about our actions out in the field and know we are a minority user group and therefore the most vulnerable!


Mike

In many areas training a hound is voodoo or bear impossible. If a Hunter doesn't have a finished hound the amount of work and luck required to train a pup is insane. Look at the number of bird's used to train bird dogs of any type. Or stock used in schooling young stock dogs. Running exercises for mantrailers required volunteers it all required that training period. Hounds get the short end of the training stick often. The loss of training will shut down hounds as surely as outlawing them.

You can click on the link provided and go to Exhibit C and look at the Bobcat proposal. It has the current trend pertaining to fur market sales and harvest numbers that are very interesting.

http://www.dfw.state.or.us/agency/commi ... /index.asp



On that page, Exhibit A is for the Division 44 rules (PROTECTED WILDLIFE, HOLDING AND PROPAGATING) Or the raccoon issue and Exhibit C is for the FURBEARER AND UNPROTECTED MAMMAL REGULATIONS.


Mike

Good post Mike, and congratulations Oregon hounds men. I feel like this brings up a questions that I've kind of always had burning in the back of my mind. That is, what are we as hounds men doing to solidify the future of our tradition? I know its frustrating to pull up to the trail head and see a half a dozen cars already parked there, but its the numbers that will give us a fair shake in legislation. Lets be honest, quite often the first sport of out doors men that gets carved off the edges is hounds and big game. Bears in Colorado and lions in California just to name a few. There's not a lot of us so were a good place to start when the antis want some one to pick on. And form a lack of the correct education in the general public they often tend to side with those not so hound friendly folks. So I say again, what are we doing so our grand kids can have the experience of chasing a hound that's chasing a deer for miles in the dark? lol

I try and get as many kids involved in dogs as I can. Nothing makes a dog happier then letting it do what its bread for, weather it be chasing a feather or fur. Teaching kids what there dogs do and how to get a good handle on them is a great place to start. It's great to see a kid have complete control over a dog while it flushes a pheasant for a shot and then the retrieve to hand. Teaching them how a gentle men acts in the woods and how they represent a larger population when there out and about. Honestly, once the kid is involved its not real long after that you have the parents getting out into the woods with them. And there asking me questions about hunting and hounds and it gives me a chance to explain hounds on a fair playing field. Possibly maybe take them out hound hunting and show them.

Also, people will tell me things like, I just don't see the challenge in shooting something out of a tree. I usually say, I don't see the challenge in it either and that's why I don't most of the time. For me its everything leading up to the tree I'm interested in. Picking out a pup, training that pup, and maybe seeing that pup catch a critter is where I get my thrills. And that's where the real challenge lies.

Anyhow I could go for hours and I had better put and end to this rambling. I did however want to hear any ideas or thoughts anybody else had on the subject of "saving our sport"? Maybe what to say when asked certain questions or how to get more people involved.

Thanks Fellas and have a good night. Tanner Peyton

People that don't have a clue think hound hunting is easy.I always say if it was easy more people would be doing it.
If you take someone hunting with a well trained pack it can look easy at times but what they didn't get to see was the years of blood,sweat and tears it took to get to that point of treeing game .Very few people will put out that kind of effort which explains our small group of sportsmen.
I've heard more than a few guys say they wanted to get into hounds after hunting with a good houndmen but that changed real quick when they found out what they had to put into it .
Talk to as many people as you can and try to explain it to them .Take them hunting if they want to go ,let them see we love our dogs and we love being outdoors .We even care about the animals we pursue and hold them in high regard and that's why we are so proud of our dogs if they're able to bring them to bay or tree !

Tanner Peyton wrote:Good post Mike, and congratulations Oregon hounds men. I feel like this brings up a questions that I've kind of always had burning in the back of my mind. That is, what are we as hounds men doing to solidify the future of our tradition? Bears in Colorado and lions in California just to name a few. There's not a lot of us so were a good place to start when the antis want some one to pick on. And form a lack of the correct education in the general public they often tend to side with those not so hound friendly folks. So I say again, what are we doing so our grand kids can have the experience of chasing a hound that's chasing a deer for miles in the dark? lol

Thanks Fellas and have a good night. Tanner Peyton

Tanner

Ironically the most liberal States in the Nation happen to be California and Oregon. Both agree wildlife will be managed, one way or another. Both States have traded sport hound hunting for government hound hunting on the backs of it's tax paying citizens. California is excessive in it's use of government for both bear and cougar since it's the only proven method for both species. Oregon uses USDA Aphis Wildlife Services and ankle catch snares set over scents or baits for black bear and for administrative cougar removals, hounds are the proven effective method and NO ONE IS LOOSING THEIR MINDS! INCLUDING SPORT HOUND HUNTERS IN CALIFORNIA AND OREGON. Oregon is addicted to OTC cougar tag sales, selling over 44,000 annually with an out of control cougar problem!....It's all about the money and nothing to do with wildlife management.

Here is my response to the anti's...You asked for this, now you got your wish....Bears including sows and baby cubs killed and landfilled...Cougar including females and baby kittens killed over Government hounds in both States and all buried or landfilled...I suspect our hounds and the ability to select harvest will make a comeback over time.

Right now my goal is to educate the policy makers with whatever it takes. Second, my goal is to have the right to hunt fish and trap on the closest ballot we can get it on...

Third, we should keep our youth exposed to our way of life and apologize to no one! Think about this.......Hounds happen to be the only method if done correctly, leaves no room for animals to escape once shot, unlike rifle hunting, archery or black powder.

Take care guys!

Mike Martell

June -9-2016
ODFW Commission passed the fur bearer and trapping proposals yesterday in Salem.
Derek Broman is the new Carnivore-Furbearer Biologist and appears willing to listen, the only change was on the trapping side with a trapping restriction on the fenced corridor of HWY 97 South of Bend at the top of Lava Butte. Two crossing tunnels were constructed under Hwy 97 to allow migrating deer and elk to have safe passage, this has been a death zone for ungulates for decades. What ODFW Commission passed was as follows...There will be no trapping within those two crossing corridors since this location is now fenced to funnel the game through the two crossings. This was possibly the only reasonable proposal on the table compared to Division 044...... Doug Nichol, President of the Oregon Trappers Association was present to thank the commission for adopting the new rules while leaving all other trapping and fur bearer rules as they presently read. We retained 100% pertaining to our hound hunting, this is good news as I expected ODFW to propose some restrictions on Eastern Oregon bobcat harvest, but due to decreased participation and a declining market for pelts, ODFW decided to retain everything from the previous regulations. Good news for all of us!

OUSDA was represented by President David Walker-Legislative chairman Larry Sowa representing the houndsmen of Oregon along with both Fern Ridge Tree Hound Club President, several club members along with Mark Boyer-President of Foothills Hound Club out of Estacada Oregon. Our main concern was Division 044. We didn't reach a vote with the added complexity of what this draft entailed for raptors- Zoo animals, keeping pet skunks just to mention a few. ODFW Commission decided to tweak the proposal and will meet at a later date when the full 7 members can be present instead of the four that made up a basic quorum.

I'm happy with what happened yesterday but know if we didn't take the time to show up and voice our concerns, make a stand with a fairly firm voice and heavy hand, we would have lost this battle. In other related news. A high ranking representative from ODFW was asked about the right to hunt fish and trap as a constitutional amendment and ODFW replied, it wasn't interested or support this in any way...All I can say is this further enforces my opinion, these people support special interest as well as sport hunters just about equally. The difference between sport hunters and enviros? We give 110% while the others keep taking without putting up one single penny for wildlife conservation and management. They are not entitled to voice an opinion!

In closing. Register to vote this November!

Mike

Mike, thank you for all your efforts in support of Oregon hound hunting..keep me in mind if there is any thing i can do to help you or support you from southern oregon..

steve jones 541-890-6043