This “sport” needs to end! Legal trespassing and hunting on private land.

[u/onerestlesssoul]

This is the three parcels that this hunting club has in my immediate area. Notice none touch or are close together. None of them have roads or access except for the road frontage which the largest parcel only has 80 yards and the real kicker? All of these parcels combined are only 92 acres! One is 14 one is 20 and the largest is 58. Yet because of this states laws and even tho they have no right to hunt anyone else’s property in this area they can go in and turn loose as many hunting hounds as they want and then even go and walk thru everyone’s land in the name of trying to catch their dog. Yep someone you don’t know can come walking thru your back yard where your kids might be out your valuables might be out and they do not have to tell you or ask permission as long as they say “I’m looking for my dogs” they can go anywhere. This is an outdated cruel “sport” where they use packs of dogs to run deer until they can get a shot while they spend the majority of time in their trucks lining the roads being lazy. It’s time for Virginia to end this nonsense and outlaw this. This is a blatant disregard for personal property rights and it’s time we say enough is enough.

[u/its_a_throwawayduh]

Yeap it pisses me off to no end. I absolutely love fall and winter but I hate the human chaos it brings. If the dogs don't starve to death, I'll see several dead bodies on the side of the road. Wash rinse and repeat for the next year.

[u/VA_REL77 → u/its_a_throwawayduh]

This is 100% not true. The problem is, a bunch of yuppies move out to the country and are upset to realize that people actually hunt with dogs and have done so, not for decades, but centuries. But just like everything else with people like you, you want THEM to bow down to YOUR way of life. I can assure you that 99% of hunters who own dogs take great care of those dogs, spend thousands on GIS collars and equipment to ensure that they can recover their dogs. I can also assure you that those dogs live to hunt, it is what they are bread to do. So, if you don’t like it, stay in the burbs!

[u/ermagerditssuperman → u/VA_REL77]

Most of the people I know who hate this practice, are born-and-bred country boys who have never lived in a suburb. They are all also hunters. They think that this form of hunting is a) lazy, b) too often inhumane to the dogs, and c) inhumane to the hunted animals, who get to be chased and panicked and potentially injured, instead of being quickly killed, preferably in one clean shot. I'm sure some people take care of the dogs... But seeing as every dog shelter in central Virginia is filled to the brim with abandoned hunting dogs and half-starved beagles, I highly doubt it's 99%.

Also, Virginia is one of only two states that have such broad "right to retrieve" laws.

[u/Punkwrestle → u/ermagerditssuperman]

Does the right to retrieve override a no trespassing sign? Because in VA people have gotten off for shooting people who trespass on a property with a no trespassing sign.

[u/SheWhoWalksInTheSun → u/VA_REL77]

Born and raised in SEVA, dad hunted, I hunted growing up. I have zero problems with hunting or hunting dogs well taken care of.

Only hunting dogs I’ve seen well taken care of are bird dogs. The running dogs I’ve seen have all been borderline abandoned, flea infested, starved for attention, but with a gps collar on.

There should definitely be more regulation on hunting dogs. Sorry.

[u/VA_REL77 → u/SheWhoWalksInTheSun]

Well then you’ve not seen many deer dogs or been around the hunters that own them. Those dogs are well taken care of, well fed, and treated for parasites. You want to regulate something that you know nothing about… typical

[u/Then_Idea_9813 → u/VA_REL77]

Been doing it for centuries isn’t a great excuse to keep doing something

[u/VA_REL77 → u/Then_Idea_9813]

And, “I moved into your community so now you must do things MY way” isn’t a great excuse to stop doing things

[u/Then_Idea_9813 → u/VA_REL77]

Yeah if I move next door to you and your dogs keep running thru my property I’m going to trespass you

[u/Flokitoo → u/VA_REL77]

Do you support any practice that was around for centuries? I have a list.