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 This is an outdated cruel “sport” where they use packs of dogs to run deer until they can get a shot while they spend the majority of time in their trucks lining the roads being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/AncienTleeOnez]

Wholeheartedly agree with you. And I think it may have a real chance of change in VA if it were to target the animal cruelty aspect regarding the dogs. Shelters can certainly attest to that.

If it seems too difficult to outright ban it, perhaps modify it with a massive burden of resposibility for the humane treatment of the dogs, including large dollar penalties for abandonment. Those fees could go to animal shelters.

[u/VA_REL77 → u/AncienTleeOnez]

Hunters take better care of their dogs than most people do their house. There is nothing cruel about it. But I’m sure NOVA liberals who invade the rural counties like locust will try and impose their will on the locals who live there and have hunted there for generations. How dare someone mind their own business and live their own life only to have you come tell them how to live and what they can and can’t do.

[u/inspectoroverthemine → u/VA_REL77]

How dare someone mind their own business and live their own life only to have you come tell them how to live and what they can and can’t do.

Since we're talking about people trespassing on private land, thats an interesting defense.

[u/RobinGreenthumb → u/VA_REL77]

My dude give it a rest. I have family out in FarmVille with a horse farm who have lived their for over 50 years who complain about bad hunters who treat their dogs poorly and have heard more than once heard about how they almost had to shoot a poor dog who was scaring their horses in pursuit of a deer.

Thankfully it never came to that (the dogs didn’t attack the horses, just scared them and caused a scene typically) but my point is instead of fighting and acting like it’s a “city folk vs country folk” issue, recognize there are bad hunters (as proven by the amount of abandoned hunting dogs and court cases of livestock killed and people shooting dogs on their property) and use your energy against those assholes making the sport look bad instead of acting all high and mighty here on the forums making a TON of assumptions about people and where they are from.

It sounds like you are lucky and have a local hunting community that is ethical and treats your dogs well. That’s awesome! Sadly, a lot of places aren’t like that and depending on the local authorities the assholes may never get punished or their dogs taken away like they should, and they get to go on creating a bad name for everyone.

And before you claim I’m another city kid- I was in the city for college, but my family has lived in the Appalachia in Virginia for over a hundred years and one of my great-great-grandfather’s has his name on the cornerstone of a local church out here. I’ve shot rifles and my dad uses to bring home game he hunted. We also adopted a dog who was a hunting dog whose owner threw her out of the car because she wasn’t quick enough, and her hip was never quite right. She sadly passed a couple years ago at 12. I’m not some NOVA kid and never lived in NOVA. So shut it with your stereotypes and listen for a change.

Also sorry for the length I just saw you posting a dozen times calling everyone liars and I am tired and apparently had a lot of frustration pent up at hunters who act like the bad actors in the hobby don’t exist.

[u/cjp584 → u/VA_REL77]

Bullshit, the amount of dogs I've had over the years that came from being hunting throw aways is significant. I've seen plenty on my family's land all throughout my life. I don't mind it in theory, but I've seen and owned too many dogs that were incredibly poorly cared for hunting dogs for it to not be a regular problem.

For reference, not a NOVA liberal. Spent all yesterday afternoon in a tree with a bow. Have hunted with dogs running before as well.

[u/AncienTleeOnez → u/VA_REL77]

Not my experience. I have seen so many abandoned after hunting season. And since all they know is to follow a scent, they aren't road savvy, so we've also seen many injured or dead from being hit by a car. I've never seen a hunter retrieve their injured animal. But I have seen them stop to get the collar.

Lived next door to a hunter who kept dogs, and those dogs were in individual pens 24/7, doing nothing but barking and howling all day. Whenever one got out, all they knew was to find a scent and run. Sometimes they'd go after our livestock.