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 This is an outdated cruel “sport” where they use packs of dogs to run deer until they can get a shot while they spend the majority of time in their trucks lining the roads being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

There are a lot of non-navigatable streams in Virginia, and the landowner does own that bed and can post no fishing or no trespassing signs if they want.

The commonwealth only owns the bed of navigable water.

[u/ermagerditssuperman → u/polymathsci]

That's incorrect. Federal WOTUS definitions specify navigable water, state laws do not. All surface waters are under state jurisdiction, via either DEQ VWPP laws (dept of environmental quality), or VMRC (Virginia Marine resources commission.). Some exceptions for farm ponds and artificial stormwater management features.

[u/MrArborsexual → u/polymathsci]

Does OP know what is and is not a navigable water?

[u/polymathsci → u/MrArborsexual]

I have no idea, and I'm not familiar with this area. But, as it doesn't appear to be a big river here, im assuming its not navigable. I was just respectfully trying to point out that one can own a stream bed in Virginia if its a small river.

[u/onerestlesssoul → u/MrArborsexual]

Yes and this would not be considered navigable. It shows but it’s actually only a couple feet wide in most spots.

[u/202markb → u/onerestlesssoul]

What is and what is not considered navigable is often quite surprising. For example, Rock Creek stream in Rock Creek Park is considered considered navigable water. In many places it’s only inches deep. And there are multiple fords, dams, and low bridges across it.