Why wait???? Here we go with embracing reality whether we like it or not....
Here is part of the problem as I see it. Due to the very nature of dog hunting and still hunting (technically a misnomer), it is not really possible for them to co-exist without having an impact on each other. This is from an adjacent or nearby property standpoint. They frequently have different and mutually exclusive goals in mind. Still hunting does not usually impact dog hunting negatively, unless some rogue shoots their dogs, but dog hunting definitely impacts still hunting negatively.
This was actually brought home to me today at work. A good friend who is an avid dog hunter and good guy asked how I did this weekend. I showed him a picture of the decent 17 incher that I got. He said wow, I wish we could kill deer like that. Then he went on to describe his hunt. He described the typical dog hunt, with the emphasis on hearing the dogs run and identifying his dogs in the pack.......which is fine. I realized that what we really had was two very different goals. Ours is to manage the herd and selectively take a small number of mature bucks and a few does. His is to enjoy the thrill of the chase and kill every legal buck and a good many does. I suppose that there are dog clubs who quality manage, but it is very difficult to be selective when a buck is being chased across a road at 90 MPH. My friend would like to consistently see and occasionally kill a big deer, but the way he hunts simply precludes this from happening except on rare occasions of sheer good luck or being near a club that quality manages......the old have your cake and eat it too routine.
I believe that folks should be able to hunt on their property the way that they want AS LONG AS it does not negatively impact hunters on the adjacent property from hunting the way that they want. Unfortunately, most (not all) dog hunters are just not willing to admit that their style of hunting negatively impacts other land owners. The smaller the dog club (property wise) the bigger their proportional impact.
If you take two similar 1000 acre tracts that are beside each other, with one being a dog club and the other a still hunting club, which one do you think benefits the most from having the other beside it?????? That should tell you who is impacting whom the most.
I believe that the answer is not to outlaw dog hunting wholesale, but to tightly regulate it like Georgia does. If you can't play your music too loud at midnight, because it impacts your neighbors, you shouldn't be able to do the the same thing when it comes to screwing up your neighbors hunting so you can selfishly enjoy yours. The smart dog hunters will see the handwriting on the wall and begin to police themselves before it is forced upon them. Unfortunately most will push it until they ultimately loose, then they will blame it on the rich still hunters, the yankees, the blacks, the Jews, the _____(fill in the blank).......anybody, except the real reason which is themselves. It is called denial and I guess it goes with the territory.
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