Jerry Moll
UKC Forum Member
Registered: Jun 2005
Location: Batesville, Indiana
Posts: 738 |
Recent Dog Shootings – What Can Be Done?
Something has gone very wrong with our sport and it is negatively affecting each and every one of us. It seems, not a week goes by without a hunter’s dog being shot or at minimum, shot at. One thing we can do is point our collective finger at the shooter, whom I agree is obviously at fault, but I think we need to look a lot deeper. In my opinion, if we focus exclusively on the individual shooter, this problem will continue to get worse, much worse.
Some believe the most important thing we need is a “Right To Retrieve Law” in each state. While a law of this type would be extremely useful and significant, it will be of no use if your dog has already been shot before you get there. If it is not a felony for a person to shoot another person’s dog in your state, this needs to be Job #1 for you.
Contact your legislators now. Indiana’s Tree Dog organization, the HTDA, has assisted in making an unlawful dog shooting in our state a “Class D Felony”. This type of crime is punishable by six months to three years of incarceration and up to $10,000 in fines. In the last five years, the success rate of civil suits related to dog shootings has also increased dramatically through statewide educational efforts. To assist in this push, we have developed a very successful “Don’t Shoot My Dog” campaign similar to the program that the Michigan State Coonhunters had several years ago. This endeavor is nothing more than getting some very nice looking posters printed up with photos of Tree Dogs and a listing of state laws and their penalties for shooting a hunting dog. Posters are put up anywhere they will be seen by the general public; Wal-Mart, gun shops, Rural King, check-in stations, Tractor Supply, feed mills, convenience stores, gas stations, etc. These posters are large and brightly colored, very hard to walk by without noticing.
We as a group need to focus on why society has gotten to the point that people think it is fine and dandy to murder our prized hounds and beloved hunting companions. Was the current situation we find ourselves in inevitable, regardless of what we should have or could have done? What has our sporting group done so wrong that has caused this? Or rather, what positive things have we not been doing enough of to prevent this? I personally think the current state of affairs could have been avoided, but we won’t gain much by looking back, except for the purposes of learning from our mistakes.
Yes, we need to make some significant changes, and fast. Our sport requires a national tree dog organization that does nothing but network legislative work between the states to preserve our sport for future generations, but first it has to start at the grassroots, the state and local level.
What can you do? First thing, join and support your local coon club and your state’s Tree Dog Organization. If your state does not have an active organization, please step up and get one started. Many states have an outdated or sluggish state organization; if that fits your description figure out a way to jump-start it. Find out what your organization is doing to promote and elevate the image of the Houndsman. What is being done to educate the general public and other sporting groups about how hunting with hounds improves our society and will not interrupt their life or impose on their rights? When you see there is not enough being done toward this goal, volunteer to get things rolling, build solid bridges between the coonhunting community and the rest of society.
Make contact with your local conservation officers; if they have not been exposed to Tree Dogs, educate them about our sport and invite them to go hunting. Talk to local deer, fox, rabbit and bird hunting groups and explain how our hounds will not hinder them in their pursuit of game and offer to show them in the woods. Make your organization known to the head of your state’s Department of Natural Resources and ask to be involved in discussions that may affect our sport. Offer to take 4-H and FFA groups coon hunting and ask teachers and/or leaders to come along. Don’t be afraid to let everyone know the positive impact the Coonhound sport has on the nation’s economy in terms of truck sales, ATV sales, fuel, motels, hunting equipment, restaurants, etc. People will be amazed when you tell them what our sport does in support of worthwhile charities, such as: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Cystic Fibrosis, Down Syndrome, Shriner’s Hospitals, etc.
We need to demonstrate an atmosphere of mutual respect and appreciation for landowners allowing us the privilege of hunting on their private property. We must take the time to communicate our admiration of our state’s Department of Natural Resources and the steps they take to preserve our hunting heritage and public land access. Ask yourself, “How often do I contribute to the negative impressions others have about Houndsmen and how often do I boost the credibility and image of our sport in the public eye”? Again, if you are not a club member, join a club. If you are not a member of your state association, join up and volunteer to do some work.
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04-22-2013 01:54 AM
