Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Editorial: On the hunt for a solution
Hunting with Hounds offers a compromise proposal that will satisfy few.
From the RoundTable blog
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Among the principles Virginians hold sacred are the right to enjoy one's property without government intervention and the right to hunt. When the two principles collide, as they do with hound hunting, the government is asked to referee.
Currently, hunters hold the advantage as the government allows them to traipse across private property -- even if it's posted no trespassing -- when they are in pursuit of their hounds. Landowners argue the government is taking use of their property. Besides, no other dog owners can allow their animals to run freely. Why shouldn't hunters be required to call off their hounds when they stray?
To ease the escalating tension, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries created a Hunting with Hounds committee. Members representing both hunters and property owners were asked to propose regulatory changes so the department could hold at bay interference by the General Assembly. The committee has drawn up a compromise proposal that will be considered Oct. 23 by the department's board. The proposal will likely satisfy few.
It relies too heavily on the unrealistic expectation that throwing more law enforcement at the problem will ease underlying tension. It won't. And with Virginia facing a $3 billion budget shortfall, the department will most likely slash, not add, jobs.
The committee also seeks more hunter training and the establishment of a code of ethics among hunters and hunt clubs: admirable ideas that will be difficult to implement and even more arduous to enforce.
But the real sticking point comes down to the notion that hunters hold the advantage under right-to-retrieve laws. Hunters could still freely chase after dogs that stray onto posted property. They would need only to make a "reasonable attempt" first to contact the landowner. This means landowners would be forced to post contact information. Absent that, hunters could presume the land is open.
Sorry, this proposal won't hunt with landowners who wish to enjoy their property without concern for trespassing dogs and hunters. The department needs to adopt a tougher approach or risk lawmakers trespassing into its regulatory territory.
