claude brings up another question rich when he speaks of a defense weapon,bow and black powder hunters with a conceal cary permit can cary while hunting,does that apply to the rtr law?

Rich Goszka - Thanks for your efforts to rein in the illegal deer chasing.

Mr. Sutton and other fox hunters - I don't really think that fox hunters have much to worry about regarding the issue of controlling or managing their dogs. If you are actually chasing or hunting fox with your dogs, then I would trust a CPO to give you the benefit. But deer hunting groups are just putting their dogs out with no real effort to control or manage - just pick them up after a few hours or the next day. This is what Rich is saying is not fox chasing/hunting, no matter what the owners say. These dogs are either chasing deer or at the least, running at large. Foxhunters should be angry when others claim their sport to skirt the law. There is a good VA OAG opinion on this located at www.oag.state.va.us/Opinions/1999opns/feb993.pdf.

Derrick - Aw heck, why bother?

John clarify your comment to me. Thanks

In reply to John and Derick:

Rich was kind enough to answer my questions about foxhunters in a private email to me.

I have no doubt that he will be fair, as John pointed out. I do worry about running into some new guy who has an attitude.

I think he has gone way beyond what his job requires in comming onto this site and taking questions and suggestions from us and I think we should be polite to him.

So we should give him some respect, not because he has a badge but because he is trying to communicate with us.

If we don't, he will more than likely go away and we will lose the chance to make our views known to him.

CSSJR

He also answered my questions through e-mail.

I too am a CPO and enjoy reading the posts on "Speeddogs". I work in the Greensville County area, many of you have seen me at Poole's and Emerson Poarch's fox pens while patrolling. I have been instrumental in getting several clubs (Last Chance, Cato Hill) into foxhound/beagle outside field trials. There was a question asked by "John on Oct 16th" on outside field trials being effected by the statue of running dogs out of season that was never answered.

The answer is no, read on.

All field trials (fox pen and outside hunts) are required to have a field trial permit issued by our department. This permit covers the club or person to legally conduct a field trial. The permit should be displayed in public view in the area where the registration is being conducted. If a permit is not displayed, ask to see it. If the club or person conducting the field trial can not produce the permit, more than likely it's an illegal field trial and subject to closure and some legal paperwork requiring a court appearance.

I too have much of the same problems as Rich on the Northern Neck. Hunt Clubs fighting each other, landowners complaining about hunt clubs and their dogs, road hunting, running dogs out of season (includes illegal field trials) and spotlighting. It's sad to say there are a few bad apples in the bunch that gives hunting a bad name.

There are 3 types of people in this world. Hunters, non-hunters and those on the fence. Here lately, those on the fence have been leaning towards taking sides with the non-hunters.

Derick,
Hound hunting opinions run the gamut from radical views held by HSUS/PETA, through a huge range of more reasonable opinions, and on to the radical views held by you and others. I thought your posting of Rich Goszka's original article was great although I knew you were just trying to stir the pot against his position, which you subsequently confirmed with several posts. On numerous forums you advocate enforcement of existing laws versus modifying existing laws or creating new ones. Here we have a situation where a CPO calmly cites his plan to enforce existing laws and you try to stir the pot against that plan. Oh well, I guess any controversial issue gets its radicals at both ends. But just as I would not bother to argue with HSUS/PETA regarding their opinions, the same applies to you.

John - The reason inwhich I posted the article was to inform you and other members of speeddog. The current rules and regulations need to be enforced but not at the extent of using a different color verison than the meaning of the regulation itself. He is a sgt and has men at his command, Do all cpo's under his command see the regulation his way or do they read and act on it a different way. How one percieves the law another may not and act accordingly.

JOHN LOCKE,
I AM NOT TRYING TO STIR ANY POTS,BUT AM I TOO A RADICAL FOR DEFENDING SOMETHING THAT HAS BROUGHT ONLY PLEASURE AND POSITIVE EXPERIENCES TO ME , MY FRIENDS, AND FAMILY. AGAIN, THE OVERIDING PROBLEM WITH THE ENTIRE ISSUE IS THE LUMPING OF ALL HOUND HUNTERS INTO A SITUATION WHERE WE FEEL THE NEED TO BE DEFENSIVE AND REACT TO OUR DETRACTORS DUE TO THE ACTIONS OF A FEW.

I HAVE BEEN CALLED A LOT OF THINGS,BUT RADICAL ISNT ONE OF THEM.
JMMJR,VHDA

John Morse,
I welcome your defense. The lumping of all hound hunters is a very serious problem but I believe that the overriding problem is "the actions of a few". As you defend what I trust are honorable hunting habits, don't make the same mistake made by your detractors and lump yourself in with all hound hunters as a defensive posture. Be willing to stand out to challenge those "few". Be part of the process versus protesting on the side. Support fair measures intended to improve the situation for all ethical hunters. Rich Goszka presented a reasonable interpretation of existing law along with a reasonable plan of enforcement. In his first post (not the article), he states,
"What I don’t understand is that y’all wanted us to enforce the existing laws, then when we do you question the intent of the law v. the letter of the law. I did not pull this stuff out of a hat. Some of it comes from Attorney General Opinions and case law. We do try to use common sense when dealing with violations." That is the best that a law enforcement officer can do and it appears that Rich is doing a great job.

THESE RULES BEEN IN VIRGINIA FOR YEARS. IN KING WILLIAM COUNTY YOU HAVE TO BE 100 YARDS OFF THE ROAD TO HAVE A LOADED FIRE ARM DURING HUNTING SEASON. RUNNING DOGS ON DEER IN VIRGINIA DURING THE OFF SEASON IS OUT. FOX HOUNDS IS CONTINUOS OPEN SEASON.WE HAVE RAN INTO THIS PROBLEM SEVERAL TIMES RUNNING DEER. MY ADVICE IS TO KEEP YOUR TRUCK MOVING WHEN YOU HERE SOME ONE COMING.THEY HAVE TO PROVE OR SEE YOUR DOGS RUNNING DEER. I USE TO GET PERMISSION FROM LAND OWNERS TO PARK IN THERE YARD TO HERE MY DOGS RUN. THANKS FOR FOX PENS.

JOHN LOCKE,
YOU MAKE SOME GOOD POINTS.

PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT I AND THE PEOPLE I KNOW AND HUNT WITH HAVE BEEN STANDING UP TO THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE MADE POOR DECISIONS WHILE HUNTING FOR YEARS. SIMPLY PUT, WE DONT TOLERATE IT.

FURTHER, I COMMEND RICH AND ALL OTHER CPO STAFF.THEY HAVE A TOUGH THANKLESS JOB. MY GROUPS HAVE ALWAYS COOPERATED WITH THEM. ALTHOUGH ITS BEEN MANY YEARS AGO, WE LET THE WARDENS IN N.C. USE OUR CLUBHOUSE TO STAY IN WHILE THEY INVESTIGATED A LARGE FIRELIGHTING, DEER MEAT SELLING RING IN CUURITUCK N. C.. THIS RESULTED IN A MAJOR BUST AND I BELIEVE SOME PEOPLE ACTUALLY GOING TO JAIL.

MY MAJOR POINT IS THE WAY THE ISSUE HAS BEEN FRAMED FROM THE START. AS AN ANALOGY,I HAVE TO BELIEVE THAT THE VAST MAJORITY OF LAWFUL CAR DRIVERS IN OUR STATE WOULD REACT DEFENSIVELY IF DMV INITIATED A GENERAL STUDY OF CAR DRIVING AS A RESPONSE TO THOSE WHO DRIVE UNDER THE INFLUENCE.THAT IS NOT MY UNDERSTANDING OF HOW OUR SOCIETY DEALS WITH PROBLEMS .

AT ANY RATE,HERES HOPING WE ALL DO THE RIGHT THING THIS SEASON.
JMMJR,VHDA

The study is over with, debating it now does not help the sport. The debate now should surround around the issues confronting hound hunting and how to address them. Think solutions and image, just as you did in the Pilot article and video now that had some real impact. The real issue is how do we get the message to those causing the problems either intentional or just out of ignorance.