Virginia Hunting Dog Alliance
P.O. Box 657
Powhatan, Virginia 23139

October 20, 2008

For Immediate Release

Contact: H. Kirby Burch
(804) 794-8612

The Virginia Hunting Dog Alliance is calling for Virginia Sportsmen to come to Richmond on Thursday, October 23rd to protest the actions of the Board of Directors of Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) in the conduct of its “Hunting Dog Study”.

“We believe that hundreds of Sportsmen will rally at the VDGIF Board meeting to tell them they know it has trumped up a controversy about hunting with dogs in Virginia to put forth a study that is no more than a thinly disguised political ruse to push an anti-hunting agenda,” said Kirby Burch, Vice-Chairman of the Virginia Hunting Dog Alliance. “We expect bear, bobcat, coyote, deer, fox, quail, rabbit, raccoon, and waterfowl hunters to turn out in large numbers.”

First claiming in a series of newspaper articles in the spring of 2007, that DGIF was receiving an increase in complaints about trespassing by hunting dog owners and the lack of public support for hunting with dogs, they said they wanted to conduct a study to identify ways to preserve hunting with dogs. Hundreds of Sportsmen came to Richmond to tell them that a study was not needed, only competent law enforcement. Establishing an advisory committee of hand picked people they called stakeholders, closing the process to the public so that the discussion could not be observed, VDGIF then published a biased poll to encourage the public to submit negative tales about hunting practices. “When the resulting response was apparently favorable to hunting with dogs the results were not released to the public,” said Burch.

Repeated requests to the VDGIF for information about the number, nature and location of complaints were ignored until a Freedom of Information request was formally filed. The response from VDGIF proved that they had received very few complaints and even fewer convictions over the last three years. A “technical report” by VDGIF staff, who used a group of anti-hunting studies produced in other states and the notorious Burns Inquiry from the English action to ban fox hunting, was sufficient proof for most Sportsmen that VDGIF was not looking to help hunting but to further a “radical animal rights agenda.”

Seven public hearings were held around the state to present the Stakeholder draft recommendations for public comment. The overwhelming response of more than 2000 people favored no changes to existing law and regulation and an increase in enforcement. The speakers supported the Virginia traditions, as they are currently practiced, by more than ten to one. “Less than half of the eleven VDGIF Board members and the majority of the Stakeholders did not bother to attend their own hearings,” said Burch.

The Sportsmen losing trust that this Board will listen to the public, but believes VDGIF will continue a course that disregard’s the impact that hunting with dogs has on the state economy and a demonstrated fact that the vast majority of Virginia Sportsmen and women that hunt with dogs are law abiding citizens.

www.vahda.org

GREAT POST THIS ONE SHOULD STAY AT THE TOP!!!!!

This may be one of the MOST IMPORTANT meetings ever held at the VDGIF Headquarters!!
IF YOU SUPPORT HUNTING WITH HOUNDS......YOU BETTER BE THERE!!!
The ANTI's are!!!

ALLAN BISHOP
(JABBER JAW)

The newspaper article the antis ran is getting lots of attention from people all over.I have worked at the same company for 16 years and the majority of the same people have been there for that time,they have always known that i hunted with hounds.Never a word about hounds ubtil this morning.I had 3 people ask me this morning if i treated my hounds like the newspaper article stated and started asking all kinds of questions regarding houind hunting.

Now if that article caught the eye of these people who live in the city and have no clue about hunting imagine what it has done to the rest of the non-hunters and there thinking on hounds

This is a major push,the worse yet against us.We need to hit this meeting hard and start our own e-mail chain to VDGIF,THE RICHMOND TIMES DISPATCH,AND THE COMMITTEE.