Hunting with dogs may be banned in California
By Hannah Madans, Sacramento Bee
WILTON – When Josh Brones turned on his pickup truck, Tanner, Sequoia and Dollar began to bark.
The three are treeing walker coonhounds, and these hunting dogs were ready to hunt. As Brones let them out of their kennel one by one, each ran a lap around the truck and then jumped into a crate in back.
“They’re living animals with this overwhelming desire to get out and run and get out and hunt, and it would be tremendously selfish to deny them that opportunity,” Brones said Tuesday. He was about to take them to a Glenn County spot just west of Maxwell where he often hunts.
His canines, and others like them, are central to the controversial practice of using dogs to hunt bears and bobcats. Senate Bill 1221, by Democratic Sen. Ted Lieu of Torrance, would ban their use. The Senate narrowly passed the measure, 22-15, in May. It’s now pending in the Assembly.
“Using dogs to hunt bears and bobcats is cruel to the dogs,” Lieu said in an interview Thursday. “It is cruel to the bears. It is cruel to the surrounding wildlife, and it violates what is known as fair chase.”
It’s a hot-button issue, with Brones and the 5,200-member nonprofit called California Houndsmen for Conservation, of which he’s president, opposing the bill. Joining them are hunting and sportsmen’s groups as well as cattlemen’s associations. Opponents have packed Capitol hallways and legislative committee rooms during hearings.
Just as fervent on the other side are the Humane Society of the United States, which sponsored the measure, and other animal and environmental organizations.
Did he really say it would be “selfish to deny them the opportunity” to chase a wild animal that will run for its life until it cannot run anymore and then be shot at virtual point-blank range and then fall to the ground from a tree? Nice “sport” these brave men enjoy…
I sure hope this is true, I agree Dogs should never hunt , only hunt after there masters ,sounds better to me ,
Misleading headline..1221 only stops the use of dogs for hunting bear and bobcat, not all hunting. I fail to see the sport in having a dog tree and animal so that a human can walk up to within a few yards of it and blast it with a high powered rifle.
Lisa, the leader of the Humane Society wants to ban all hunting. So ya know that saying “just because you are paranoid doesnt mean people arent out to get ya?” Its sort of like that. The sponsors of the legislation are going after this but it will be using dogs for pigs, the quail, then ducks. This has nothing to do with protecting dogs or bears. This is all about banning hunting, and that is by the clear words of the head of the sponsor of the bill. I hunt bear but not with dogs. I like spot and stalk hunting. So I dont have a “dog” in the fight. But I am going to definitely give money and time to the opponents of the bill because I do believe this has nothing to do with bear hunting and everything to do with hunting in general.
a state bent on legislating everything that bothers the chosen.
John, that may be true for Humane Society! but I have no problem with hunting as I am a meat eater, though I readily admit I don’t find trophy hunting an acceptable sport. My friends and family who are avid hunters all hold the same opinion. I will be in favor of stopping the use dogs in hunting pigs the very day pigs start climbing trees to get away from dogs. Until that happens, I doubt you will see a widespread call to ban hunting with dogs for those situations from me or many Californians.
I support the right to arm bears.
Let me qualify my statement. From what I can see, the US Humane Society has purposefully not taken a stand on general hunting. There are some stands against hunting predators, so please cite where the HSUS declares it wants to ban all hunting.
John, It’s just like when they come for your assault weapons and grenade launchers, what’s next? It’s the slippery slope of gov’t taking ALL the guns!…. you can’t be serious… unless you think the NRA is something more than a business whose purpose is selling weapons.
“Our goal is to get sport hunting in the same category as cock fighting and dog fighting. Our opponents say hunting is a tradition. We say traditions can change.” – Bozeman Daily Chronicle, October 8, 1991
I hear that Dick “Dick” Cheney is a big fan of “sport” hunting birds. Google this and you will see what a sub-human activity this is. Don’t confuse sport/trophy slaughter with things like duck and deer hunting, that’s disingenuous crap.
Mojo all hunting is sport hunting. There is nothing disingenuous about it. There is only a distinction in your little brain. Yes I kill dear and ducks every year and its a sport. Its also 75% of the meat my family eats.
Deer not dear…..
John…yup he said it 21years ago! I find it interesting that all the hunting sites use the same quote. You would think if this was truly a goal of theirs that there might be another? When he spoke about 1221, he was VERY clear that this was only about the use of dogs and nothing else. You may define sport hunting as all hunting, but to me it is t he same as trophy hunting and not huntin for good.
Lisa, granted its a bit of a lame quote. But here is the Humane society on any form of hunting with hounds including raccoons which is a pretty big deal in the South. They go on with lies about how hounds are mistreated. I say lies because while hounds are surely mistreated, there is no evidence they are mistreated more than any other dog. House pets are also mistreated of course. And I have never met a person who puts the time and energy into a hunting dog that mistreats the dog.
By the way, who gets to decide if I am sport hunting or meat hunting? Yeah I eat what I kill. But I am after big deer as well. Is that wrong? Does the Humane society decide if I am a good hunter or evil sport hunter? No thanks. At least PETA is a perfectly honest organization, I may disagree, but I respect them.
Opp. That should of said “hunting for food!”