Washington needs a hound training season!

[Dewatto]

This is a tuff state to be a houndsmen. We get a 5 1/2 month hunting season riddled with closures from modern firearm hunting, to only hunt Coons. Washington really needs a pursuit hunting season with hounds in the summer that doesn't coincide with any of the bear seasons. That way a houndsmen can get out exercise his hounds, pursue and tree coons with out killing them.
In Montana and Idaho you can hunt raccoons year round with hounds. I'm just talking about a pursuit only hunt from June 1st through august 1st. I dont see why we dont have one, the Bird hunters get a training season, why cant the hound guys?

The WDFW uses us for public safety removal, they call us on a whim whenever to get us to help them catch problem bear and cougar. I think the houndsmen should get a time in the off season to work and train our hounds with out it being Illegal. If We get cought out of season with our hounds off the leash were in for a world of hurt. I'm so sraced of doing something wrong i wont even road my hounds from march 15-sept 1st.

There has to be something we can do to get the attention of the game department so we can have a training season during the summer. One of the hound clubs in Wa. state contracts through a timber company to be able to exercise there hounds just so they don't get harassed when the do go out.

[brian j cerelli]

lcsa had a meeting with the game department a few months back and that was sort of a question we brought up, wondering if we could even road the dogs in the off season as long as they had toner collars on. the officers didnt even understand why we thought we counldnt do that, they said its completly legal to exercise the dogs in the off season. a training season would be nice, i will bring it up at our next meeting and see if some one will look into it.we are also looking into hounding coyotes again, and why we lost it so easily.
Brian

[Dewatto]

Thanks for the reply,
I think what the problem is with exersizing the hounds is that they are hounds. I wont speak for other hunters but I dont road my hounds in the off season becouse of the fact they will find a coon scent and trail it, and who would ever think of shocking there hound off of good game? just for the sake of exersize. I mean a guy could drive around and look for trash turn you dogs out and shock them, but thats not exersize. If I road my hounds they are hunting and are going to find good game and most likely tree it. Thats the part that the game department has a hard time relizing that in order to do it legaly we need a pusuit season just for the fact our hounds will seek out and tree what they are trained to do and like I said before who the hell would shock there dogs for what we spend countless hours training them to do.

I know a guy that even spent thousands of dollars and bought a electronic horse walker and turned it into a dog walker becouse he wasnt about to loose his hunting rights for roading his hounds in the off season. I dont have that luxury and not many hound guys that I know do.

[riverrun1986]

The local game warden in my area told me i could road my dog but had to keep them tetherd and of course no type of firearm wich i dont anyway

[nait hadya]

so does Alberta....

[Dewatto]

The local game warden in my area told me i could road my dog but had to keep them tetherd and of course no type of firearm wich i dont anyway

Thats exactly why we need a training season, the game wardens interpet the laws on an individual basis. There is no clear cut line on roading hounds in the off season. One Warden says sure go ahead and you go to a differant area and end up with a ticket from a differant warden.
I have three differant Game wardens for my region and they all are fairly level headed but if I'm roading my hounds and they even act like they are going to leave the road and chase something I'm going to get a tcket. Because Roading hounds is hunting

[Darvin Ecklund]

These are the types of issues that need to be brought up to the Game Commission through the Hound Council. I believe this is the role in which the Washington State Hound Council was set in motion to do when it was first enacted. Somewhere along the line we have lost this communication. We will not win this battle by individually going to the Game Department for answers. We need to approach the Game Commission in numbers as ONE!

[riverrun1986]

I agree with u darvin We need to go in numbers

[Dewatto]

I dont like to bash on the Hound Council. But I'm not sure of there aganda these days I would really like to see a more proavtive aproach to questions like a Training Season.

[brian j cerelli]

i have to say that some of the problem is everyone wants someone else to do the work, like i said before, lcsa is looking into a few things, trying to figure out what needs to be done so we dont loose our coon season like we did the coyote season, maybe even try to get it back, and at our next meeting i will bring up a training season, and try to get the ball rolling on that, might not amount to anything, but atleast we can say we tried.


any one with ideas is more then welcome to come and talk about it and maybe we can stick together on a issue, but seems like the same x amount of people show up to the meetings.... just the way it goes i guess.

[George Streepy]

i have to say that some of the problem is everyone wants someone else to do the work, like i said before, lcsa is looking into a few things, trying to figure out what needs to be done so we dont loose our coon season like we did the coyote season, maybe even try to get it back, and at our next meeting i will bring up a training season, and try to get the ball rolling on that, might not amount to anything, but atleast we can say we tried.


any one with ideas is more then welcome to come and talk about it and maybe we can stick together on a issue, but seems like the same x amount of people show up to the meetings.... just the way it goes i guess.

That is exactly the reason why we need an organization that represents the view of hunters. It comes down to organization, emails, phone calls, etc. There is a huge need of an organization that steers itself away from the field trials, and other distractions. The problem is it will have to be completely done with donated time and funds. I realize field trials are a revenue builder but I do believe it distracts people from the issues facing our hunting. Having the support of clubs is essential. This forum is a great tool, and we should be exploiting it the best we can. I am willing to start working with others to get a reminder system in place so hound meetings and commission meetings don't get missed so much. I will see what I can get put together with my current work reminder systems to keep folks updated. If you are interested in something like this please PM me or email me at rrstreepy@hotmail.com. My phone numbers are (253)266-2130 cell and (360)802-6480 home. I will start a new post later today and ask for guys to send over any contact information. If there seems to be a demand for it I am willing to spend the time each month to get some notifications out to interested people. If it starts to work out, we will need to get others involved that would be interested in participating.

This is not an insult to existing clubs. So please don't take it the wrong way, it is simply me trying to find a group of people with a direct focus on the issues that effect hunting. Let me know if you folks think a reminder system would be advantageous.

[buzz]

George, well said and great ideas

[Darvin Ecklund]

Thanks George! I am in 100%. Lets make this happen. I also have time and am willing to move forward and get something done. I will give you a ring.

[Dewatto]

I'm all for it thanks George.

[LACOON69]