Lionhunters, do yourself a favor and watch your backtrail.

[Mike Leonard]

Just thought I would put this out as a form of encouragment for houndhunters in general to tread lightly and do not leave lasting sign.

I have been out hunting the past several days and it truely has been an enjoyable time. Trailing conditions have been outstanding with the dirt fluffy with some moisture below and cloud cover and moderate temperatures. I would like to tell you a couple of lion in the tree stories but that didn't happen but did get some good training on young dogs and saw some patient cold trailing. I also me a very nice fellow lionhunter in the field and we had a great visit and even found out some of our hounds are related.

One sour note however and thus this thread. I came across the trail of a smallish lion working its way east in a narrow shallow sand wash. As I got to a forest road where it crossed my dogs fanned out and I could plainly see where a vehicle had stopped and dumped dogs on the track the day before. No problem here and I am sure they had a good run for the track then would have been very fresh. However as I looked the schene over I noticed that lasting items were left behind. Egg shells from a hard boiled egg are no problem and they dissolve away but Budweiser cans do not, and this right on a well traveled Forest Service road leaves a lasting impression that is not favorable for hound folks. As I circled back towards my truck I ran into a District Officier who had also seen this before I did. He asked if I had been there yesterday and I told him no. He said he had found two bull elk shot and only their heads removed and there was sort of an APB out. He said they had evidence in hand already and the lab would be investigating further but also had aerial photos of vehicles and plates. WOW! The woods really do have eyes. Anyway he mentioned where the lion had crossed and I told him I had seen it and had picked up the cans an put them in my saddle bags. He thanked me and asked me to call him if I say anything suspisious. He said many of the wardens believe lionhunters may be to blame for this trophy poaching. I told him I doubted if lionhunters would waste their time doing that. But the beer can schene on the side of the road was a lasting impression in the Officier's mind.


So do yourself and other dog hunters a favor and tread lightlyand leave only your tracks.


Thanks

[Brindle]

Very well said mike, i couldnt agree more. To bad aluminum isnt worth more because i would be rich from the cans i have picked up.

[2ndhound]

I hear you mike,It never ceases to amaze me at just how far into the backcountry I go and still find beer cans,I like beer as much as the next guy but not when Im hunting,what I really hate is the darn broken bottles seems one of the hounds will run through it and cut a pad,dont know why a person would want to pack beer all the way back in there(heavy) empty the container (light)and leave it or smash it?Guess they know I will come along someday to pick it up or at least bury it,Not saying its all dog people doing this stuff though just people in general,got to where when I take the trailer out camping I make sure to throw in a rake and shovel to clean up the glass before I let the dogs out,a classic exercise in futility,but I know others do the same,cause if they didnt the hills would be awash in trash,

[BULLMASTER]

We was up elk hunting a year ago.I stopped at a little campground so my 5 year old son could use the rest room.When we pulled in I noticed a camp site that pigs used and left.It had garbage all over so we used the rest room and me and hunting buddy picked up the garbage and burned what would burn and hauled the rest out in the truck.Some people really take things for granted and don't care.It is very sad to see people abuse there privledges and give others a bad name.

HAPPY HUNTING

[MT.LionHunter]

I have picked up trash also but I'm leery about picking up beer cans and putting them in my truck, around here you can get an open container ticket for old beer cans in the bead of your truck THAT'S HORSE SH*T there are some A'holes around here that would right you one to. but I'm with you "PACK IT IN PACK IT OUT"

[horshur]

It only took a month of weekends picking cans for my boy to have enough for a Johnson Collar for his dog.
Hate to say but best time is after deer season.

This is the booty of 10kms of a popular deer hunting area's forest service road in the spring after the snow melt....132 can's or bottles

[BuckNAze]

How much did you get for it all?

[Big N' Blue]

I think that is one of the reasons that I am welcome by the locals were I hunt. I have been "CAUGHT" several times picking up trash left by others. No matter who leaves it, it is our responsibility as responsible hound men to clean it up. JMO Great post MIke as usual!!

[Buddyw]

I'm glad to hear others hound guys do this also. I do have to admit it was my wifes idea, but we normally try and pick up a bag of trash on our way out of the woods..

She'll be happy to hear that there are others doing the same.

It's too bad that we may never get credit for this stuff, it would be a good image builder. Maybe we should take a photo's of all the trash we collected, Like horsenHound did.

Or Start a Hunt and Clean up day, Month.. what ever.. It's pretty easy, and only add 10-20 minutes to the drive home...

Buddy

[Ike]

Your comments probably come a little late and do not cover large enough circles Mike, as I hear Utah plans to make some changes this coming year on bear hunting for hounddoggers. I sat and watched when Utah opened the border to non-resident hounddoggers and knew the result of that management change would effect me and it did. Only one year later Utah closed the fall bear pursuit because of too much pressure on public ground by hounddoggers on the units that border Colorado and New Mexico/Arizona. UDWR Managers told me that some of the hound camps had seventy-five to a hundred dogs tied up in them, and they could not allow that during the big game seasons. And just like that I'd lost one of the only things in hunting I cared about............

The Utah hound boys pushed for a summer pursuit season and got it, but they haven't learned anything about spreading out and limiting the hounds they send down a track. And you can imagine that complaints have followed and my sources tell me they are looking at a limited-entry pursuit season for the summer training season next year and possibly putting a limit on the number of dogs that can be sent down a track. Short story is I guess the Gang Banging is about over for these guys.

If the limited entry pursuit season passes, Utah will most likely give out ten percent or less of those permits to the non-residents wanting to chase bears. It means a guy will have to draw a pursuit permit for places like San Juan, La Sal Mountains and possibly the Book Cliffs. I suppose people will then look for other areas to impact until the whole state goes limited entry. And you can blame the gang bangers who don't ever consider the impact their actions have on others.......

Yea Mike, I wish beer cans were our only problem buds.............

ike

[BigGameHunter]

Here are the proposed changes for the next RAC meeting here in Utah.
http://wildlife.utah.gov/public_meetings/next.php

I agree with Mike; we need to watch our backtrail with a lot of things; trash, ethics, attitude.....

Just because it is legel doesn't mean it is right. We need to be careful or we are going to lose what rights we have.

[Ike]

Thanks for the link BGH, and DWR's comments and proposals follow what I was told weeks ago...........

ike