Originally Posted by
Gilroy
I would not be so pessimistic about the future.
When I started out beagling I got the idea from a fellow employee who had a beagle and he took me out as a new hunter. I then got my own dog and simply took him out from the city on my days off up a few hours north and he basically self trained himself and me on how to rabbit hunt.
No fuss or drama, sometimes I lost him overnight and got a telephone call from a kind farmer or rural resident they had found him and come pick him up.
I trained him on any conservations/ crown lands I could legally access.
Few years later I am out with coyote hunters around Newtonville and same deal most of the hunters were local farmers, had all been trappers in their youth and most winters days were out hunting big areas with hounds for coyote. Mostly their neighbors were with them and everybody had a real good time.
Then all of a sudden I am hearing about training areas and licenses and all the crap and blue tape that involves. Why?
We still have farmers who are willing to allow hunting for rabbits and coyotes, although the coyotes have most of the rabbits now.
So why have we gotten to a stage where Governments interfere in every aspect of peoples lives and even leisure time.
I agree that urban sprawl is an enormous factor and access to land is a bigger challenge BUT why cant a farmer and his neighbors with their own collective LAND BASE not simply be allowed to use it to train their dogs. They should at least be allowed to train them in the fall and winter months without any bother.
I watched the ANIMAL JUSTICE undercover video and the training areas actually strengthen their position in opposition to any type of hunt in an enclosed area as non hunters watching get a certain impression of the hunt.
Usual disaster when you get politics involved in any type of outdoor pursuit enjoyed by hunters.
P.S. On a side note we now have a fellow out with two dogs a month ago in Etobicoke park, he and his dog were attacked by eight coyotes. Extensive injuries to the dog and surgery and to the owners hand.
They go to a meeting with City officials and are basically told that "they need to get along with the coyotes" LOL the world has gone mad.
