The Nevada Wildlife Commissioners voted 5-2 in support of keeping bear hunting with hounds legal in the state. This vote was brought on by a citizen’s petition that was looking to ban the hunting tactic. Several hunting groups including The Sportsmen’s Alliance reached out to the Commission asking them to vote in support of bear hunting with hounds.
Hunting with hounds and coyote calling contests have become the frequent targets of groups that are against hunting. Hunting with hounds is often portrayed as unfair, some have gone as far as calling it immoral. These statements have obviously been made by people who have never spent time around houndsmen or their hounds. Hunting with hounds is never a sure thing, bears can cover an amazing amount of ground and many races end before the hounds or houndsmen ever see their quarry. Although bears look pudgy and slow they have incredible stamina and many times will simply outrun the hounds. Even after a successful bear race, the hunters may not take the bear. Hound hunting is not only supported by science-based wildlife conservation efforts it also helps hunters evaluate their harvests better.
“Animal-rights groups opposed to hunting with hounds contribute very little to wildlife conservation efforts and try to inject emotion into their arguments. It is comforting to see that the Nevada Wildlife Commission will not be bullied and are willing to protect the rights of Nevada sportsmen.” – Jacob Hupp, Associate Director of State Services.
As stated above, hound hunting allows hunters to better gauge the age and sex of an animal. Likewise, it allows them to see the presence of cubs so that more stringent management goals can be better achieved.
We at ehuntr.com support science-based wildlife conservation practices and this petition flew in the face of exactly that.
