For years hunters in North Carolina who prefer to use hounds to chase deer have been fighting a running battle with animal rightist, some property owners and fellow hunters who prefer to hunt whitetail deer by hunting from stands. Apparently the issue of hunting deer with dogs is coming to a head as meetings are being held with dog hunters, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) and property owners who have problems with unwanted dogs chasing deer on their property.

Apparently the deer hunting with hounds is reaching a point that some changes need to be made in the practice. The hunter-to-hunter conflicts and the problems with landowners need to be resolved.

Last week the NCWRC invited a representative from the Georgia Game and Fish Department to come to Raleigh and explain the plan that the state of Georgia has in place and is having good success with. The meeting was well attended by dog owners, the NCWRC personnel and others who “have a dog in this fight.”

Anytime changes are proposed that will have an effect on our North Carolina dog hunters, it instantly becomes a hot-button issue. Recognizing that changes may be necessary to preserve the sport of hunting deer with hounds, the NCWRC is very wisely taking a look at what other states are doing to help and solve the problems.

Taking a look at the Georgia plan is a good place to start. Georgia’s plan may not be the exact thing that North Carolina hunters need but it may serve as a template for a similar problem in this state. It’s worth considering if it will solve some of the conflicts our state is having.

Two people that did attend the meeting have offered their views on the Georgia Plan.

Greg Culpepper is an avid bear hunter and deer hunter who lives in Linville Falls, NC. He states “North Carolina Hound hunters continue to loose hunting opportunities to sociological issues driven by growth of and demographic shift in population. This trajectory can't be changed. But the greatest threat to the centuries old tradition of hunting with hounds has been our own inability to prevent the intolerable behavior of the few rogues that damage our relations with our neighbors, our county commissions and the Legislature.

“During this short session of the Legislature we will lose the remaining northern portion of Orange County for hound hunting. Orange County commissioners have considered the compatibility of hound hunting with the broad interests of its citizens. Their exhaustion from complaints about dog hunters from landowners has tipped the debate and led them to seek relief from the Legislature. The Legislature will answer them.

“We hound hunters have been unable to control the bad behavior of our small minority. Peer pressure has been insufficient to control the problems that lead to suit or threat of suit under tort nuisance law that closes areas to hound hunting or the legislative banning of hound hunting, one county or region at a time.

“It is easier to ban something that is troublesome than it is to regulate it. We hound hunters need help if we are to slow the inevitable extinction of our beloved tradition to merely the press of population growth and demographic change. We don't possess the force of law but we can partner with those that do.

“This past Tuesday, John Bowers, Wildlife Program Assistant State Supervisor, Georgia Department of Natural Resources spoke by invitation of NCWRC to WRC commissioners and stakeholders In Raleigh. Bowers reported that Georgia's experience with the ongoing loss of land available for hound hunting had been much the same as our's here in North Carolina until their enactment of a comprehensive law providing for the permitting of hound hunts and licensing of hound hunters.

“In 2003 only 41 Georgia counties remained open to hound hunting and six of those were under dire threat of loss. Enacted that year was a comprehensive law to regulate hound hunting by revocable permit system and revocable dog hunter license in addition the general hunting license.

“Because of this new Georgia law (which can be described fairly as a hunter responsibility act), the ongoing loss of hound hunting territory was stopped. The Georgia law proscribes the identification of the permitted hunt area, the identification by permit number of vehicles and dogs and the listing of the licensed dog hunters. Penalties for violation of the permit are investigated by wildlife officers and if found to have merit are forwarded to administrative court for ruling. Judges may revoke the hunter in question's dog-hunting license for violation of the permit. Thirty days are available for appeal of the judge's ruling.

“The effect that Georgia has experienced since the 2003 enactment of this law must be described as overwhelmingly positive for hound hunters and landowners alike. The six counties under threat at that time have remained available to hound hunting. Hound hunters have not lost a single county in Georgia since that time. Not a single complaint has been lodged at the state level by a frustrated landowner and the Legislature has been quiet (on this issue) since enactment.

“Hunters must add an additional layer of planning to their hunts in Georgia. This would seem be a small price to pay to stop cold the progressive loss of hound hunting opportunities to the bad behavior of the very few of us.

“I recommend that we study Georgia’s experience with their dog law and consider modeling a North Carolina solution to our problems that embraces Georgia's success to preserve our own hound-hunting heritage.

“The NCWRC is inviting Reggie Dickey, President of The Georgia Hunting and Fishing Federation to talk to commissioners and stakeholders in the future about Georgia's experience with this law from the hunter's perspective. When that meeting is set I encourage all of us that have a stake in the future of hound hunting to get informed and help shape a North Carolina solution to the problems that will otherwise drive the future extinction of our beloved heritage and culture of hunting with hounds.

“I think we'll be well served to partner with the NCWRC. By our selves we are fast loosing the battle to ban hunting with hounds.”

Two other people that attended the Georgia Plan meeting in Raleigh were Joe and Henri McClees the well-known lobbyists from the North Carolina Sporting Dogs Association. Henri McClees gives her views on the meeting stating that “Hunters from across North Carolina crowded into the small auditorium on the first floor of the Wildlife Resources Commission building on Tuesday, May 11th.

“Mountain men rose at 2 and 3 o’clock to arrive in Raleigh for the 9 am meeting. Delegations of coastal hunters arrived, eager to hear about the rumored “Georgia Plan”. We recognized representatives of the NC Sporting Dog Association from the NC Bear Hunters Assn., the NC Concerned Sportsmen Alliance, the NC Running Hounds Assn., Albemarle Houndsmen, Appalachian Houndsmen, Duplin/Onslow Hunters Assn., East Coast Hunters Assn., the AKC, and hunting club representatives from across North Carolina. Eighty nine (89) people signed a clipboard sign-in sheet passed around by WRC employees.

“David Hoyle, Jr., Chairman of the Big Game Committee of the NC Wildlife Resources Commission arranged the “Georgia Plan” as the sole agenda item for the May meeting of the Big Game Committee.

“John W. Bowers provided a 45 minutes Power Point presentation about the “Georgia Plan”. He serves as Assistant Chief of Game Management, Division of Wildlife Resources, Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

“Unlike North Carolina, the Georgia legislature long ago delegated all hunting issues, including dog hunting, to the Dept. of Natural Resources. In North Carolina, the legislature has retained jurisdiction over dog hunting issues.

“Georgia has approximately 7,500 dog hunters, compared with approximately 75,000 dog hunters in North Carolina. Of Georgia’s 159 counties, only a few of the southern counties retain dog hunting.

“Until their 2003 change of statute, Georgia had few regulatory options when hunter and land owner disputes arose. The options included closing a county, or a portion of a county, to dog hunting or to reduce the length of the dog hunting season for a county.

“In 2003, the first phase of the “Georgia Plan” was passed. Revised in 2005, the plan includes the following elements:

1. There is no dog hunting without a permit in Georgia.

2. Permits are issued to the land owner or lessee for the land on which deer can be hunted with dogs. All land owners must sign.

3. A permit number is permanently assigned to the tract of land. Dogs must display the permit number. Hunters must have the permit number and display it on each vehicle used in hunting.

4. No permit will issue for a leased tract of less than one thousand contiguous acres.

5. No permit will issue for an owned tract for less than two hundred fifty contiguous acres.

6. There is a required deer-dog license in addition to normal hunting license.

7. The Department must investigate complaints from adjacent property owners regarding violations. A dog running onto adjacent property is a violation.

8. The Commissioner may take action against a permit for violations.

9. The Commissioner may revoke a deer-dog license for any hunter who, within a single hunting season, commits two or more violations of dogs off of permitted property.

“The North Carolina Sporting Dog Association is opposed to any effort to adopt the “Georgia Plan” for North Carolina.

There are several reasons for this opposition to a blanket acceptance of the “Georgia Plan:

1. The NC General Assembly has not delegated to the NC Wildlife Resources Commission the regulation of hunting with dogs. We believe legislators, elected every two years, are more accountable to the citizens than appointed commissioners. We cannot support a system in which the legislature would surrender its authority to an unelected commission.

2. North Carolina has many tens of thousands of dog hunters, as opposed to the relative small number of dog hunters in Georgia. Our state faces different challenges than did Georgia, and has a better legislative basis to protect and regulate dog hunting.

3. The NC Sporting Dog Association looks forward to a full and balanced presentation of ideas for improving dog hunting in North Carolina. We do not yet know how many dog hunters abandoned the sport, or how much land was lost to dog hunting in Georgia. We do not have enough information to evaluate “the Georgia Plan”.

4. We support the NC Running Hounds Association’s offer to bring a leader of the Georgia hunters’ coalition to North Carolina to present the hunters’ perspective on the “Georgia Plan”.

5. We believe the entire dog hunting community in North Carolina should have ample time to study and discuss any proposed changes to North Carolina law. This will take many months, but should result in a forthright and effective discussion of all the issues surrounding dog hunting in North Carolina.”

The deer hunting with hounds is sure to be a hot issue for the next few months in out state. There’d no doubt that some action needs to be taken to resolve the issues and taking a long look at some of the ideas that Georgia has apparently had success with is a good place to start.