Kisatchie

[eman]

i don't really have a dog in this hunt (Pun intended).
Ruling came down Thursday i think , There will be no dog hunting allowed on all kisatchie forest lands in the 2012 -2013 deer season.

[Country Boy]

Thats good news for me cause we still hunt there, about time! !!!!

[Wag]

This has been coming for a long time......

[evis102]

I'm for no dog hunting in the state period. The size and quality of the deer herd is getting better and better. Just think what the end of dog hunting will do for it.

[Jordan]

about 80% of the leases from Longville to alexandria are stopping the dog hunting for deer.

[Duck Butter]

Guys this is NOT a good thing. This decision just gave the anti hunters a win. You can hate dog hunting all you want, but some of our hunting heritage was just lost. People in this state have used dogs for hunting for many years and now that is falling to the wayside. When does it stop? You give them an inch and they will take a yard, these antis are very passionate and will stop at nothing. This is not good for Louisiana

[eman]

[QUOTE=Duck Butter;402360]Guys this is NOT a good thing. This decision just gave the anti hunters a win. You can hate dog hunting all you want, but some of our hunting heritage was just lost. People in this state have used dogs for hunting for many years and now that is falling to the wayside. When does it stop? You give them an inch and they will take a yard, these antis are very passionate and will stop at nothing. This is not good for Louisiana[/
I have to agree to a point. Any wedge that they can drive between groups of hunters is a win for the anti's.
The ban was going to take place in the 2010 - 2011 season but the powers that be gave those that dog hunt a chance to figure out a way to hunt w/ dogs that wouldn't generate so many complaints. (the complaints about a dog spoiling a still hunt was not really figured in here).
The hunting from roads ,the dogs being turned loose to close to private property and the trespassing ( both dog and owner) complaints were what got this shut down.
i used to dog hunt w/ a group up around Salty's place 35 years ago. it was timber company land. The group that ran the hunt would line all 4 roads around a section w/ hunters and turn the dogs loose. Only time a hunter left the road was to retrieve a dog or a deer. Was it legal back then? I really don't know. But i know that it's not legal now and the same folks kids and grand kids still want to hunt the same way.
Yes it's a tradition, and a fine one . But there are very few places left where a pack of hounds can be turned loose to run and not cross a boundry line or someone else property. leasing land has gotten so high in price that no one can afford to lease 20,000 acres so that they can run dogs every day and not have them cross a line.
It's a damn shame but this is what it has come to.
If the dog hunters don't start policing themselves ,there will be no dog hunting allowed for deer at all.

[Duck Butter]

Good points eman, but read this on ASPCA website, that is the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

http://www.aspca.org/Blog/knf-decisi...OG.HUNTER.3712

Thanks to the efforts of the ASPCA and other advocates in Louisiana, the U.S. Forest Service decided to prohibit the use of dogs to hunt deer in Louisiana’s Kisatchie National Forest (KNF). We’d like to thank our supporters in Louisiana who contacted the Forest Service on this issue, and we commend Chief Tom Tidwell of the U.S. Forest Service for this decision to help protect Louisiana’s dogs.
The Kisatchie National Forest is Louisiana’s only national forest, spanning over 600,000 acres across the central part of the state. In the past, KNF has allowed hunters to use dogs while hunting for deer. This policy proved disastrous for many of the dogs involved in these hunts. We received multiple reports of dogs being left behind in the forest to fend for themselves or being hit by speeding vehicles trying to keep up with the pace of the hunt. Lost, forgotten, or abandoned dogs were forced to beg for food from surrounding landowners, kill wildlife to survive, or starve to death.
The Forest Service has done the right thing with the new policy. No other federal lands in Louisiana allow dog-deer hunting, and the state has already banned the practice in Wildlife Management Areas. It follows that the KNF would adopt a policy that minimizes conflicts with users and surrounding landowners, reduces negative impacts on its wildlife, and also reduces the cruel treatment of hunting dogs.
The Forest Service’s decision shows how effective citizen advocacy for animals can be. The hundreds of comments that the Forest Service received from our supporters in Louisiana helped play a role in its decision. Be sure to join the ASPCA Advocacy Brigade to receive updates on issues affecting animals and to learn how you can be an advocate for animals.

[Wag]

Eman is 100% correct, and the antis, just like duck butter posted will use this to raise money and get memberships, eventhough they had little to do to make this happen. Dogs will still be able to be used in KNF for quail hunting, coon hunting, squirrel hunting, etc, it did not ban the use of dogs for other sports, just deer hunting.