Calls Needed! VA Senate Passes Field Trial Ban Next hearing scheduled for Tuesday, Fe

[Eric Johnson]

http://www.ussportsmen.org/legislati...eld-trial-ban/

http://tinyurl.com/bjmjbcd

Calls Needed! VA Senate Passes Field Trial Ban Next hearing scheduled for Tuesday, February 12th

Senate Bill 1280, sponsored by Senator Dave Marsden (D- Burke), passed out of the Virginia State Senate by a 24 to 16 vote

The bill would ban the state¹s long tradition of field trialing in enclosures. These events are already required to take place on areas that are at least 100 acres in size. Further restrictions on field trials are absolutely unnecessary. Senate Bill 1280 is the first step to banning all hunting with dogs or field
trialing.

The bill is scheduled for a hearing before the House Natural Resources Subcommittee Tuesday, February 12th at 7:30 A.M. Sportsmen must speak out
in opposition to Senate Bill 1280 by contacting members of the Subcommittee today. ³The anti-hunters are trying to paint fox field trials as fenced-in
dog fighting which couldn¹t be further from the truth,² said Jeremy Rine, U.S. Sportsmen¹s Alliance In-House Counsel. ³This misinformation is just an
underhanded tactic to pass this legislation and is just another step towards their ultimate goal of banning the use of dogs in all hunting.² Facts about
the fox field trials that Senate Bill 1280 would ban:

* Dogs used to hunt foxes or in field trials are trained to chase foxes and are not trained or permitted to fight them;
* Field trial enclosures are required to be at least 100 acres in size, ensuring fair chase * not the small areas the anti¹s suggest;
* Field trial enclosures are required by law to have a set number of areas where foxes can escape the dogs and where food and water are available;
* The field trials are required to obtain a permit from the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and comply with all Department regulations.

Take Action! - Virginia sportsmen are urged to contact members of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee today! Urge them to vote no on Senate Bill
1280.

(NOTE: The forum software won't allow me to post the email addresses of the Committee members. You'll have to go to the article to get these.)

U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance
801 Kingsmill Parkway
Columbus, Ohio 43229
614-888-4868

[Julie R.]

I've already written my representatives about this. The group that is behind the ban parades under the "Christian" banner and has managed to convince many, including legislators, that these fox pens are nothing more than kennel sized enclosures where hounds are tossed a fox to shred.

When I foxhunted actively I spent many a night at a few of the local fox pens. The ones around here are usually 300-400 acres and are fenced to keep deer out, so that young entry can learn to run fox without that distraction. I don't remember that any hosted actual trials, just training for them. From a strictly AR standpoint, they're actually safer for the quarry than being hunted in the wild (which is legal, as is trapping and shooting fox in VA) so this is a classic case of the camel's nose under the tent. I hope EVERY VA resident and those so motivated from other states, will send a letter against this POS bill....

[Pat Puwal]

I contacted all of the committee members and asked them not to vote for SB 1280. It would be a shame to ruin fox hunting as a sport in Virginia because of a few crackpots!

[Pat Puwal]

Just wanted to report that I got an email reply from Sen. James E. Edmunds of the VA legislature promising to vote "no". All you Virginians write the committee today and make your voices heard. We don't want to have our state turn into one of those states run by the animal rights people!