American hoggers

[TrueTeXanHogDogs]

This show makes us all look like idiots

[jhy]

Mandi,

You hit the nail right on the head!!!  I have been through it myself and when we wouldn't do some of the things they suggested they asked point blank if we wanted to be viewed as, " entertainers or respected authority on the subject?" We chose the respectful route that day and they said they would pass us along to National Geographic Channel. I should have asked how much they were willing to pay before I answered because it doesn't take but a few beers and I can be an " Entertainer" all day for the right price.  It is just TV and so far I enjoy their show the most out of all. Mr. Campbell certainly is entertaining no matter what he is doing IMO.

Joey

[aladatrot]

Joey, you are absolutely right about Mr Campbell being entertaining. I have enjoyed watching the show on his account, and he certainly exemplifies what it is to be a character. Now the fact that I see the program as detrimental to the sport does not detract from the entertainment value. Again, I am sure the Campbells are good folks, I just believe that we as a whole need to be mindful of the bigger picture before we go entering into agreements with production companies in order to promote ourselves. There will certainly be no shortage of copy cat shows being fished around, and if we are not careful the sport we love will be a thing of the past within a few years if it continues to be portrayed as it has been.

Cheers
M

[jhy]

I agree and disagree.

I just got through with a Feral hog seminar week before last that was put on by the federal wildlife and fisheries and the USGS.  We had State and Federal Biologists, Game Wardens (both State and Federal), and a host of "Experts" that attended.  They gave  a lot of presentations on the damages and the rise in populations that they are seeing and have being reported.  We discussed different ways to help slow the progression of the pig population down and of course it is pretty much a dead end street because they do not have the data to get the funding that they would need to implement a Federal or State funded project to start battling the situation at hand.  All the methods were discussed and most all agreed that the dogs were the most effective, however, they think that the dog hunters are mostly to blame and would like to put serious penalties on dog hunters or trappers for taking a hog alive, which is completely ignorant in my opinion.

Now for my point:  As the show may project a negative aspect in some regards it also projects the serious damage these hogs are doing and  how dangerous they can be, which is positive.  The viewers can form whatever opinion they like, but they are not the ones that we have to worry about because they more than likely do not own land and therefore do not pay the taxes that landowners do and make contributions to the Politicians that would push or throw out any bills that may come up concerning dog hunters.  The folks that we have to be worried about are the so called "Experts".  One of the speakers, who has a very popular night vision hunting service in GA. is trying to push a law that would cost us our dogs, vehicles, guns and a 5K dollar a hog fine if we were to get caught transporting them for any reason, even within state lines.  I dont know if he is trying to push this to boost his business, or he seriously thinks that is going to work, but I think it is about as stupid of an idea as it gets for several different reasons.  Ultimately the landowners are the ones we need on our side and they dont care one bit about that show or what happens to the dogs or hogs,  but they do care if some "Outlaw hog hunters" are trespassing, tearing up property, leaving gates open, etc. So basically we have to promote responsibility amongst ourselves and keep a positive image in the landowners eyes about dog hunters.

If they did outlaw hog hunting with dogs, how long do you think it would be until they repealed that?  I dont think it would last more than 3 years, before they were begging us to get back in the woods and I think that I would have to charge them to fix their screw up.

I hope my statement makes sense because I think I confused myself trying to type after driving all day.

Joey 

[cliffhanger]

the show would be alot better in my opinion if there was more hunting and less staged hollywood drama. you know more like a documentary instead of a reality show

[jhy]

We all agree with that Cliffhanger, but unfortunately that doesnt sell to the mass public.  It is like "Billy the Exterminator", he has to put on that drama when trapping skunks, coons, snakes, etc. or the show would not have an audience.  If he just walked up and got the animal out of the trap and walked off like it is done in real life no kids would enjoy watching the show.  Like many of the others on this thread have said, "They are at the Mercy of the Producers and Editing dept."  The only reality of the show is it is some hog hunters making a living as entertainers, not hog hunters.  I dont know about you, but there is only so much hog hunting videos I can watch, because it gets boring just watching someone elses dogs bay a hog and then caught by the bulldog.  Doesnt make for much of a story line.

[aladatrot]

Joey, we do need to worry about how we look to the general public because the general public is who gets to vote on these measures when they come up. Look at the poor fellas in California who are about to be outlawed from hunting bear and big cats with hounds. The whole argument against that was that it was cruel to the wildlife and cruel to the dogs to "make" them hunt. There is a huge difference in using a hound to track and run an animal up into a tree, and using a dog to actually grab hold of another animal with it's teeth. That is where the public's perception of us can really hurt if we have not been on our toes in keeping ourselves regarded as empathetic houndsmen with a respect for our animals as well as the game we pursue. If we look like goofballs to the general public, they won't lose too much sleep about branding us unfeeling idiots and removing our rights and privileges to hunt with our dogs.

Honestly, as chic as it is to "rescue" animals from perceived "abuses" which typically start with whether you believe it is cruel to keep a dog outdoors with no air conditioning, I am surprised we still can hunt with dogs anymore at all. Heck, here in Texas, I am pretty certain that as of September 1 of this year it is illegal to house a dog outdoors at temps above 90 degrees. That is the type of idiocy we are up against.

Cheers
M

[halfbreed]

  yeah scaery ain't it . and you know the deal in california was fueled by a 60 second video taken off of yu-tube that showed about 5 hounds just ripping a baby bear cub apart . that is why it is so important to remember to keep your pictures and video's of your training sessions to your selfs . hell we know what they look like . see one dog bay a hog you seen em all . good clean kills are nice to show off your trophys but clean your dogs up a little lol don't need to see a bulldog covered in blood on the www. well thru preachin just yous you noodles folks .

[jhy]

Mandi,

I understand the public eye, and all hunters, no matter what your preference is, need to work together to protect ourselves and that goes without saying.  I was just stating that I can see how the show can help and hurt. ( It is so hard to get in the mind set of these radicals that think that an animal should be treated better than a human, much less an animal like a hog that is detremental to the ecology as a whole and does not belong here anyway.)  We also discussed how California has passed a law that you cant hunt hogs with more than 3 dogs on the ground, and I think you cant use a bulldog, but that may not be correct.  It is hard to believe that a state, California, has such a bad hog problem that it has effected the health of all americans, the ecoli outbreak a few years ago, would put kill fees, and regulations on hog hunting.  With the sport growing I can see where the states will try and make some money on them, but that is not going to help the problem at hand.  The public is the voters without a doubt, but the Politicians and the landowners (the ones who are affected and have the ears of the politicians) are the ones that present and push or squash bills.  If there isnt a bill to vote on then there isnt a problem with the public and that is the point I was trying to make with my statement about the public opinion.

[jhy]

Mandi,

We are from the South, they already think we are ignorant goofballs with no feelings! :)haha   Seriously, though you are so right and that is scary that folks form opinions without getting all the facts, but we are guilty of that at times, but I try not to be all the time.

[Reuben]

Joey, we do need to worry about how we look to the general public because the general public is who gets to vote on these measures when they come up. Look at the poor fellas in California who are about to be outlawed from hunting bear and big cats with hounds. The whole argument against that was that it was cruel to the wildlife and cruel to the dogs to "make" them hunt. There is a huge difference in using a hound to track and run an animal up into a tree, and using a dog to actually grab hold of another animal with it's teeth. That is where the public's perception of us can really hurt if we have not been on our toes in keeping ourselves regarded as empathetic houndsmen with a respect for our animals as well as the game we pursue. If we look like goofballs to the general public, they won't lose too much sleep about branding us unfeeling idiots and removing our rights and privileges to hunt with our dogs.

Honestly, as chic as it is to "rescue" animals from perceived "abuses" which typically start with whether you believe it is cruel to keep a dog outdoors with no air conditioning, I am surprised we still can hunt with dogs anymore at all. Heck, here in Texas, I am pretty certain that as of September 1 of this year it is illegal to house a dog outdoors at temps above 90 degrees. That is the type of idiocy we are up against.

Cheers
M

rules such as th 90 degree rule you are talking about is really not idiocy...it is brilliance on the activists part...small rules like this will slowly erode away our way of life because that brick wall will come down one brick at a time...one rule (brick) here and one there and eventually we will loose our right to own out door dogs and that will end all hunting with dogs...

They have been trying to out law hunting with dogs since way back and they got there way years ago in California...right now it would be very hard to do away with hog dogs because PETA knows that they have too much opposition on this one...they have already talked about sterilizing hogs...to me this move was brought on by the anti's to stop hog dogging...before then they tried to say that dogs were genetically engineered and by going forward with that one they were hoping to do away with dog breeds...those folks are insane and do not make any sense whatsoever...

[jhy]

Reuben,

That is a very good point.  I unfortunately dont give them that much credit, but then again I have not been paying attention to what we are up against lately.  (I have had one busy year and not much time for the internet)  I understand that is the way they take everything away that we have.  They start making you register things, then they start taking them when ever they can on the street, and before you know it they are on your door step taking it directly away from your house.  Terrorisim, plain and simple!

[aladatrot]

PETA isn't the most danger to us as dog owners and hunters. HSUS is far worse. I found a quote of Wayne Pacelle this week which said " We will use the ballot box and the democratic process to end all hunting in America". That is only part of their agenda, and this is one of the richest non profits out there with a budget of literally hundreds of millions. They rake in the donations through those sappy commercials saying how they save dogs and cats from their abusers. In actuality, save for a few appearances tailor made for media, less than 1% of the Humane Society of the United States' millions go to actually help shelter pets. The rest is spent in ad campaigns and campaign contributions to your elected legislators as well as purchasing large numbers of stocks in companies to gain stroke in implementing their radical agenda by force.

These guys have lots of power these days, and not only hunters and pet owners should take notice, but all of animal agriculture needs to get on the offensive. PETA does stupid stunts, HSUS is calculated and patient to get their way a "brick at a time".  They even got the US department of agriculture to promote their "meatless mondays" to its employees. Ask yourself how much stroke an anti meat organization has to have in order to get the government entity who regulates and promotes agriculture to actually publish that they support the same campaign sworn to end meat consumption in America. Of course, usda's support was withdrawn when the cattlemans association squealed, but usda had already tasted the kool aid.....

Unfortunately, if more "general public" is not made aware of this organization and stop funding it, we may be going the way of California sooner rather than later.
Cheers
M

[jhy]

It is a shame and it sounds like us hunters need to start donating money to an organization that can fight the HSUS with political ads and expose them for who they are. Thank you for reminding me about the "Meatless Monday" fiasco. What the hell was the USDA thinking?!  There are people who are dedicated to the destruction of the US as a whole and we are surrounded by more of them than we realize.  TDHA, LSDHA and BSDHA is all we have, that I know about, that is fighting locally for our rights. We need folks in Washington for sure!!!

[magnuml]

 would like to put serious penalties on dog hunters or trappers for taking a hog alive, which is completely ignorant in my opinion.

JHY, This last comment really bothers me. I don't know anyone that has enough freezers to keep every hog they kill in. I don't know enough people that i could give and would take all the hogs we get. But i do know one of the first things i was taught when learning to hunt as a kid was " If you KILL it, You EAT it". In Florida we have Feral hog transport cards that you have to apply for and get with the state to be able to transport a feral Hog with in state lines to your property and kept in a pen for your own personal consumption. If you sell hogs they have to be in a pen with a concrete or wood floor and the department of AG has your info and can come and inspect your pen at any time. I had a warden come check us a few weeks back and the first thing he wanted to see was my feral swine card and paperwork because we had a hog Alive in the truck. If i had not had one i would not have had a good day. Is everyone going to comply, No. But will it help, Yes. If you are insinuating that people should just kill hogs and leave them without eating the meat or getting it to someone that will then that is just not responcible hunting to me and gives Hunters a bad name, invasive or not. I call those Trophy hunters, People that shoot a big buck and take the head and leave the meat because it is too much work, or they don't know how to skin a animal. A hog hunter who takes the head for the teeth because his excuse is Boar hogs taste bad. Bull number 2. They taste bad when you drive around for hours with him still intact and his guts in at 80+ degrees for everyone to see he is a big hunter. I see a inmature person looking for attention who does not know how to hunt!! Lets just teach our kids that it is ok to shoot or kill a animal that was put on this earth to eat and just leave it laying on the ground. I could and do understand a Farmer who is out tending his property and see's a pack of hogs ruining his land, killing calfs ect Shooting hogs and leaving them and hope others do not come back.. That is not hunting, that is protecting his property and his money. If you are out running dogs and are Hunting and don't have enough coolers and ice for the hogs you killed and the meat to be good for the ride home and taking the hogs home ALIVE is the only way to hunt responcibly how is that IGNORANT ? Should they turn them loose insted? That would help a lot, to the problem.. If less people caught hogs alive we would have a lot less hogs caught and removed in the country. I will admit i love catching them alive, That is my preferred way to hunt and have done so for 17 years. I have 2 in my Pen right now and 3 in 2 freezers. why should i be penalized for that? How am i being IGNORANT and a bad hunter ?

[halfbreed]

well we do have an organization that is working very hard to educate the masses about the hsus and peta and they are

                        www.humanewatch .org    and petakillsanimals   
 
          check them out and sign up for their e-mail and facebook updates and messages to share across the www. so many little old ladies and the general public are unaware of the true agenda of these orgs. and need help spreading the word to the public .

[jhy]

MagnumL,

I was calling the officials who think we should kill every hog on the spot that has been trapped or caught with dogs as  ignorant, not us hunters.  My point was exactly what you are saying.  Sorry if I did not convey that properly.

Joey

[jhy]

MagnumL,

Reread my post.  I said it is Ignorant to penalize us for taking a hog alive.

Joey

[magnuml]

MagnumL,

I was calling the officials who think we should kill every hog on the spot that has been trapped or caught with dogs as  ignorant, not us hunters.  My point was exactly what you are saying.  Sorry if I did not convey that properly.

Joey

No need to apologize. It was the way it was worded that i took it as you not approving of hogs being taken alive personally. Sorry i took it the wrong way, atleast we both care about what is going on with hog hunting and i am glad to see people going out and being at these meetings. we all might have different styles of hunting and taste in dogs, but we all are Hog hunters and need to do our part to help everyone.. Thank you for that help and going the extra mile..  Lee

[magnuml]

It is a shame and it sounds like us hunters need to start donating money to an organization that can fight the HSUS with political ads and expose them for who they are. Thank you for reminding me about the "Meatless Monday" fiasco. What the hell was the USDA thinking?!  There are people who are dedicated to the destruction of the US as a whole and we are surrounded by more of them than we realize.  TDHA, LSDHA and BSDHA is all we have, that I know about, that is fighting locally for our rights. We need folks in Washington for sure!!!

The NRA is fighting in washington. I think every hunter in the U S should be a member. They do a lot for hunting and gun rights.