spectr17
06-02-2003, 11:20 PM
Mike Bolton, The Birminghan News
Deer hunters, landowners feud may end in death
06/01/03
For residents of the suburbs, the idea of a real-life feud between deer hunters and Alabama landowners is probably hard to fathom. But it's real.
And the seriousness of this issue won't become clear until somebody dies. I suspect that could happen any day now.
Hunting deer with dogs has been a way of life in Alabama for decades. Back in the good old days, a dog deer hunter could knock on the door of somebody he didn't know and probably get permission to hunt on that property.
Hunting in Alabama has changed. Land where you could once hunt free now leases to hunters for an astronomical amount. A rural farm where someone hunted deer with his dogs for 20 years might now be leased to somebody from a Birmingham suburb. Although the place may be just down the road from the hunter's home, he is no longer welcome there.
Some dog hunters have accepted that they can no longer afford to hunt. They have sought other hobbies. Most dog hunters have pooled their resources and created dog hunting clubs on large tracts.
A few, however, have decided the heck with the law they'll take their dogs and hunt whenever and wherever they want. They will pull up to a piece of property where they have no permission to hunt, turn their dogs loose and fire away with their guns no matter whether a deer is running across the front yard or a highway. It's this small bunch of dog hunters that is making life miserable for everyone.
For the landowners who have the audacity to challenge them, life can turn into a nightmare.
Trying to find such a landowner who will talk and allow his name to be published is a difficult chore. The fear is that deep. There are never-ending stories of guns being held to their heads, cows shot, barns burned, roofing tacks on roads, threats to families, fences cut and gates knocked down. Many landowners are scared of retaliation if they talk.
There are two losers in this drama. Foremost are the landowners who are afraid even to allow their kids to play in their front yards. Imagine having to carry a pistol whereever you go because you're scared.
The second loser is the legitimate dog hunter who wouldn't even think of purposely letting his dog stray on someone else's property.
Because of what landowners have been put through, hunting with dogs was banned in Marion, Lamar and Franklin counties two weeks ago and curtailed in portions of three south Alabama counties. What a shame it came to that. Legitimate dog hunters complain that the banning of dog hunting in their counties is akin to taking automobiles away from everybody because a few drink and drive. What a great analogy.
The real shame is that hunting is supposed to be fun, but for many involved in this issue the fun has long ceased. People who want to hit a few golf balls in their backyard don't have to live in fear because other golfers will show up in their yards and terrorize them. People who play softball don't see their bats taken away because a few hoodlums use bats to knock down mailboxes.
The real shame is that somebody is eventually going to get killed over deer hunting with dogs. The anti-hunters are going to get a kick out of that. Mike Bolton's outdoors column appears on Sunday.
Deer hunters, landowners feud may end in death
06/01/03
For residents of the suburbs, the idea of a real-life feud between deer hunters and Alabama landowners is probably hard to fathom. But it's real.
And the seriousness of this issue won't become clear until somebody dies. I suspect that could happen any day now.
Hunting deer with dogs has been a way of life in Alabama for decades. Back in the good old days, a dog deer hunter could knock on the door of somebody he didn't know and probably get permission to hunt on that property.
Hunting in Alabama has changed. Land where you could once hunt free now leases to hunters for an astronomical amount. A rural farm where someone hunted deer with his dogs for 20 years might now be leased to somebody from a Birmingham suburb. Although the place may be just down the road from the hunter's home, he is no longer welcome there.
Some dog hunters have accepted that they can no longer afford to hunt. They have sought other hobbies. Most dog hunters have pooled their resources and created dog hunting clubs on large tracts.
A few, however, have decided the heck with the law they'll take their dogs and hunt whenever and wherever they want. They will pull up to a piece of property where they have no permission to hunt, turn their dogs loose and fire away with their guns no matter whether a deer is running across the front yard or a highway. It's this small bunch of dog hunters that is making life miserable for everyone.
For the landowners who have the audacity to challenge them, life can turn into a nightmare.
Trying to find such a landowner who will talk and allow his name to be published is a difficult chore. The fear is that deep. There are never-ending stories of guns being held to their heads, cows shot, barns burned, roofing tacks on roads, threats to families, fences cut and gates knocked down. Many landowners are scared of retaliation if they talk.
There are two losers in this drama. Foremost are the landowners who are afraid even to allow their kids to play in their front yards. Imagine having to carry a pistol whereever you go because you're scared.
The second loser is the legitimate dog hunter who wouldn't even think of purposely letting his dog stray on someone else's property.
Because of what landowners have been put through, hunting with dogs was banned in Marion, Lamar and Franklin counties two weeks ago and curtailed in portions of three south Alabama counties. What a shame it came to that. Legitimate dog hunters complain that the banning of dog hunting in their counties is akin to taking automobiles away from everybody because a few drink and drive. What a great analogy.
The real shame is that hunting is supposed to be fun, but for many involved in this issue the fun has long ceased. People who want to hit a few golf balls in their backyard don't have to live in fear because other golfers will show up in their yards and terrorize them. People who play softball don't see their bats taken away because a few hoodlums use bats to knock down mailboxes.
The real shame is that somebody is eventually going to get killed over deer hunting with dogs. The anti-hunters are going to get a kick out of that. Mike Bolton's outdoors column appears on Sunday.