Hunting with Hounds in Virginia

Hunting with hounds is a time-honored tradition in Virginia. Today, residential and commercial development increasingly is fragmenting many of the larger contiguous tracts traditionally used by hound hunters, and new rural residents are unfamiliar with these hunting practices—contributing to an increase in the number and urgency of complaints being made about hound hunting, particularly from private landowners, non-consumptive recreationists, and other hunters who prefer not to use hounds. To proactively address concerns, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) initiated a public input process, facilitated by Virginia Tech’s wildlife researchers Steve McMullin, Jim Parkhurst, and Sarah Lupis Kozlowski. The goal of the project is to provide diverse opportunities for hunting with hounds in Virginia in a manner that is fair, sportsmanlike, and consistent with the rights of private property owners and other citizens. After the public input, stakeholder committees will develop recommendations for consideration by the VDGIF Board. One part of this analysis will be investigating whether any geographic patterns exist and what influence those geographic relationships may have in the public input process. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analysis will help researchers identify where "hotbeds" on certain hound hunting issues may be more prevalent and whether any correlations exist between these identified hotbeds and the level of public involvement. Results will provide useful information that will help define the geographic scope of hound hunting issues in Virginia and lead to improved development, evaluation, and prioritization of potential solutions to identified public concerns.

For more information, contact  sarahlk@vt.edu

10/31/08