Hunters; required to identify himself when retrieving hunting dogs from landowner's property. (HB2531)
Introduced By
Del. Steve Landes (R-Weyers Cave)
Progress
✓ |
Introduced |
☐ |
Passed Committee |
✓ |
Passed House |
✓ |
Passed Senate |
✓ |
Signed by Governor |
☐ |
Became Law |
Description
Right of certain hunters to trespass. Abolishes the right of hunters to trespass for the purpose of retrieving hunting dogs. Read the Bill »
Status
03/20/2007: signed by governor
History
Date | Action |
---|---|
01/09/2007 | Committee |
01/09/2007 | Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/10/07 074262376 |
01/09/2007 | Referred to Committee on Militia, Police and Public Safety |
01/19/2007 | Impact statement from DPB (HB2531) |
02/02/2007 | Committee substitute printed 075879376-H1 |
02/03/2007 | Read first time |
02/05/2007 | Read second time |
02/05/2007 | Committee substitute agreed to 075879376-H1 |
02/05/2007 | Engrossed by House - committee substitute HB2531H1 |
02/06/2007 | Read third time and passed House (96-Y 3-N) |
02/06/2007 | Communicated to Senate |
02/07/2007 | Constitutional reading dispensed |
02/07/2007 | Referred to Committee for Courts of Justice |
02/08/2007 | Impact statement from DPB (HB2531H1) |
02/13/2007 | Constitutional reading dispensed (40-Y 0-N) |
02/13/2007 | VOTE: (40-Y 0-N) (see vote tally) |
02/14/2007 | Read third time |
02/14/2007 | Passed Senate (38-Y 2-N) |
02/14/2007 | VOTE: (38-Y 2-N) (see vote tally) |
02/21/2007 | Enrolled |
02/21/2007 | Bill text as passed House and Senate (HB2531ER) |
02/22/2007 | Signed by Speaker |
02/23/2007 | Signed by President |
02/27/2007 | Impact statement from DPB (HB2531ER) |
03/20/2007 | G Approved by Governor-Chapter 658 (effective 7/1/07) |
04/05/2007 | G Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0658) |
Comments
This bill is a step in the right direction but does not go nearly far enough. There is a reason why deer dogs are on posted private property; there is no minimum required acreage for hunters to release their dogs. The can literally release 40 hounds on an acre of land and allow them to run over hundreds or thousands of acres where neither the hounds nor the hunters are welcomed. In fact they do just that, 12 months out of the year. This problem is compounded by the fact that what was once rural Virginia is now suburbanized Virginia and the number of large, contiguous tracts of land of several 1000 acres or more where hound hunters can release their dogs with low probability of the hounds invading the land of others is close to nil. A number of Southern states that allow hounds to chase deer have tackled this problem by requiring those hunters who choose to hunt deer with dogs to produce documentation to the game commission prior to the hunting season that they do in fact have large contiguous tracts of land on which they will be releasing their hounds. It is about time that we do the same thing in Virginia or better yet stop the practice of hound hunting all together.