Animal-extremist group Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), along with Mountain Lion Foundation, WildEarth Guardians, Wildlife for All, and others, recently petitioned the Arizona Game and Fish Commission to prohibit the use of hounds for hunting mountain lions, black bears, bobcats, coyotes, and other furbearers and small game in the state. The petition asks for a statewide ban on hound hunting to “recognize principles of fair chase and ethical hunting, protect wildlife… and ensure public safety.”
The Arizona Game and Fish Commission is the rulemaking body of the Arizona Game and Fish Department. The two work hand-in-hand to promulgate hunting and fishing regulations and manage the state’s wildlife resources. Current Arizona regulations allow the use of dogs while hunting mountain lions, bears, rabbits, and other game. The petition asks the commission to amend these regulations to ban the use of dogs as a legal method of take, but it stops short of requesting a ban on the use of dogs for hunting birds.
“CBD and it’s animal-extremist posse are, unsurprisingly, at it again,” said Dr. Todd Adkins, Senior Vice President at the Sportsmen’s Alliance. “They continue to lie, cheat, and steal unabashedly in an effort to force their ideology on the masses. This time, they’re elevating their buffoonery to a new level, but we’re happy to offer a reality check.”
The list of false claims in the petition is long, but they include: hounds are starved by their owners to increase prey drive; hounds cause significant damage to ecosystems; hound hunting presents a threat to endangered species in Arizona, such as jaguars and Mexican gray wolves; and packs of hounds are known to attack recreators when pursuing game on public lands.
Arizona state law allows citizens to petition the commission to make, amend, or repeal a rule. The Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation is currently reviewing the petition to verify it conforms with the statutory requirements for citizen petitions. The department will make its own determination on the validity of the petition within 15 days, and if valid, the petition will then be placed on the commission’s open meeting agenda.
“The Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation is currently reviewing CBD’s petition to determine its validity and highlight its falsities,” said Torin Miller, Associate Litigation Counsel for Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation. “If the petition does make it before the Commission, we look forward to offering our comments, including the realities of hunting with hounds, on the matter.”
About the Sportsmen’s Alliance: The Sportsmen’s Alliance protects and defends America’s wildlife conservation programs and the pursuits – hunting, fishing and trapping – that generate the money to pay for them. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation is responsible for public education, legal defense and research. Its mission is accomplished through several distinct programs coordinated to provide the most complete defense capability possible. Stay connected to Sportsmen’s Alliance: Online, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
