Beagles Killed!

This was in my local weekly newspapar, and occured here in my own state, I thought I would share it with the rest of the houndsman.

According to Sherman Wilson, Missouri Sporting Hunting Dog Association, on January 6, 2002, J.R. Rose of St. James, David Tipton of Vichy and Mike Ridenhour of Belle, were hunting rabbits on a 600-acre tract of ground that lies in Maries County, north of a 60-acre tract owned by Ralph Allen of Vichy. Margie Spurgeon, a relative of Tipton, owns the 600-acre tract. A rabbit was chased off the Spurgeon property onto the Allen property, upon hearing the dogs, Allen took his 30/30 rifle to the back of his property and shot four of the dogs.
When Rose, Tipton, and Ridenhour heard the shots and the crying of the dogs they went onto the Allen property to check on the well being of the dogs. (In a previous visit to the area, Allen had given Tipton permission to hunt on his property.) Upon arrival they saw Allen walking back to his pickup with a gun, reach inside for more ammo, then walk back into the woods. As the hunters got closer to the scene they saw Allen’s footprints in the snow, one hunter then yelled at Allen. At that time Allen then appeared behind them and answered their call. When confronted, Allen denied shooting the dogs, and the police were called.
While waiting for the police to arrive, the hunters located the dogs lying in blood and 30/30 casings were found in the snow next to Allen’s footprints. One of the dogs had tried to run away, but was found by following a trail of intestine left behind by the dog in his attempt to escape.
Allen was tried and convicted of animal abuse in Phelps County in a criminal hearing on Aug. 16th, 2002. James Rollins of Waynesville defended him and Richelle Christenson, Maries County Prosecutor, led the case.
Allen was sentenced to 40 days and nights in jail and was ordered to pay for his jail keep. Allen, being an employee at the jail was fired due to having a felony on his record.
The first civil trial was held at the Maries County Courthouse, where Steve Daniels of Rolla defended Allen. Rose, Tipton, and Ridenhour represented themselves and asked the court for $1500 apiece for three of the dogs and $800 for a young dog owned by Rose. Judgment was granted in favor of Rose, Tipton, and Ridenhour. Allen filed a request for a trial de nova, which is an application for a new trial. At that point the case was transferred to the Circuit Court of Maries County.
The honorable David Gregory Warren heard the second trial. Daniels again represented Allen and Jason Macpherson of Mountain Grove represented the plaintiffs. The proceedings were again at the Maries County Courthouse in Vienna, Missouri.
At this time, Rose, Tipton, and Ridenhour requested punitive damages and award for emotional distress in addition to the lost value of the dogs. The court granted judgment in the amount of $1500 for three dogs, $800 for the fourth dog, plus $300 per plaintiff as an award for emotional distress. All plaintiffs received judgment amounts in June 2004.
Some landowners do not realize that it is illegal to kill dogs that do not belong to them. This court order ruling upholds the rights of dog owners throughout the state of Missouri.
Source: The Home Press La Plata, Missouri July 14, 2004

Its great to see these god owners make this person (he ain't a man) pay for what he did. Way to go fellas!!
MOyotehunter
 
Court decisions like these need to be publicized. Not all land owners are so possesive that they kill or prosecute any and all tresspassers, regardless of the reason. But the ones that do, need to be made an example of.
 
The shooter got off easy in my opinon, but it's a start. Kudos to the judges.

There is a land owner near me that tells everybody that he'll shoot any dog he see's on his property regardless of what it's doing. He has killed many dogs, but nobody has ever filed charges against him, to my knowledge. He is a member of a Utah "pioneer" family and filing charges probably wouldn't be worthwhile.

His horses and mules got out awhile back and they stomped down and ate my landscaping. You can bet that if I had shot his animals, I'd still be in jail. I corraled his horses and mules and he came and got them, but not once did he apologize, thank me, or acknowledge the damage his animals did.
 
if that would have been my dogs..i think they would have found the shooter and empty shells next to his body. I had a guy shoot "over" (his words) my two best pointers during a late summer training session, the state police came out and couldn't do anything, even though i was only 30 yards away from the dogs when the guy shot. I caught the guy outside the bar one night, and gave him some payback, and that winter i caught him on video trepassing and poaching a deer out of season. So i don't have to worry about him..for a long while.
 
i have had pepole threaten to shoot my hounds a few times and i tryed my best to be so nice to these people and tell them nicely that they cant do it. will there is no talking to them. i told one guy one day. he was yelling so bad he was spitting in my face. i tryed for 15 mins to reason with this guy. i finnaly had enough. i told him that if he ever shot any of my hounds that he would be eating horse jerky for the rest of the winter. and dam i ment every word after the way he acted with me. the story with this is like this. the hounds had a loose on a yote. i had one hound get across the fence trying to figuar the yote out. i knocked on the guys door to let him know that i had a hound in there and i was going to walk in on foot to get her caught and get her out of there.the guy was a nut case. just a month ago i was running hounds near my house. there were on land that i had permission on. im sitting in my truck listening to a real nice race. some guy pulles up and starts yelling at me. now he is in his car with his wife and kidds going to church. he started threating to shoot my hounds. i explained to him the they were not on his land. he told me that if they ever came on his land that he would shoot them.i tryed to reason with this guy. he would just scream louder. will after 10 mins of this crap i told him that if he ever shot one of my hounds that i would burn his barn down.dam whats wrong with these people.if mt hounds ever bother livestock or people they wouldnt have to worry about shooting them cause i would have taken care of the problem first.thses hounds cover to much land to have problems like that.

Vargy
 
anyone had the opposite happen? I got home one day last december and noticed a truck parked in the middle of my road with a guy holding a rifle across the hood. I drove down and asked what he was doing he replied my dogs are running a coyote. I said that's fine, but it's my property and he doesn't have permission to hunt. And informed him the dogs were fine to pick them up at the next road, and not shot the coyote. He got all wadded up and screamed at me calling me everything but a whiteboy. I told him if he would have asked it would have been ok. Well after fighting with him verbally and telling him to unload his rifle and pack up..he picked up a radio and called his buddies, turns out...he had the entire section surrounded with guys and guns! I had to drive around and tell them to get the dogs and leave..and next time ask for permission to hunt my land. I thought i was going to get killed. I have no problem, with letting someone run there dogs, or retrieve lost dogs or game...but dang, ya just gotta ask! Well turns out they just moved down to my next field and i continued to follow them until they were off my property. It's funny how some people are so stupid and wreck hunting for most of us!
 
If someones dogs or livestock are on your property I think you should be able to deal with the offending animals any way you see fit! I know of a local rancher around here that has had problems with another guys longhorns getting into his alfalfa fields. The guy that owns the cows doesnt do a damn thing about it. I would have a freezer full of longhorn ribeyes if it was my land!
 
I just cannot understand this kind of "possessive" mentality. This is MY property. Anyone or anything that touches it DIES. Do these people have such low self-esteem that this is how they assert themselves to feel equivalent to the people they feel inferior too? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif
 
Alotta people are for the most part just miserable and unhappy with life, and they sure like shareing thier misery with others when they can. :rolleyes:
 
Now com'on Ronald??? Cattle getting out and hounds doing what they are breed to do are two different things. Cattle that are eating (distroying property) can be dealt like that, but hounds that just lay a foot onto your property you can't do a thing about it. Its like that in most states. It is here in Missouri. It might not be like that in Arnold's state, but anyhow what does that tell ya?? Just my thoughts, and the thoughts of all houndsman and dog owners. MOyotehunter
 
amen mo you are right. ronald i really dont understand your thoughts. if the hounds were bothering livestock yes i can see that happening and wouldnt say a word. i would shoot the hound before the owner could.you see most of the times when these hounds are running a yote. they are across most sections in a short bit.i have seen my hounds go right thourgh cattle. most of the times the cattle chase the hounds and the race blows up.no big deal . we just go to another spot and get away from the cattle and try again.i dont shoot any more so i dont have to worry about some acusing me of shooting on thier land.i never start my hounds on unwanted land. if i know my hounds are going near that land i make every effert to turn the yote so it wont go there. but some times it does happen. good night all i hope i have shed some light for you ronald

Vargy
 
Thank God I live where I do. Private is Private.
That means no people or dogs without permission. If a dog (including mine) is where they don't belong, they will be and should be dealt with. Either caught and the owner fined for trespassing, or shot. If I caught you guys running hounds on my property without permission, you would be prosecuted. That is hunting. I'll bet if you caught a guy hunting deer on a deer lease that you had paid for and he was there trespassing you would raise holy hell? I like hounds and hound hunters generally, but they are just like any body else and should have to play by the rules.
 
Cal, stop and think about it a minute. A man looses his hounds 2 miles away from "your" property. They are in hot pursuit where ever that yote runs. They zig-zag thru different sections for an hour. Now they are approaching "your" property, and the coyote cuts a corner of your section heading towards someone elses "property".

The hound owner is in his truck with an antenna trying to follow the race. He may still be 1/2 mile away yet, trying to get there.

This offends you? You think this is the same as Quote, "if you caught a guy hunting deer on a deer lease"? They should die because they ran across your dirt? What "loss" do you think you suffered because of this transgression? Can you put a dollar value on the damage caused by 3 minutes of running on "your" dirt?

It's NOT the same, my friend.
 
yeah...so if a kid rides his bike down your farm lane or in your driveway he should be stopped held and prosecuted, after all he is trespassing.

dogs are just animals, they don't understand property lines...accidents happen, and if no harm was done what's the big deal?

you gonna shot or prosecute a hunter for getting lost and wandering on your property?
 
I don't hunt with dogs, but I don't look down on people who use dogs either. But what I've seen is a lack of respect of most of the dog hunters for others peoples property. They will turn the dogs loose and most don't give a damn if they run across someone else's property or intrude on other people while they are trying to hunt on their on land.

I've had dog hunters dogs run right under my stand while deer hunting. And in the process run other deer away from me. Was I upset about it, you better believe it. But we caught the dogs and called the owners and had them come and get them. I've told them if they come back again they can get their dog from the game warden the next time.

If you are going to play, you are going to pay one way or another.
 
I hunted with a guy who used to let his dogs go almost anywhere he wanted. I no longer hunt with this guy. He has cost us may sections on land we used to hunt on. The only reason I can think of that no body turns him in is he hunts with a deputy sherrif and everone is afraid he will ticket them back for no reason. If I can't hunt the whole section, I don't go there, period. No matter how good it looks. Last year I found a new spot to hunt and spent over two weeks securing permission. Plus over 1800 miles in the process. It has paid off and now I have a nice place to hunt and some of those land owners hunt with me. Thats really nice because they know the lay of the land and where not to go. I also farm and own land and do not like it when someone goes on my property without permission. If thats how I feel I'll be danged if I'm going on any body elses land without permission either. Eveybody should do the same, dogs or not. It's getting harder to secure permission the way it is and you can loose permission faster than you can get it. It is the owners property, not yours. Sometimes, but not often, my dogs take a coyote where I don't have permission. First place we head is to the nearest farm place to explain, and have another truck try and catch the dogs. Hound hunter have just as much right to their way of hunting as anyone else. And DOGS CAN'T READ, so we have to do it for them. No trespassing signs are there for a reason. Ask and you shall recieve permission more times than not. Fall is coming up fast and there is no better time than now to go look for new spots and get that permission. Good hunting to all!!!
 
As Nasa stated a yote chase can go for miles.The hound was not started on your land that doesn't show disrespect or disregard for the law.How ever if you shoot the hound you would be doing both. We're not talking starting or shooting on your land that would be wrong.Most hound hunters have trackers on the hounds and they're more often then not right behind the chase.
As for deer hunting a yote could come and eat your deer without a hound after it. That would suck to to waiting for that perfct shot with your bow when a chase would bump the deer you were watching. Often the deer will circle back after the chase passes
 
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